Butterfly sightings for July 2009

The cold, windy, and overcast weather kept down the butterflies. The only ones I saw were not flying but resting on the path.

The Mourning Cloak, Compton Tortoiseshells were newly emerged.

It was cloudy all day, but I decided to go out anyway around 4:30. I saw more than what I expected, including the Meadow Frit with unusual markings. I had trouble getting a good photo of its underside as it kept landing quite low in the vegetation. I managed to get it to rest on my finger, but I still couldn't get the photo I wanted.

Weather was cold early (57 at arrival), keeping numbers down. This past week has been cold and cloudy. Started seeing butterflies around noon.

The butterfly was seen in a dry prairie remnant, located on SSW-facing slope in a forested matrix.

Lots of "Summer" Spring Azures. What a treat.

Sun finally came out about noon; unfortunately I had to leave soon after. But I saw my first Great Spangled Fritillary of the year and a very interesting and beautiful fly called a Golden-backed Snipe Fly (Chrysopilus thoracicus).

The Harvester was seen for only the 3rd year out of 19 for this NABA count. Today was the first time that I've seen European Skippers at Sandhill and the spruce/tamarack bog. The Silver-spotted Skipper is a first for this count, and my first sighting in Wood County since July of 1989. It was nectaring almost exclusively on Hoary Vervain in my prairie restoration. The Tawny-edged Skipper was also a first for this count.

Overcast skies a good part of the day, but did see quite a few dragonflies and a few butterflies. I saw my first Red Saddlebags dragonfly and a large robber fly, Laphria thoracica. We also saw what I believe is an odd colored Monarch. The color on the attached photo is very accurate.

(Never made it to the prairie -- sighting from parking area and surrounding grassy service path.)

Lots Tawny Emperors (and a Promethea Moth)

Mostly Cloudy

Parked in parking lot below dam and also walked trail from picnic area to woods edge east of the dam.

My first Baltimore Checkerspot of the year. The duskywings and Arctic Skipper were extremely worn. See photo below of an ant dragging a dead N. Pearly Eye across the road!

I saw these while working outside today. It was cloudy all day, with just a hint of sun now and then.

Cloudy most of the afternoon, but then the sun and the Poweshiek Skipperlings appeared about 4:30.

Slightly overcast day. Temperature in upper 70s.

The butterflies were very flighty today. They wouldn't settle and seemed to be wanting to be in the air, with the exception of the commas and skippers. But there was a lot to observe!

Finally a hot and sunny day. Although still not a great many butterflies. I think that all the Fritillaries I saw were all Great Spangled, although most were not at all cooperative and refused to land and be clearly identified. Saw many beautiful Ebony Jewelwings too.

Many newly emerged Widow Skimmer dragonflies were spotted, also Halloween Pennants and Green Darners were out.

My first Great Spangled Fritillary and Dun Skipper of the year. The Gray Comma and Mourning Cloak were very fresh.

A quick visit for dragonflies yielded my first Appalachian Brown of the year.

This was a NABA count conducted by the Southern Wisconsin Butterfly Association, a Wis chapter of NABA. Twelve counters participated in this 19th annual count.

On dike west of spillway.

12:30 - 2:00 PM, sunny and warm. Besides the butterflies, saw several newly fledged birds including Barn Swallows and Bluebirds.

Private property near Onalaska YMCA building on Mason St.

In a field with some nice prairie elements near oak woods and lots of young locust trees.

This dragon fly sat in the same spot from morning to late afternoon. It was large but smaller than a Green Darner. The robber fly stayed in place long enough for one photo. It darted away before I could get a better shot.

Casual observations while doing some bird work. Couldn't turn up a Hackberry Emperor amidst all the Tawny's...

The previous high on any NABA count in North America was 75 for the Compton Tortoiseshell.

This undeveloped park has no connection with Lake Park in downtown Milwaukee. It is mostly overgrown, abandoned orchards, some woods, and a few shallow cattail ponds along the Little Menomonee River.

Seen at my garden near Oregon. I've seen eyed browns here before in previous years.

