March 2016 Sightings

flame vine blossoms.

Mostly sunny and temps in low 70s.

68-70F

Very quiet. Lots of bidens in bloom.

About 70 degrees, thin overcast. A nice variety of butterflies, most of them First-of-Season for me.

A warm day after extended cold and wet weather. Saw Question Marks and Eastern Commas puddling on a “weepy” maple dripping water and sap from sapsucker holes drilled into the trunk. I’d hoped for a Mourning Cloak since I’d seen one two years ago in the same spot and I got one!

Sunny and 100 degrees! Because of lack of rain and high temperature we didn’t have high expectations. But we were pleasantly surprised by the decent numbers and diversity of butterflies. (One reason is that the butterfly garden gets watered.) 32 species. Highlights were Texan Crescent and species shown in photos.

The afternoon turned out to be nice; warmed into lower 60s,with blue bird skies.The north end of the county had some surprises.

Cloudy until late morning,and warmed to upper 50s by noon. Duskywing skippers made their 1st appearance of the year and they were not Juvenal Duskywing.

Early spring jaunt with Bill and Jean Evoy (photos). Two hours, mid-70’s, full sun. Metalmarks more abundant than usual.

First butterflies of the year. All were flybys including 6 Polygonia sp

Temp 71 degrees, partially cloudy became mostly cloudy, and calm winds became gusty. Besides list, also saw an unidentified blue which was not a Sonoran Blue.

Early morning, warm quickly into the upper 50s,with clear skies.

Few nectar plants blooming yet. Temps in 70s in p.m.

Nothing blooming except plum and black cherry

Very windy today so Lep detection was an issue.

Windy and sunny.

Though a bit windy it was Chamber of Commerce weather.

These is a small area of Chickasaw Plums, a native plum that has been in full bloom.

12:20-1:30 pm; about 60, partly-mostly sunny with light breeze.

Combined sightings from 3/6 & 3/7

Warm, 62, Low wind.

The Ruddy Daggerwing, which was very battered, is a new county record.

Windy and mostly sunny with temps in the mid 70s.Worked in outside all day and the Red Admiral was present all day.

Sunny, high near 80.

From Lucky Hammock and road along it.

First butterfly of the year! Saw it lumbering across my front yard.

Windy, mostly cloudy, and in mid 70s.The Red Admiral was still around on this day also,and this is the sightings of the 1st swallowtails for me on the year.

Sunny,breezy and 80 degrees
My earliest ever FOY sighting

Each spring in late Feb and early Mar there is usually 1-2 Silver-spotted Skippers visiting the azaleas by the Visitor’s Center.

1st butterfly of the year.

1st of the year Cabbage White.

Two Cabbage butterflies came through the garden within minutes, each following the same path, as though they had planned it!

Low 70s, partly cloudy
I also went off main trail into a lot of Chaparral trails.
Orange Sulphur had just eclosed
Many unID Duskywing
2 unID Vanessa

With Jane Lampkin
80 degrees
American Lady!

It was mid 60 today, winds 3 mph, clear
The first butterflies of the year.

80’s and sunny. 33 species. Highlight was the 6 Mexican Bluewings at Estero! Note the perfect “3” on the Southern Broken-Dash.

With Karen Finch (photos), 76-82F, full sun, light wind. 3 hours.

My first butterfly of the year!

I saw this large, dark butterfly flying across the road.

I have 14 Monarch chrysalis and 20 eggs that just hatched.

First of season.

I can’t believe how happy I am to see this guy (or girl). I am almost positive this is the butterfly that was seen by me in the fall trying to find a nice place to overwinter in my house shingles over a period of a few days. Anyway, today I was outside on my patio and was startled when I flushed it. It landed again on the patio in the sun. It flew off a few seconds later. I hope I can get a photo of it soon.

Looked hard for Mourning Cloak without success.

