April 2016 Sightings

Clear, mid 60’s from 11:30 to 3:30
Has a trail going uphill into sage scrub that eventually ends at an Avocado grove, unsure if officially part of the Preserve. That is where I saw the Checkerspots and the numerous Dainty Sulphurs.

Mostly cloudy and 70’s. Afternoon Butterfly Walk led by Mike Rickard (assisted by Ginny Musgrave and Dave Elder). 9 people. 34 species. Highlights were Cassius Blue, Red-bordered Metalmark, Julia Heliconian, White Peacock, Long-tailed Skipper, Two-barred Flasher, Fawn-spotted Skipper and Common Mellana. Photos by Karl Legler.

It was at the intersection of the parkway and Scarsdale Rd.

Many butterflies congregating around and feeding at Toyon bush blossoms by roadside. Sunny day in the 70’s F.

65-70F

This afternoon!😃

My first Sulphurs of the new season on a warm afternoon before the cold front comes through!

My wife and I always try to do this hike when we are in Tucson, taking the tram up to the turnaround and then walking down about 3 miles to enjoy the butterflies along the roadway and creek. A pleasant warm day with little wind. We had a good variety, but lesser quantity than what we are accustomed to at this location.

In addition to those listed a few small duskywings darting about, never stopping to rest.

Better than predicted weather motivated me to get outside for 90 minutes at mid-afternoon. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail numbers were high, and I noted 7 personal first-of-season (FOS) species: Zebra Swallowtail, Cabbage White, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Summer Azure (spring form), Falcate Orangetip (males & females), Juvenal’s & Sleepy Duskywings. Conditions: mostly sunny, 64-65 deg F, brisk west wind, 10-20 mph.

Sunny, mid 70s with mostly calm winds.

67F

Seen on the trailhead, whilst out with my dog late this afternoon.

62 degrees, mostly sunny, cool gusty winds. Had one sulphur that was no ID.

Sunny, 70 degrees, calm wind.

61F

Large landscaping shrubs are coming into bloom, and today a winter visitor that I thought had headed back north a month ago, has made a new appearance.

Hiked up a canyon on the south side of I-10

Brown Elfins are rare in southeastern VA

1 hour visit before rain; 1-2 pm; about 64. First of the year Zebra (spring form - smaller with short tails) and Orange Sulfur (able to distinguish with in flight picture). Abundant spring wild flowers.

Though it was windy, I enjoyed a fine early season outing, seeing 18 species, including personal FOS sightings of Spicebush Swallowtail, Clouded & Orange Sulphur, Question Mark, Variegated Fritillary, White-M Hairstreak, Spring Azure, Silvery Blue, and Silver-spotted Skipper. Juvenal’s Duskywings and Eastern Tiger Swallowtails were super-abundant.

Sunny, high in the upper 70s, windy. Mostly oak-heath forest with abundant American Holly.

Quit counting Junipers at 30

End parking lot to trail end pavilion

76F

76F

It was 57 degrees, partly sunny with gust of winds up to 27 mph. We saw most of the butterflies in the hollows and when the sun would appear

With Jean Evoy, Bill Evoy, John Lampkin, Jane Lampkin,Rob Epstein, Dusty Rhodes (photos all). 85F. Mostly sunny.

The temperature was around 80 degrees. Two bighorn sheep were high on the ridge. Rattlers were emerging from their dens. It was a great spring day.

The second picture is of one nectaring on Jewel Flower - their host plant. The first picture shows a female ovipositing on Jewel Flower.

from 10:20 AM to 3:20 PM

Main Unit. A small part of this unit is in Prince George County. Mostly sunny, windy, high in the upper 50s. Mature loblolly pine abundant in the area where the Eastern Pine Elfin was seen.

Sunny,temp in lower 80s.

Field trip organized by B.Woodmansee with approx. 30 participants. Reported by Linda Cooper. Temperatures 63-72, breezy. 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Many thistles in bloom but not many skippers. This list may not include all species seen or numbers may differ from other participants as there were still a few still butterflying when we left.