Two hours on the hill, but half of that cloudy with no butterflies.

We saw these during a one hour walk at Devil's Lake.

Looking for Dragonflies and saw a few butterflies as well. Highlight was a female Russet-tipped Clubtail and a few Slender Spreadwing Damselflies.

Both Hackberry's I saw were on scat in parking lots near hardwood areas along the river.

With marsh, woods, and meadows, this part of the Cap City bike trail between Syene Road and Eagle School offers a variety of habitats for butterfiles. It was also infested with hungry mosquitoes.

This was the 20th annual Trempealeau Count. 10 counters. Two of the Hickory Hairstreaks were mating at 10:30 a.m. On the way back on the trail they were still mating at 11:22.

Compton Tortoiseshell seen in parking lot at top of hill.

Saw several Little Wood Satyrs frolicking in the woods on the Hayward Hospital Trail.

Very windy all day. Seemed every swamp milkweed had some skippers on them. Robber fly tentative ID of Asilus sericeus. Dion images are of same skipper

I spent the entire day sitting in my garden and was treated to several visits by "Spot", my resident Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa). Seems he's quite fond of the Common Milkweed I planted.

Looking for Dragonflies in tall weeds east of Sewage lagoons.

Windy today.

Incredibly windy!

We did the Wisconsin portion of the Dubuque NABA Butterfly Count. We use Pentax Papilio binoculars focusing to 19".

Diversity is on the increase, with 21 species today. First C. Wood Nymph and Least Skipper of the year.

Less than an hour after 5:30. Cloudy as soon as I got there.

I took a picture of a group of 4 of the cabbage whites. They seem not to scare when approached.

I happened to see one Eastern Tiger Swallowtail while hiking.

2:30-3:30 pm. Warm and sunny but very windy.

This was a NABA butterfly count. 31 species but only 194 individuals. The 2nd lowest number of individuals per party-hour in 13 years!

Kept landing low in the grass to stay out of the wind.

Noticed these at woods edge flying in and out of filtered sunlight.

Overcast and cool. A lovely dragonfly landed in the coffee cup of my friend and I got a great photo. Maybe someone can tell me what species it is.

Today was overcast and cool, so I didn't expect many butterflies. For the first 25 minutes of my walk, not a single one, not even cabbage whites which are usually everywhere. As I got about 30 feet from my car I spotted a monarch, who promptly landed on a flower and opened his wings for a photo. Then I walked a few more yards and a pearl crescent appeared and immediately perched on the grass at my feet with open wings. Lucky day. About 5 minutes after I left the parking lot it started raining.

This was at a friend's property where I have a garden plot.

Overcast and mild.

This afternoon, as always, the marsh portion of the Dike Rd. was a great place for viewing plants, birds, and insects. We were mainly bird watching, but did get a couple of butterfly photos.

Cold the last few days kept numbers down early. Dried bogs were good walking and allowed for more sightings. Black Dash is same individual.

23 species overall, with my first Banded Hairstreaks and Eyed Brown of the year. The C. Tiger Swallowtails were heavily worn while the Compton Tortoiseshells were newly emerged and fresh.

Warm and sunny. Besides butterflies saw about 10 Ctenucha virginica moths.

Few species and few individuals between 11 and 12:30. Also a probably Hackberry Emperor.

Seven observers in two parties. 33 species overall, highlighted by a Dion Skipper, only my second here in the past decade. Also excellent numbers of Common Wood-Nymphs and a Bronze Copper.

This Striped Hairstreak was working the forest edge along the public trail at the north end of the Bog. The north end of the Bog is a great place for both butterflies and dragonflies. The "butterflying" is pretty sparse overall.

1pm-3:00pm sunny after morning of rain.
Saw 6 Fritillaries but could only see 2 well enough to ID them. Saw 4 Skippers but only got pictures of 2. I got a very poor picture of the Striped Hairstreak.

Short hike after an afternoon shower. Also saw a squash vine borer.

First one I've seen this year, and it was fairly worn. Might have come up on the southerly winds we had earlier this week.