Sunny and 96! 30 species. Butterflies were overly active. Seems like an explosion in the Lyside Sulphur population. Highlights were Mexican Bluewing, Texan Crescent, Tropical Leafwing, Turk’s-cap White-Skipper (right under my nose and pointed out by Mike Rickard), Ocola Skipper and Double-dotted Skipper.

Sunny,60 degrees. Walking with Nancy. Her 1st of year.
1:00 to 3:30.

Nice spring day, with temps in mid-70’s, breezy and mostly sun. The Frosted Elfins were fresh, both males and females (found two new colonies). The wild Indigo is already 15-20” high. The Falcate OTs were primarily females (only 3 males) suggesting their flight is almost over. The Pepper & Salt RS Sks were all fresh, usually seen in fewer numbers. Lots of duskywings flying, either Juvenal’s or Horace’s.

Spring 2016 is finally here! Cheers my fellow butterfly enthusiasts!

11 AM to 12:30 PM; large part of the preserve was recently burned for habitat management.

Rains of the past few days have ended,sunny with SE wind
and temps in the 70s.

Mostly sunny temp in low 80s. Perdido River WMA has the largest stand of White Cedar in Alabama;but access has been mostly limited to hunter and timber companies.But this spring the area has opened two public areas on the river amoung the cedars.This has produced a very nice sighting of a Hessel’s Hairstreak at the Staplefork Landing;one of the new areas.

59F It was a pleasure to get out after 10 straight days of rain.

Unusually warm at 83 degrees. Wild plum flowers were at peak. Spicebush had yellow buds. I walked about 4.75 miles throughout the mountain trails. I lingered at the wild plum to see what would fly in.

Orange Sulphur 2
Falcate Orangetip 6
Red Admiral 4
White-M Hairstreak 1
Red-banded Hairstreak 1
Spring Azure 2
American Snout 4
Eastern Comma 2

64F, Pipevine Swallowtail with surprisingly small tails.

I saw yet another Mourning Cloak. Cheers, my fellow Massachusetts butterfly enthusiasts!

Cooler than yesterday. 73 degrees, and no activity at the wild plum that was busy yesterday. Walked 2.3 miles throughout the mountain trails.

Mourning Cloak 1
Sulphur flyby 2
Spring Azure 1
Falcate Orangetip (one pair mating) 9
Red Admiral 2
Eastern Comma 2

66-68F
lots of mud

It was around 60 degrees, partly sunny and winds 6mph

Pony Pasture area. Sunny, high in the mid 70s.

Very early. This is the second one of these in Nassau County in March in recent years. The old thinking was that they recolonized the area every late summer, but did not survive the winter. This may no longer be true.
Photo by Joan Parry.

I got my work done early on this morning. So I took a Nature Hike this afternoon. I wound up seeing six Mourning Cloaks. Sometimes two together at one time, on the trail and high up in the trees. This Is exciting and unbelievably Cool! Here is the lone photograph of Mourning Cloak #1/6. Once again, cheers to all my fellow Massachusetts Butterfly/Nature Enthusiasts. Happy Butterfly watching, to you all! I ❤️ Mourning Cloaks. Seldom seen up close, but beautiful nonetheless!!!!!!

mid 70s to low 80s most of the day. Nice clear skies
Lots of Jonhny jump-up in bloom

Sunny day, about 70 degrees. Nice to find a few Bramble Green Hairstreaks on St. Patrick’s Day.

69F
My cat Yoda wanted to eat the monarch, but I shooed the butterfly out of the yard in time.

68F

While hiking with my dog Cassie this afternoon. We spotted/saw three more Mourning Cloaks. I managed to photograph at least two out of the three. With their wings open, on the forest floor. Too cool!

Jericho Ditch Lane, Jericho Ditch, Railroad Ditch, West Ditch. Sunny, high in the mid 70s. Sleepy Oranges in “winter form.” Henry’s Elfin’s around American Holly. An early spring!

