August 2018 Sightings

Started out partly sunny, 78F, about 30mins it started to sprinkle, was lots of activity but enough rain to shut it down, but then activity picked up again for awhile until it rained very hard.

Cloudy, breezy 10mph front just went through 68F. Started at 4:30 and spent about an hour walking the site.

A half-hour stop for a quick look. Ptly. cloudy with high in the low 90s. Just surveyed the ditch along the entrance road.

Intermittent rain showers…heavy at times
Upper 80’s for the high
Surprised to see so many butterflies out today

Mostly sunny, temps around 85. A Monarch continues to return daily to certified butterfly garden #2490. Was a delight to see it return following strong downpours two nights ago. Another Monarch seen while driving a mile away from this site.

Most were down trail from parking lot (take left branch) past creek, over tracks. We were in the field just past the tracks. A few were found along the way.

Very dry, but purple thistles were attracting a variety of butterflies. Coronis Fritillaries and Western Tiger Swallowtails were avid visitors, all of them really beat up. The swallowtail in the photo is the only one that had any tails.

Looking for Unsilvered Fritillaries, I was rewarded with a single one. And nothing else.

Another perfect day for butterflying, average temperature 78 degrees with wind around 5 mph. I was out for 5.3 hours on my weekly hike of the trails that I am doing research on. I have never seen so many Monarchs on these trails. They must have just eclosed. Plenty of vining milkweed and swamp milkweed.

First White Admiral I have ever seen in Westchester County.

End of Michigan Road Wetlands and adjoining area only - from 12:40 - 2:00 PM.

Weather has been perfect. Saw lots of butterflies while golfing, not walking the rough. Mid 80’s

Open pasture land with exposed shale outcroppings. Giant Swallowtail was a nice surprise.

Yellow Angled-Sulphur was nectaring on lantana. Present for at least an hour mid-afternoon. Second record for the yard’s butterfly garden.

Sunny and 85degrees at CMU.

After three days of rain, I finally got out around 1pm to find more butterflies.

low 80’s and sunny

Leaderless Walks - 9 participants
9:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Partly cloudy

Butterflying by bicycle along the first five miles of the trail.

This is the 19th sighting of this species in Wisconsin where it was first found in 2002. (Mike Reese)

Nice day out with Rob Santry albeit a somewhat smokey day.

With Don Stillwaugh and Kellie Stillwaugh.

All photos by Lester Doyle except for Giant Swallowtail on Swamp Milkweed by Mike Reese

Barred Yellow are apparently of the Cuban subspecies Eurema daira palmira. On the beach end of Golden Orb trail. Hot, sunny and breezy. With LWilliams.

rain first followed by sun and humidity. Meadow primarily but azures seen in the display gardens on rattlesnake master. Of the e.Tiger STs, one a dark female.

Upper 70s at 10:30 a.m. Clear skies. Very light winds.

Pipevine Swallowtails appear here fairly regularly.

Again, the entrance stretch ditch with blooming loosestrife and blue mistflower was surveyed; we didn’t arrive until noon. Activity was somewhat lower than weeks past; we also looked inside Bull Creek WMA while in the area and were delighted to find blooming prairie clover mixed in an area with Barbara’s buttons. RWarner & EPerry, Noon to 4 pm, hot and sunny, high in the low 90s.

Another monarch enjoying milkweed in the eve following a very humid hot day.

Sunny, temps at 92 and with humidity around 2pm

86, 84F
woodland skipper
pale swallowtail
rural skipper - rather late
buckeye

About the only nectar source here today was Purple Loosetrife, and a sea of it in some locations near the pond on entrance road on left side.

Almost constant sunshine today…a welcome relief from the rain for 3 weeks!!

Stops at Molino Basin overlook, General Hitchcock picnic area, Mt Bigelow

All seen from just north of the NY/NJ border on northwest side of Liberty Loop Trail. The Giant Swallowtail seen might be the one I saw here a week ago. I had three different sightings of one in the same area but at different times so not sure if more than one was seen today. I tend to think only one was seen.

87 degrees. Westerly winds around 8-10 mph. Increasing clouds.

Results from a 2.5 day visit. Conditions were warm but hazy due to the affects of the Ferguson Fire which was burning near Yosemite NP.

These are the total sightings over six days in the Wind River Range from August 2nd through August 7th. I got to take my boys (9 & 11) on their first extended backpacking trip. There were a couple of unidentified commas high up in the trees as well. The two species with numbers next to them were the only ones I saw. There were several of all the other species, but I didn’t keep track of numbers.

From 8:30 AM to 12:20 PM; air temperatures 75-88 F; dew point temperatures 73-79 F; wind gusts 2-4 mph from SW; rainon 4 of last 5 days. Survey with Della Wells and Nancy Slowik.

I take photos all over the county in wild areas.

The Ocola Skipper was FOY.

Giant Swallowtail was enjoying the pink delight butterfly bush. Planted rue as a host plant, but it didn’t notice. Monarchs visit my milkweed throughout the day everyday.

Sunshine and temps in the 90’s…until 5:00…then rain!!

Prior to a storm, temps were around 92 with high humidity.

10:30 AM - 12:40 PM.

cool….sunny. Believe new generation of Delaware Skippers.

