July 2023 Sightings

Sunny and dry, mid 70’s

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Weather: 81°-93°, winds 5-11 mph, sun all day. This is a permit only area. Great summer numbers for Eastern Arogos Skipper. Area is dry for this time of year. Nectar: camphorweed, roserush, frog fruit, mistflower, fleabane and more. LCooper, NPrine, EPerry, DSmith.

Clear with a light breeze and 58° as we started at 10am, warming to 65° by 4:20pm as we finished. We had a beautiful day for a guided hike with the Alaska Native Plant Society. A Silvery Blue was observed sampling nutrients from bear scat (uploaded photo). The only butterflies seen above the treeline were Old World Swallowtails, which were found hilltopping, sunning, and nectaring at and around the summit of Near Point (elevation of 3,051 feet). A Western Tailed-Blue was my first for the season.

Sunny, 85 degrees, 10am-12:15pm

Mostly cloudy, calm, humid, mid-80s. Coral Hairstreaks and Little Wood-Satyrs out in abundance! Good to finally see a few Monarchs as well…

Filtered sunlight, breezy, and 60° when I began at 10:50am and overcast with sprinkles at 3pm as I finished. Temperatures warmed when sunlight broke through but by 12:30pm it was quite cloudy. I wanted to check on a couple of species not found (to my knowledge) any closer to Anchorage, Persius Duskywing and Field Crescent, and was happy to find one of each despite less than optimal conditions.

11:20-1:15, partly sunny, windy, 80-85 degrees.

Weather was clear, 78°-87°, 5mph winds
Surveyed from 10:00am-4:30pm

R. Spink and D. Dunlap

Along the Arkansas River in a dry swamp with abundant river oats.

Mostly cloudy with occasional filtered sunlight, strong cold wind, and temperatures ranging from the low to upper fifties. Not optimal conditions, and butterflies were scarce. Near the trailhead I checked on Hairy Rockcress stems where I found Mustard White eggs on June 23 - in some cases a couple of eggs placed on a given stem - and saw that the caterpillars hadn’t yet emerged. I looked for Large Marble caterpillars on Hairy Rockcress where I had seen eggs and caterpillars previously and found one caterpillar that was about 5mm in length. The Freija Fritillary was found in a south-facing patch of alpine vegetation and lichens close to the summit of Near Peak. No butterflies were hilltopping, probably because of the strong wind and chilly temperatures.

At least two freshly emerged Compton Tortoiseshells are hanging around my garage and house. They are fond of hiding from the sun under my garage overhang.

first Monarch sighting laying eggs

From 9-10:30 we walked along the creek and checked all the nectar sources. Photos available.

8:00-12:00. Sunny, warm, high 80’s, humid, slight breeze. photo & Id by Don Torino

plus 8 spotted Forester Moth

3:30 - 6:30 PM. Sunny, humid, high 80s.

White Admiral on milkweed.

Sunny, 82 degrees, light wind. Elevation around 6700 feet and lower.

Hot, humid day with temps in the high 80s/low 90s with a light breeze. I found an aberrant Great Spangled Fritillary nectaring on Swamp Milkweed. There were at least 8 other “normal” Great Spangled Fritillaries in the area.

Hot and humid conditions. Activity a little slow as the common milkweed is done and the nectar in the garden is just about to pop with buttonbush just starting to bloom. Partly cloudy conditions. Rain at 2 pm ended our visit.

About 90 degrees with wind 10-15 gusting to 30. Three lifers in about an hour from 1:30 until 2:30!

Desert around 6000 ft with thistles, cholla, pinon and cottonwood. Low 80’s, very dry.

Breezy, overcast with temp around 76 while observing butterflies on a farm for 3hrs. Several Monarch eggs and about 24 caterpillars found.

Sunny and 78.

(16-437) Hot, sunny and buggy. Perfect! Pre-scouted for next weekend’s South Pinellas Count.

10-12 before rain arrived. Blackroot appeared to be main nectar source

Sunny, mid-80s, wind not a factor. Due to record snowfall in the Sierra Nevada some of the site’s were barely showing signs of plant growth. The season was running 4 to 6 weeks late. For example, no Coppers were seen during my 2 day visit to the Sierra Nevada.

30th annual NABA count 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 82°-90°, winds 8-15, sun in a.m., rain at mid-day, then cloudy until 3. Coverage area very limited because of high water. Nectar: pickerelweed, mistflower, black-eyed Susan, frog fruit. LCooper compiler, PGotter, SFarnsworth, NPrine, DSmith, KWolfe, SStein, SStorch, PStrauss.