I saw one Mourning Cloak, this morning on my trail hike. It was just too fast for photographs and or videos. Ah well! Go Massachusetts Butterflies!

1 - Satyr or Hoary Comma

Trail mostly covered in 12+ inches of snow but there are open spots in sunny locations

1st Bfly of 2016

Overcast day

Doing a little yard work,and was happy to see a nice variety of Leps. around the house.The Spicebush Swallowtail was very interested in the Camphor Trees at the edge of the property; host?

Pleasant day after the marine layer burned off. Photographing the endangered Bay Checkerspot was my goal this day. I was well rewarded, they were plentiful at this location.

Terrific variety of wild flowers blooming in the desert.

Observations occurred in Rackensack Canyon.

Mid 70s, mostly sunny, mild winds. One no ID white and one no ID sulphur seen.

Sunny and warm. Only had time to do small part of park

Observations were made at various stops along the Catalina Highway.

Sunny and 70 to 78. We covered only a tiny portion of the trails. 37 species. Flowers are reportedly not as extensive as last spring. Highlights were Mexican Bluewing, White-striped Longtail, Common Mestra and the ones shown in photos.

Afternoon, full sun, mid-60’s

Unidentified Swallowtail, Decent wildflowers for so early in the season.

11-1:30

Observations were made at various stops along the Catalina Highway.

61F

64F with David Rawlinson

9:30 - 2:30

With Stephen Moore, Jim Brock and others.
Observations were made at Quitobaquito Springs.

69F with David Rawlinson

Sunny turning mostly cloudy, windy at times, high in the mid 70s.

12:00 - 2:00

9:30 - 11:30

First of season.

I went for a nice hike this afternoon. While hiking I saw my thirteenth Mourning Cloak Butterfly of 2016. Yay! Lucky Mourning Cloak Butterfly #13!

Survey from 10:30 AM to 12:15 PM; air temperature ranging from 52.8 to 53.8 F.

12:30-1:30

9:15 - 11:15

Spotted mid-afternoon. May have been a Pipevine Swallowtail, but I have very little of that host plant where I live.

Butterfly moving through flower area of yard, slightly warm (79F) spring day.

76 degrees, sunny, with mild winds.

Sunny. Walk led by Rick Snyder. 17 people. 46 species. Spectacular results! Highlights were male Falcate Orangetip, Julia Helliconian, Celia’s Roadside-Skipper, Turk’s-cap White-Skipper, Rounded Metalmark, Longtail Skipper, and mating Great Southern Whites. (A Band-celled Sister was seen earlier in the day.) (Photos by Karl Legler.) ( Next Friday Mike Rickard begins leading a morning butterfly walk at Estero.)

67F

Western most parking area to trails end pavilion

Overcast with intermittent drizzle

it was 55 degrees, partly sunny with winds around 13 mph

A Cabage White was flitting about the Super Bloom atop Dante’s View, Death Valley National Park. 5000 Ft

I believe this is the earliest in the year I’ve ever seen a Red Admiral, from the Mid-Atlantic to the Midwest.

Saw this one during a road trip from Delaware to Illinois.

I see others have also started seeing Red Admirals.

This Cabbage White was my first butterfly of the new year, but I hadn’t had the opportunity to venture out on some of those warm weekdays earlier in March.

Saw this one while driving from Delaware to Illinois, and later saw some others at rest stops along the highway.

Butterfly was feeding at an aster next to sidewalk in suburb near county open spaces. Sunny day in the 70’s F with breezes.

9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.; weather - cloudy in morning and mostly sunny afternoon; 76-87 degrees. Nectar: many twist les in bloom. Kathy Malone & Linda Cooper

66F

Silvery Blue was feeding at Arroyo Lupine and Red Admiral and Gulf Fritillaries were feeding at Arugula blossoms in organic backyard. Sunny day in the 70’s F with breezes.