10:15-11:15am This school has a prairie garden with lots of native flowers. Besides the butterflies, I saw a Snowberry Clearwing Moth.

11:20am-Noon. This private school has extensive property with fields and woods. My first Red-spotted Purple of the year.

The Appalachian Brown was only the 2nd that I've seen. The Bog Coppers were all on the far side of a ditch, about 15+ yards away. I think they were laughing at me for showing up before and after, but not during my NABA count.

The Dorcas Coppers were my first ever. Both individuals had more extensive orange along the trailing edge of the hindwing than I expected but their size was equivalent to the adjacent Bog Coppers and the habitat fit Dorcas far better than Purplish Copper.

While removing invasive species this morning at SANC, I wondered if Cabbage White caterpillars feed on garlic mustard and if that is why they are so common here. I also got a photo of a moth; I love the subtle patterns.

Big storm in the early morning may have held numbers down and created more water pools so concentrations were lower. Snowberry clearwing was out around noon and very active.

Very windy!

I found a way to cross the ditch today, so I was able to walk around in the bog rather than just look at it from the other side of the ditch. It was cloudy, so I didn't expect to see very much. I went over to where I saw the Bog Coppers the other day and found 2 females among the vegetation. The sun made a very brief appearance, and I spotted a male Bog Copper flying around. A few minutes later, I saw a butterfly that I never expected to find in the bog, an American Copper. The biggest surprise was that it was nectaring inside of a Pitcher-plant. I was glad that I decided to bring my camera, I almost didn't because the bog is floating and I was worried I might break through and get the camera wet. The cloudy sky made for some nice photos.

These are the totals of the Havenwoods Butterfly Count compiled by Susan Johansen of the DNR. (I was one of the participants.)

Great day despite windy and sometimes cloudy conditions, with 27 species overall and my first ever REAKIRT'S BLUE!!! I had never even heard of this species before today so what a great surprise. Dan Jackson was up north and got to see it as well.

The pearl crescents wouldn't sit still for a photo. Saw a pretty moth as well, a Chickweed Geometer. I've only seen one of these previously, so it was a treat.

Had an unusual experience today. Reading in my yard while smoking a cigar I noticed movement to one side. It was a Monarch. Put down my book and sat with cigar in hand. The Monarch landed on the outside of my hand and I tilted the hot ash away from it. After 10-15 seconds it flew & landed on the butt of my cigar, still unaffected by the hot ash only 3 inches away. Its right wing brushed my thumb while it sat & I moved it to accommodate the wing flex.

It sat there for 60-90 seconds vigorously working the mouth end of my cigar. Why? Who knows but it was very cool to have it where it was.

I spotted the banded hairstreak on a hydranga leaf and it didn't move giving me a good view of it.

Very windy, with lots of nectar sources but few butterflies. Observed the female Delaware Skipper laying an egg on Big Bluestem.

I found this little beauty in one of my flower pots...enjoying a petunia

Cold early then storms moved in later in the day. Butterflies were very skittish much of the day.

I saw more antlions today than I had previously seen in my whole life, but not many butterflies. Very dry on the dunes with few nectar sources.

We spotted it in our grass. It looked very weak. It died the next day.

My FOY Red Admiral in the state.

Stopped by here for about an hour to see how the second brood of the Karner Blues were doing. Also saw my first Saffron-winged Meadowhawk of the year.

10am to noon. Sunny, warm, no wind. The Eastern Comma was so perfectly camouflaged that it looked like part of the dried leaf that was next to it.

The Long Dash was very worn. The cicada flew right past me, landed, and posed for the photo. Saffron-winged Meadowhawk adult at a new location for me.

Not much at home heading to Kewaunee Buzz Besadny sat. morning.

Last minute run to the meadows. Karner count (self and one other) confined to only individuals we could ID as male or female. 8 males, 6 females plus a few others who did not open wings while observed. Karner pic seems to be marked male. Reakirt's was a first for me.

This is a known site for Purplish Fritillary but they were stunningly fresh and absolutely spectacular. A real treat to see...

I also saw a wasp like moth feeding on the flowers in my mom's garden. I don't know the species name.