Butterfly sightings for July 2006

Rain and drizzle all morning. Went out anyway and saw quite a few considering the weather!

Found two in the Grady tract on July 2, another on the Curtis Prairie July 4.

I also attached a photo of a teneral Variegated Meadowhawk, the first and only one I have ever seen.

this was from 1130 to 1245, ill be going to more spots later will update at end of day

New Sandhill/Seneca count record high numbers for: Variegated, Great Spangled, and Aphrodite Fritillary; Monarch. Mustard White tied with the previous high.

American Copper and Common Wood Nymph both very common. Bog coppers were seen in the poor fen off of the ATV trail.

Rain in the morning and cloudy with some drizzle until 12:30 and then mostly sunny.

We also had one duskywing sp.

Eastern Tailed-Blues were all over the butterfly milkweeds this morning.

The two Purplish Coppers were on Weisner Road.

More than ten participants and four parties. Six Harvesters is the most I have ever seen in one day. The Fiery Skipper was the earliest and the farthest north that I have seen this species. A great day!

The Pearl Crescents are now every where at West Avoca.

This is the first Roadside Skipper that I have seen at Blue River and it is very fresh. The Buckeye is very worn from the storms and I found three American Coppers dead and laying on flowers.

This is my first Giant Swallowtail for Wisconsin.

First time looking for the Regals and they were cooperative! There may have been as many as five, but I think it was the same two individuals seen multiple times.

I checked out different trails off Forest Road 173 north of Black Lake. Dun Skippers were nectaring heavily on Dogbane and were almost as abundant as the European Skippers were three weeks ago.

First snout I've seen! These harvesters are the first I've seen in Dane county. They've been hanging around the same spot for a couple weeks now.

Very windy conditions.

We were looking mostly for odes, but did see a few butterflies. There were few nectar plants available in the marsh areas that we visited, with many areas dominated by reed canary grass.

Newly planted wetland gully at edge of woods, Lakeshore Nature Preserve, UW Madison, WI. I was weeding new plantings and the Snout flew from one of the marking sticks to the cuff of my work glove. Did this numerous times and when I offered my finger it perched on me, apparently sipping sweat. Stayed near me for more than 2 hrs, perching on my hand periodically. Had to be careful not to squash it.

Also photographed Two Hummingbird Moths.

The Common Roadside and Pecks Skippers were at the West Avoca Unit.

In the last 3 to 4 days there has been a major emergence of Milbert's Tortiseshells.