The Ocola Skipper was unexpected, they usually start being seen in mid-August and September.

Soft sunlight filtered through clouds and occasionally brighter, at 55° from 11:20am to 12:30pm. The bog was very wet from recent rain, and mosquitoes were abundant. I focused on the southeast end of the bog searching Shrubby Cinquefoil for Dorcas Coppers. Either they haven’t eclosed yet because of our chilly, wet season or it wasn’t warm enough while I was there to get them moving. I saw a fritillary nectaring on Bog Bean (Menyanthes trifoliata), and although I got numerous photos failed to get one of the ventral wing surfaces. I’m fairly sure it’s a Silver-bordered Fritillary based on close analysis of details of the dorsal wing surfaces - although this one is a bit worn and darker on the central hind wings - and because I’ve confidently documented Silver-bordered Fritillaries in this bog before. I was very excited for a Jutta Arctic, also nectaring on Bog Bean near the fritillary when first found. I’d wanted to confirm this summer whether there’s any Jutta Arctic presence in this bog and although I found just one, I was quite happy. As with the other two species I observed, the Cranberry Blue was a first-of-season sighting for me.

Filtered sunlight at 55° from 10:20am to 11:30am. The bog was very wet and mosquitos were abundant. I checked Shrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa) for Dorcas Coppers, but it appears they haven’t begun eclosing yet. I was happy to find a fritillary nectaring on Bog Bean (Menyanthes trifoliata), and initially misidentified it as a Silver-bordered Fritillary based on sightings of them in the bog last year in June and July. Unfortunately I didn’t have photos that clearly showed the ventral wing surfaces. It didn’t look quite right and a return trip to the bog a day later on July 9th allowed me to confirm it as a Frigga Fritillary, a species I hadn’t found in Anchorage before. I was very excited to spot a Jutta Arctic, also nectaring on Bog Bean, and was able to get a number of photos. I had hoped to find Jutta Arctics this season since they typically fly in odd-numbered years here, and I had wondered whether they are present in this bog. The Cranberry Blue was a first of season sighting for me.

Partly sunny and mid 80s.

Partly sunny and 85.

Sunny and 82.

Partly sunny and 88.

Two of the Frits were trying to pair with each other.

Sunny & 84degrees at a senior living center.

Sunny & 80 degrees, with a light breeze.

Highest amount of Wood-Nymphs I have ever encountered at a single location!

Mulberry Wings and Appalachian Browns seen in the sedge marsh not far down the trail from the Robert Frost Stone House Museum.

Mostly Sunny, mid 80s, some breeze. With Ray Bruun.

Temperature fluctuations were pretty dramatic at about 70 degrees with sun and with wind and over cast skies much cooler.

Sunny, very windy and 82degrees early afternoon

Sunny and mostly clear, a light breeze, at 55° as I began at 10am and 57° as I finished at 11:30am. After photographing a fritillary in the bog yesterday and not getting clear views of the ventral wing surfaces, I made a return visit to the bog hoping to re-find it. Happily I encountered the same fritillary (or one that looked identical) and got photos showing the ventral wing surfaces so was able to successfully confirm it as a Frigga Fritillary. The Arctic Skipper was a first sighting for me within the bog, although I see them frequently elsewhere in the Anchorage area.

Los Trancos Trail, 0945-1400, 7.3 miles, 530-1,871 ft., 56°-69°, Sunny. Not a whole lot flying and most everything was worn including all the Rural Skippers. I did find my first Mountain Mahogany Hairstreaks today.

With Jane Lampkin and Harry Zirlin 10-12
Warm and humid. Rain soon followed by severe thunderstorms and heavy rain ended the outing.

Weather was mostly clear, 84°-86°, 5mph winds
Surveyed 2:00pm-4:30pm

R. Spink and T. Rutgers

Overcast and drizzly

Second brood of Pipevine Swallowtails probably at max

10:30 to 11:00 along 300 yard stretch of banks of Ohio River. Most Pipevines were males on damp sand.
Cabbage Whites not on sand, in flight.

Garden within milkweed

9a-12p Sunny, high 80s, breezy. 1 Monarch appeared to lay eggs but I could not get to the milkweed to verify. Monarch in the pic looks a bit travel worn; the other 2 were much fresher. Observations, photos, & ID by both Don Torino and me.

10:30 AM to 6 PM; sunny, less humid, mid to high 80s.

Ward Pound Ridge was hopping today. Dun Skippers were abundant today, whereas we saw only one here on July 6. Also good numbers of Delaware Skippers, American Coppers, G.S. Fritillaries, crescents and wood-nymphs.