Photography trip with Gary Kessler and Annie Reid.

Chambers Island Bio Blitz
Covered a large area of the island on bike. Main areas by the dock, air strip and dunes/beach, base line rd, sandy point.
70F, overcast still see shadow, light breeze

Day started clouded by then the clouds gave way to some sunshine. We were out 4.5 hours on our weekly hike to record butterflies and species at Lauritzen Garden.

hot humid 90’s

Conducted a thorough survey of the refuge today. Obs. made from 8:50 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunny and a high of 91 degrees. Most productive area was the butterfly garden with Joe Pye weed and NY Ironweed in bloom. A couple of the roadsides still had some blooming Com.Milkweed and Dogbane, having been cut down earlier. Silver-Spotted Skippers became abundant as the day went on with numbers likely much higher than my initial count. Little Yellows were a real challenge to chase down as per usual.Observed A Wild Indigo Duskywing ovipositing on Wild Indigo plant in the garden.

warm, sunny

With Laurel Rhodes, Jane Wallace and Bill Evoy.

Sightings from my backyard.

Mostly sunny. 80 degrees
1:15 to 5:15PM
Nectar source mainly Spotted Knapweed and a few remaining Swamp Milkweed flowers.
I found one Monarch Chrysalis.

(22-270) A very high summer-season tide kept the Obscure and Pygmy-Blue count lower than expected. Temp reached 93.

Worn individual, missing most of one hindwing. First of the year here nectaring on my butterfly bushes.

Sunny and humid. Temp of 84 degrees

Went on weekly hike along the trails of the forest. It was a fantastic day for butterflying. We were out for 5.5 hours, average temperature 87 degrees and few clouds.

Leaderless Walks - 6 participants. From 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM

Silvery Checkerspots are having a great year.

From 2:20 - 3:30 PM.

Still lots of nectar sources although the milkweed is gone. The Monarch count is down from the 175 that I had on July 24 when I had 14 mated pairs. Today we had only four mated pairs.

partly cloudy

Driving tour, 2:45-3:30

Sunny & humid, 87 degrees. One Spicebush ST cat on sassafras.

Sunny, clear and hot during our 2 plus hours surveying the entrance road ditch. Major nectar sources are common loosestrife, white-topped sedge, capeweed, and blue mistflower. EPerry & RWarner from 10a to 12:30p

From 11:45 AM to 3:05 PM; air temperatures 82-91 F; dew point temperatures 65-69 F; wind gusts 3-10 mph from SSW; rain on previous 3 days. Survey with Della Wells.

With Susan Kolterman.

The observed Miami Blue was from ongoing reintroduction efforts.

First monarch this summer visiting milkweed in my yard. This was a female laying eggs primarily on Showy Milkweed, variety Davis, and nectaring on Narrowleaf Milkweed but also laying some eggs on this species. Noted at least 4 eggs. Likely more than this laid.

Very warm and dry. Butterflies mostly seen along Wildcat, High Meadow, and Rogue Valley Trails.

72F, 72F

12:45 - 3:45PM Sunny 77 degrees
Purple Loosestrife was providing a banquet for numerous bees and butterflies in the ditch along the road side. To a much lesser extent Joe Pye Weed was also used. About half of the butterflies observed were found in this area.

From 11:15 AM - 2:00 PM. First Giant Swallowtail I have seen at this location.

Sunny clear skies & 82 degrees

Zabulon Skipper and Gray Hairstreak are uncommon finds for this area. First female Zabulon I’ve seen in Michigan—previous sightings have all been male.

Hot and sunny….humidity out of this world

EPerry & RWarner from 9a to noon. Sunny then partly cloudy ending the survey with rain at noon. Major nectar sources being common loosestrife, blue mistflower, capeweed, white-topped sedge, Bidens alba. Surveyed the entrance road ditch.

Seen between 11:00 am and 12:30. High 80s, slight breeze.
At least 5 early instar Atala caterpillars seen on a coontie (Zamia integrifolia).

Sunny 78

With LWilliams. Hot and breezy.

Fresh individual, second one within a week. Bring em on!

Third Sachem in Wisconsin this year. Strange coloration on the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.

9-1, all with the exception of the azure were seen in the meadow. A number of female, dark form e. tiger ST. Partly coudy and then sun. 86 degrees & humid.

Nice fresh Black Checkerspot - Chlosyne cyneas

hot,muggy some rain off and on 90’s
only able to spend about an hour outside this am

81 degrees, partly sunny, some sprinkles toward the end

77 degrees and mostly sunny

Brazilian Skipper, Calpodes ethlius, seen near a clump of canna. Very large, brown with large white spots on upper forewing. Butterfly flew before I could take a photo. First time I’ve ever seen one!

Average temperature of 77 degrees. Out from 9-12:30

cool 66 deg at start. Not much activity

Part of the Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area. Partly cloudy, hot, 91 degrees.

Hot mid 90’s

hot, humid, 90+ degrees

The Giant Swallowtail is rare this far north in eastern Wisconsin. This is only the second Brown County record, both this year.

Saw a Monarch Butterfly this morning enjoying the milkweed and zinnias.

Only had cell phone for these pix

Partly Cloudy, Hot

cloudy, muggy.

With Ron Smith
Sunny, temps low 90’s