11 AM to 12:30 PM, trails need to be mowed. Mostly Bidens and Latana blooming.

11:45 AM to 1 PM. With Randy Harrod. Hiked two mile loop trail

9:15 to 11:30 AM. With Randy Harrod. Most sightings were seen from the last western most parking area to the observation lookout at the bay. Sweander’s Juniper Hairstreak was a lifer for Randy.

After a very hard freeze with temps in the mid-20’s F last night, today was sunny and cool with a high ambient air temp of 46F. Despite the chill, a number of butterflies were flying along the sand and clay roads at Patuxent North between 1 pm and 3 pm. Very few nectar sources: dwarf cinquefoil, some small cresses, dandelion, and spring beauty.

Saw 3 unIDed Azures and many more Duskywings only recorded those positively IDed.

61F

cool, mid-60’s, windy

Harvester at edge of woods along creek at new local park in Holly Springs GA. Unusual white markings on forewing - has anyone seen this before?

btw Tiger swallowtails have had a strong early showing here after a weak Spring in 2015.

Lorquin’s Admiral was flying along Devereaux Creek and landed on willow next to trail. Partly cloudy day in the 60’s F.

Skipped the 1st mile (lower parking to 1st bridge) since I had to start from the upper parking lot.

extremely windy, cool, mid-60’s
the newly described Crystal Skipper

east side of hill at south end of preserve

It was around 50 degrees when we started golfing and 65 when we finished. Winds around 15 mph. Sunny

66F
Painted Lady, a migrant, is late this year.

Sunny, high in the mid 50s. An Eastern Comma seen nectaring on Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule). Zabulon Skipper a male.

Orangetip landed on mallow in organic backyard. Didn’t open wings while perched but orange tips were visible when it flew off. Partly cloudy day in the 60’s F.

afternoon visit, noon-4. Falcates along trail & adjacent open areas with rock cresses. Spring Azures mineralizing a bit. E.Tiger Swallowtails in superbly fresh condition, very active however. American Ladys not in pristine condition, likely are migrants. Full sun, no clouds, 50s to 60+ F. with light northerly breeze, inhibiting “migration”.
Wildflowers near ridge still in minimal number or variety with a few exceptions.

by the lakeshore of Braun’s Bay

It was 65, windy and sunny

The Red Admirals are moving in!

Zebra Swallowtail was the small spring form

low 60s to 70, thin cloud layer but sun shining the entire time. 10:30-3:30. Similar to the SMR Preserve, I also hiked up some extra trails into drier chaparral and sage scrub habitat. Also I believe I saw two Large Orange Sulphurs but did not confirm ID.

Windy day in the 70’s F with butterflies feeding at wildflowers like purple sage and asters in sheltered area.

It was about 75 degrees and sunny. I saw one male Falcate Orangetip on the wing. They should be nearly finished by now.

The West VA White was a lifer. Also had various duskywings (about six) I could not get close enough to ID.

Sunny, high in the mid 60s. It was a pleasant surprise to see so many Pipevine Swallowtails this close to Richmond. Juniper Hairstreak nectaring on pussytoes (Antennaria sp.). Many other species nectaring on the invasive nonnative shrub autumn olive (Eleagnus umbellata), which is abundant in the area. The sulphur appeared to be an Orange/Clouded hybrid. An anglewing (Question Mark or Eastern Comma) was also seen.

Clear with wind gusts to 10-12 mph from NE, air temp 58-66F.

Cloudy and cool. Little activity.

Temps got to 70 degrees and so there was a lot of butterfly activity.

Florida Trail only. All Hairstreaks were nectaring on Sparkleberry

Sunny, 81 degrees, and gusty winds. The number of species and individuals at this location remain extremely low.