Saw a few favorites on wildflowers in town.

With Jane Lampkin and club horticulturist, Matt Ceplo. 1-3, warm but pleasant.
Note the ventral image of the female Spicebush Swallowtail. She does not have the “missing tooth.”

Sunny with some rain and 72.

We hiked up to the Rockslides at about 11,500’. After photographing several Rockslide Checkerspots, two Magdalena Alpines flew 2-3 feet from us! John searched the area and found butterflies puddling at the base of the melting snow and a nearby creek with wildflowers so we hiked around the rockslides to the snow drift and immediately discovered Magdalenas and more Rockslide Checkerspots! It took an hour but we finally got shots of the Magdalena! It was quite the adventure as we saw 3 families of Mountain Goats coming towards us showing no fear. John walked behind a large conifer and a family surrounded me coming within 5 feet so he didn’t get any photos of me surrounded by the goats! Almost forgot our first butterfly of the day was another ‘lifer’, an Oreas Comma!!! Super fun day! And I didn’t think Dainty Sulphurs occurred at high elevation in Colorado. We stopped counting when we’d seen 25-30 Rockslide Checkerspot!

We searched several meadows and found more butterflies near the streams and at the base of melting snowbanks. The Variable Checkerspots were ‘Anicia’(Euphdryas chalcedona anicia).

10-11AM. 90 degrees, calm & sunny. Butterflies seen during bird walk.

I saw a new species today, Colorado Hairstreak.
10:30-12:30, sunny, 88 degrees

I was so excited to see my first Juniper Hairsteak that I took so many photos! I have plenty of Eastern Redcedar on our 3 acre property, but this is the first time I’ve seen this butterfly!

Partly Cloudy, humid, 80s. Checking out the new wildflower/natural areas in the park. Numbers weren’t great, but the area has potential. Tiger Swallowtail, Banded Hairstreaks and Summer Azures were from my backyard about 2 miles away.

Up Wildcat Loop Trail, down Rogue Valley. Lots of Tailed Coppers along most of the route, all of them well-worn.

Sara Orangetip was unexpected this late in the season.

Mostly cloudy with breaks of strong sunlight, breezy, and 68° from 5pm to 5:50pm. Despite warm temperatures and lots of wildflowers, butterflies were not seen for the first 40 minutes of my walk. I visited a marshy area with sedges but saw no butterflies there. As I was returning to the car I observed two Mustard Whites fluttering along a slope with tall grasses and wildflowers but was unable to get photos.

Mostly sunny, breezy, 80s. Lots of activity here this year. Great to see after a slower turnout last year at the same location! Many of the Eastern Tigers had some Canadian traits, which is classic for this location midsummer onwards. Grass skippers (particularly those drawn to sedge/marsh habitats) in abundance…

With Jane Lampkin 1-3. Hot, but who cares! The meadow was full of Asclepias tuberosa and more crescents and coppers than we’ve ever seen in one spot.

Weather was partly cloudy, 70°-75°, 5-8mph winds
Surveyed 10:00am-12:00pm

9-10:30 am
Pass Lake trailhead: Just walked the trail along Reid’s Meadow and back
Mostly Spring Wildflowers still in bloom and just starting to fade.
Elevation: 10,100 ft

Sunny day. Was there between 8-9am.
The Spring wildflowers are fading and the Summer wildflowers are just starting to bloom.
Elevation: 10,100 ft

At 5300 ft at lookout on bare rock habitat. Unsure of ID.

Mostly sunny, breezy, and 65° from 12:52pm to 2pm. I searched Hairy Rockcress stems for Large Marble caterpillars and pupae and found two caterpillars, approximately 18-20mm in length. I was unable to relocate Hairy Rockcress plants where I had seen White Mustard eggs as recently as ten days ago. Conditions were ideal with plentiful wildflowers, but I only found White Mustard.

Sunny and 66° from 11:47am to 12:40pm. On entering the hot, wet bog I was immediately attacked by a horde of vicious mosquitoes, and they made my entire visit something of an ordeal. First of year sightings for me of a Dorcas Copper and Silver-bordered Fritillary made the discomfort worthwhile. Both were found in the northern half of the bog. The Dorcas Copper appeared to be a male.

Sunny, breezy, and 64° as I began at 10:24am and 65° at 11:23am as I finished. I focused on the west end of the bog where cotton grass is abundant and where plenty of wildflowers border the bog. Shrubby Cinquefoil and Wild Iris were abundant within the bog itself. I found only a single Cranberry Blue despite near-perfect conditions.