These Checkerspots were feeding at a patch of Bush Sunflowers on a South facing slope in a hillside scrub area. Partly cloudy day in the 70’s F with breezes.

Partly cloudy; little activity

abnormally warm, low 70’s
early Red Admiral

With Jane Lampkin 76-82, Sunny
This site is dependable for Variegated Fritillaries because of abundant passion vine

Activity was early;sightings before leaving the house at 9AM on the days outing.

Observed three Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, nectaring on cherry trees. Also one silver spotted skipper.

Weather conditions were not good, cloudy with persistent gusty wind. Still, there were butterflies to be found along the comparatively sheltered creek trail. This covers March 28 & 29 afternoon hikes.

Sunny; high in the upper 50s. Hessel’s Hairstreak found puddling at 1:30 pm along a muddy and mossy trail through a Carolina bay forest with scattered mature Atlantic White Cedar and a dense evergreen shrub layer. Few nectar sources nearby.

The Hessel’s appeared to be all males, swirling around the tops of Atlantic White Cedars. Several stopped and perched on extended branches, giving good views of their green scaling thru a sighting scope. There was a lot of Black Titi in bloom, but only Red-banded HSs and Palamedes STs were seen on those blooms.

After touring the Mission, I found a half mile trail down to the river, bordered with a variety of flowers and greenery. Surprisingly good showing of butterflies.

Warm and sunny with temperatures in mid-60s F. Very little nectar in evidence: spring beauty, various spring cresses, coltsfoot, toothwort.

Sunny, high in the low 60s. Two miles of trail through suitable habitat were checked for Hessel’s Hairstreak, but the individual found today was no more than 40 feet away from the one seen on March 29. Note how differently the two are marked. (Both sides of each were photographed.) Today’s individual was found at 12:13 pm and allowed me 10 minutes of close-range photography. I was even able to cast it into shade with my shadow for extended periods. I spent three hours repeatedly checking the few nearby nectar sources that I could find, mostly highbush blueberry, but had no luck seeing one nectar.

67F

Spring popped in nearly double digits (species-wise) today. In addition to these sightings, nearby fields over the past few days have held sulphur species.

I saw seven Mourning Cloaks this evening.

Violaceae.

I saw four Mourning Cloaks and one Spring Azure while hiking early this afternoon, what a sighting. I ❤️ Butterflies.

With Jean Evoy, John and Jane Lampkin, Kathleen Reguindin (photo), Rob Epstein. Full to partial sun. 85F. 4 hours. Pawpaw in bloom. Nectar sources scarce.

Visited our son in Annapolis…found these about 1/4 mi. from his house in Annapolis.

mild 70’s with some clouds, 8+mile trek on ridge p.m. hours. By their no’s. the orangetips likely were flying for at least a few days prior. Small moths also observed, including Bluish Spring moth. Not a lot of wildflowers in bloom just yet. Azures not found, yet a few out in nearby areas by this date.

It was cloudy and around 55

Mix of clouds and sun; very windy at times; high in the upper 70s. Watching Yucca Giant-Skippers interact is a thrill. At least 12 of these amazing aerialists were seen within a 0.3 area yucca stand that straddles longleaf pine savanna and grassy field habitats. Males were aggressively patrolling and defending territories — not only from rival males but also from other butterfly species, particularly Juvenal’s Duskywings. I even saw one attack a large grasshopper. Skirmishes frequently took place around an unvegetated patch of sand that appeared to be contested territory. Today’s skirmishes took place low to the ground, possibly because of wind; in the past, I’ve seen dogfights as much as 50 feet above ground. I was also impressed by the startlingly loud buzzing sound that this species can make with their wings when taking flight.

Brown Elfin was perching on Toyon bushes by roadside. Checkerspot was feeding at asters. Sunny day in the 70’s F.

57F
Northern Checkerspot - early for me

Heavy cloud cover, wind gusts to 26-30 mph from SSW, air temp 62-64F.