Sunny, 81 degrees, with gusty winds. This location was mostly protected from the wind by lots of vegetation and trees.

energetic hike over summit of Mt. Taurus in afternoon, high temp. near-70, light wind, no clouds until 5 pm, after night time lows near freezing. A bit too early for Brown Elfin at this site; 1 Falcate seen was a female; a mix of Azure types: as in lucia & marginata. Tiger Swallowtails extremely fresh in condition. Most every species was doing some late-day hill-topping, except for Cabbage White, only seen lower in this location. Not a lot of wildflowers up just yet in this site.

74-79F

Butterfly enjoyed blooming Purple Butterfly Bush.

Finally a beautiful day with little wind and nice sunshine. Also a 6 swallowtail day was nice.

Also saw 3 day-flying moths, Scarce Infant (Leucobrephos brephoides).

1-4:30 PM. Not bright sun, a bit overcast. Did not get to the far north end or the far east end of the park. Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak always a highlight.

First Butterfly seen at this location for 2016.

The first butterfly here. Sunny, 72 degrees. The past couple of days have had temps in the 50s and 60s. Unable to take picture as it wouldn’t stay long on plants coming up from the garden.

11:30 AM to 1 PM.

11:30 AM to 1 PM.

Sunny, 86 degrees, with continued strong gusty winds. No ID sulphur and a couple of no ID whites seen as well.

Sunny, 75 degrees. I was looking for my first Brown Elfin of the year and was surprised by the azure instead!

With Jane Lampkin
80, sun with clouds
Check out the Green Lynx spiders in both images!

First of season

This is the earliest date I have ever seen a Common Checkered-Skipper.

First of the season for my yard

All spotted in our yard!

10:00-12:30. Sunny skies.

It was 73 degrees, wind at 20 mph and partly cloudy. The forest was so green with all of the ground cover coming up. Lots of wildflowers, wood phlox, violets, Dutchman breeches, gooseberries, and spring beauty. Red admirals liked the stinging nettles

Sunny, 75 degrees in the afternoon.

10:30 to 12:30; 1:30 to 2:30

Butterfly checking out the fruit trees. Monarch among fruitless mulberry.

From 11:40 AM to 1:50 PM.

I have been monitoring this small, isolated, not well documented colony of falcate orange tips for over 30 years. I didn’t post the exact location because I consider it very vulnerable, but would be glad to share information to anyone who’s interested if you contact me personally. I’d also love to hear from anyone else who knows about it or knows any historical information about the species in this area.

flying above a dandelion growing out of a weedy lawn

Hike up from Ramapo river to high ridge in Harriman SP. Temp. to 80F., low humidity. About 3-4 hrs. of looking. A good find was Compton Tortoiseshell, in a traditional area for it; the individual seen was going for sap in a big wild black cherry tree. 2 Gray Hairstreaks were a modest surprise. Flora still in early spring stages.

Gulf Fritillary - my first of the season.

10:45 - 3:30, pleasantly warm day, lots of flowers, a decent variety of butterflies. I was looking for Mission Blue (saw 16), San Bruno Silverspot (saw 1), and San Bruno Elfin (saw none). By far, the Chalcedon Checkerspot was most common.

E. Pine Elfin is rare in Nassau County.

Sunny, 68 degrees, occasionally gusty.

Camouflaged yellow spider hiding in mustard flowers caught this unsuspecting Orangetip. Buckeye was chasing other butterflies and returning to perches on mallows on dirt road. Partly cloudy day in the 70’s F.

Going about the day, 2 beauties enjoying the unseasonably warm temps.

Warm day, thin overcast in the afternoon. Chalcedon Checkerspots & Common Ringlets were common.

Sunny, breezy in afternoon, 75 degrees.

Sarasota Butterfly Club, 9 participants
72-80 Bright sun

8 to 10 Azures uncertain IDs

Sunny morning. Temps in the lower 50’s. Hemlock Grove Parking Area

Sunny day, temps in the 60’s. Time: 10:00 am -12:00 PM

Connective Powerline Cut

Watched an Eastern Phoebe try to catch the Cabbage White. He tried twice and was unsuccessful. The white must have retreated into the long grass to hide as I did not see it after the second miss.