We used our GPS and found ourselves in a remote meadow filled with butterflies! It was a weekend without the weekend traffic of the main road to Horseshoe Mountain.

10AM-12PM. Sunny, hot & humid, near 90º. Observation, ID, & photos taken during Open House Tour.

I got to the trail by 1:00, hiked up to the pass, and encountered high winds. I then hiked over the pass to the tree line, found shelter from the wind and found the Sara Orangetips and Anise Swallowtails that weren’t found along other parts of the trail. The Chryxus Artics were also only found near the pass. Numbers are provided for the species that were encountered infrequently.

(40-3502) Results from the 8th South Pinellas NABA Count. Wicked hot temperatures with full sun all day. Areas covered included Fort De Soto Park, Sunshine Skyway corridor, Pinellas Point, Boyd Hill Nature Preserve and Ray Neri Park. Western Pygmy-Blues (899) were the butterfly of the day as they were found all along the coast where crested saltbush & seablite occurred. Exciting and new to the area were Atala cats & eggs. A great effort by the participants.
Participants: J.Clayton, D.Fraser, C.Gibson, C.Hardy, B.Hoffman, T.Patterson, B.Pranty, R.Sanchez, C.Shavers, D.Smith, R.Smith & P.Trunk.
Photo credits: ChWhite (Fraser), WPBlue (Gibson), Mallow (Sanchez, Obscure (D.Smith), Atala (Clayton), WhChSkip (Peacock), Monk, Cassius & Metalmark (R.Smith).

Partly cloudy, humid, 90 degrees. Large area of preserved farmland full of wildflowers. Single dark female Eastern Tiger. Lots of Senna and Partridge Pea; only 2 Sleepy Orange spotted.

Very overcast, low 70s, intermittent drizzle just before the downpour. Observation, iID and photo taken during Don Torino’s group nature walk.

Stopped at multiple spots beginning at the tree line all the way to Lion Rock from 8:00 to 1:00. The lone Ediths Checkerspot was found at the summit, same with the Arctic Blue, Purplish Coppers were only found at higher elevations, and the two Pacific Fritillaries were found higher up in wetter areas. Numbers are provided for species encountered in low numbers. Two species of Hemileuca were flying as well.

Sunny, breezy and 82degrees. Hazy with smoke from wildfires.

Sunny, low 90’s, 2-3PM

Obs. made between 1:15 to 3:45. Some of these sightings from Wyoming County. Milkweed field at Splashdam pond was just starting to bloom.

Obs. made between 10:25 & 12:25. Stopped again after 5p.m. and found both Striped Hairstreaks.

Obs made at various points from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Rickett’s Glen SP to just north of Splashdam pond.
high temp low 80’s and hazy filtered sun.

I got on the trail early, with the temperatures in the 60s. Hiked all the way up to Bean creek basin and the pass. I didn’t see any butterflies up at the pass but with the low temperatures they weren’t flying at lower elevations until 10 o’clock.

93 and sunny.

Hunting Hollow Road, 0900-1130, 3.2 miles, 62°-76°, This is a good location for Great Coppers, a few were seen at each creek crossing. All were worn but a lifer still as was my first Dryope Sylvan Hairstreak.

Temperature 70-72
Wind west at 10 mph
Time 9:30-15:20
Dennis Dunlap, Tom Allen, Chip Schaddelee, Glenn Crisler, Alan Denko

Hazy, sunny and windy with temperature of 82 degrees. Had 2 Monarchs visit certified butterfly garden #2490.

Walking route was around the lake with a detour down the south path branch for a look at the construction staging site. Most of the activity was at this site and the Kennedy Gardens on the lake’s east side. Duskywings at the staging site looked like wild indigo (photo of one), then I found female and male Horace’s (photos of both) in Kennedy Gardens. Temp about 84 F at end of walk and humid. Haze from northern wildfires.

Conducting the Bluestem Butterfly Count with John and Marlene Weber

Tons of Green June beetles were flying everywhere.

I got near the summit by 10 o’clock. The only species that I found lower down were the Satyr Comma and the Great Spangled Fritillary. The rest of the species were found near the summit, and most of the species were found all along the way. Three new species were found at this location that hadn’t been spotted at the other places I’d visited in Washington so far. The Sooty Hairstreaks were really abundant near the summit , and the Great Spangled Fritillary, and Satyr Comma were two species I hadn’t seen at the other locations on this trip.

Hoping to see more.

Dark heavy clouds most of the day. Sunshine arrived between 2:30-3 PM. Rained around 4 PM. Wind was not a factor. Lots of nectar source available however the butterflies appear to be running at least a month late.

I got over Aasgard Pass by 10 and explored in the area for a few hours before descending back to Colchuck Lake, so this list is what I saw from 10 until 5 when I got back to the trailhead. The only Hoffman’s Checkerspots were seen at Colchuck. The Arctic Blues were only seen on the rockslide going up to Aasgard Pass. The Edith’s Checkerspots were only seen up at the pass. The Purplish Fritillaries, Western Whites, and Milbert’s Tortoiseshells were only seen up in the meadows in the Enchantments.

Partly sunny, 85 degrees, 10:15-11:30

Clearing up and 82.

Bald Mountain Trail & Mount Umunhum. 0900-1130, 2.5 miles, 64°-82°, 2,331-3,488 ft. elevation. Full sun and very dry with light winds. Only Buckwheat species in bloom and a few Coyote Mints. Four Unsilvered Fritillaries were a great find and a fresh brood of Acmon Blues were out. Also a possible Callippe Fritillary (or just worn Coronis)

One of few Fulvous Hairstreaks recorded in Polk;a surprise find

81 degrees, hiked up to PG&E Tower No. 8 and back down via the same route.

Most butterflies were appearing worn, but a Red Admiral ovipositing on nettles down in the creek bed was fresh-looking.

Also saw a Leanira Checkerspot caterpillar on Paintbrush, but no adults.

I drove the gravel trail from 10 to noon stopping at flower patches and wet areas. The Sylvan Hairstreaks were pretty abundant.

Early morning,70s to 80s; heat wave with afternoon temps in 100s. No real rain in two months. Butterfly garden at ponds with coneflowers, beeweed, milkweed, sunflowers, and catmint among other things.

Also visited on 07/15/23. The season is running late by at least a month. Purple Thistle, mint, and many other nectar source were in bloom. However, very few butterflies species were seen. Only a few greater fritillaries seen. All were in mint condition as if they had recently emerged. Visited this same location at the end of July 2022. Temps were over 100 degrees, vegetation was mostly dead or gone to seed, and barely any butterflies were seen.

Mostly cloudy with a light breeze at 70° as I began at 5pm and 71° as I finished at 6:56pm. This may have been the warmest day of the year so far here in Anchorage, but apart from a single Mustard White the heat didn’t stir up much butterfly activity for my after-work outing. I spent the entire time searching for Large Marble larvae and pupae along my usual stretch of the trail. I found no pupae and just a single Large Marble caterpillar.

Initially cloudy then sun breaking. Breezy, mid-80s. Random sightings while walking around the park near the lighthouse, including a male Sachem chasing a female…

Walked 2 miles and then back
started around 8:30 - temps:70s-80s

Visited on July 16th & 22nd. This is a combined report for both locations.

I stopped at several flower patches along the road to the pass from 1-3. The butterflies were pretty abundant in this area but the wildfire smoke in the area was alarming.

This area had burned several years ago so it was pretty exposed from the trailhead to the lake. Not a lot of butterflies flying, and very few at the lake. I was out from 9:30-12:30 with temperatures in the 90s.

Our first time in years seeing Monarchs here

Sunny, breezy, and 86 degrees. Three female Black Swallowtails visited the gardens. Had a few more swallowtail eggs on dill.

A full-day hike with the Alaska Native Plant Society from Eklutna Lake to Pepper Peak (elevation 5,000 feet). Beautifully warm weather, partly cloudy and temperatures in the low sixties as we began at 8am and bright sun and temperatures in the low seventies as we finished at 6:30pm. Some very nice butterflies, with my largest count of species so far for this challenging season. Butterflies were mostly observed at mid to high elevations above the treeline apart from the Arctic Skipper, Field Crescent, and Mustard Whites. Species I was unable to photograph or identify included two blues, three sulphurs, and two small black Alpines found at mid-elevation. The Magdalena Alpines were a first-time sighting for me. They looked large (for Alpines) and were at the summit and along high ridges. I was very happy for a number of Melissa Arctics and the Phoebus Parnassians. The Milbert’s Tortoiseshells were the first newly-eclosed ones I’ve seen this year.

Also seen were a Snowberry Clearwing, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Sadly, park maintenance just moved down the field where all of the butterflies were last summer.

We found Freija Fritillaries our 1st day at Loveland Pass on July 9th but Arctic and Bog Fritillaries were not flying until July 21 and in greater numbers today.