68F

The butterflies fly a circuit around the house and garden all day! This is a wildlife habitat also, and the butterflies grew up here.

Yucca Giant-Skippers in same area. One in flight only, other was very cooperative. Sunny, 78 degrees in the afternoon.

Start around 4pm

1:15pm-3:30pm

Low 70’s, clear with occasional medium winds. From 10:15 to 4:15. The butterflies here are even more localized than last month, with large expanses of unfruitful dry grassland. 1 unid skipper and some duskywings.

Mostly sunny, 87 degrees, with mild winds. Several No ID Sulphurs spotted on on the move. Both pictured blues are first of season.

Clear, sunny with wind gusts to 5-16 mph from NE to ESE, air temp 67-80F.

recently we had a 4ft. snow storm and it has melted down to 2 ft. we were quite surprised to see the butterflies. it was 50F and the sun was shinning

Five-hour survey conducted during the dry season by E. Golden, M. Avello, B. Binkert.

Started at 11:00, temp 67. Mostly sunny with some clouds. Winds at Garnet Peak exceeded 20 mph with stronger gust. No ID Sulphurs.

Following a foggy crispy chilly morning of 52 degrees, the sun came out - temps increased to the mid-60s.
Cabbage Whites were observed in three separate areas of Warren, MI

Also saw one other elfin.

High 70’s, mostly sunny, from 9:30-3:30

This place had so many blues I just could not ID all of them.

15 hairstreaks on the same Sparkleberry
Awesome!

Sunny, 70s

First sighting for the year for all species but the Cabbage White (and I haven’t seen many on those either). Guess that’s what happens after a “normal” winter.

And 2 Orange/Clouded Sulphers

I made a quick drive over to see how a patch of Spanish Needles(Bidens alba) was rebounding from winter.

Partly cloudy and windy on island. Butterflies were feeding at flowers or landing on vegetation in sheltered areas. Flowering plants included Coreopsis, Silver Lotus, Lupinus Albifrons, Sand Verbena, Dunedelions, Beach Primrose, and various flowering iceplants.

2:15-5:15 pm; 4 miles covered. First Elfin ever sited at Catoctin Creek Park (generally found at higher elevations in county)

Saw a Pearl Crescent perched vertically (as one would expect) at the base of a wall - near some moths.

Obviously a common butterfly, but always a little quirky when I find a butterfly among the moths in the early morning!

chance sightings in a mainly-botanical walk. A very fresh-looking E.Tailed-Blue.

With Brinda Curran & Virginia Hall
(Our portion of the Annutteliga Hammock NABA count) 9:15 - 3:30; Sunny and warm. Pawpaws are pollinated primarily by beetles, not by adult Zebra Swallowtails. Pawpaws were in flower. One contained a Zebra Swallowtail caterpillar. Pics by JL, except the two-fer by BC.

got up to 80 degrees today. Windy, gust to 23 mph. Saw first Eastern Tiger Swallowtail of the year

Finally getting some sunshine again after a couple days of rain and clouds

Daylong series of stops and visits to habitat for early flyers. 10:30 am thru 4:00 PM. Few butterflies in flight owing to cool conditions, previous night temps were in the lower 30’s.

2 of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtails were the larger “Appalachian” subspecies.

Blue skies, SE wind, and lower 80s.

very extensive hike along stream courses to higher ridges with much blueberry in bloom; almost all sightings in Rockland but a few in adjacent Orange Co. of NY as well. Many species & individuals seen in fresh-good condition. Azures nearly abundant in a few areas with blueberry, and some females seen laying eggs on the blueberry plants. Most sightings in warmer afternoon sun, only a few before 11 a.m.; some species also hill-topping late in the day. The variety of species out was a slight surprise. Spicebush Sw.-tail seems early yet an experienced observer found one a week or more earlier in the same ‘lower Hudson’ region of N.Y. [PS, Azure numbers noted are very conservative, there were a lot!]

Personal high for Henry’s Elfin.