Butterfly sightings for April 2010

With a baby in the house I don't get out much these days but this was my first Mourning Cloak of the year. Surely they've been out up here for a week or more.

My first Mourning Cloaks of the year.

I saw my first tiger beetle yesterday for my first one ever in March (Bronzed Tiger Beetle - C. repanda) and today I also saw a Cow Path Tiger Beetle (C. purpurea).

82 degrees today. windy, and dry

11-3:00. Clouds early but clearing with mostly sunny skies and temps near 70 degrees. Lots of Infant Moths, which were very distracting, and fewer of the unidentified moth, which was slightly smaller and flying with the Infant Moths. Thanks to Les Ferge for identifying this moth as Leucobrephos brephoides (Walker, 1857)Although azures were found yesterday in Iowa County, I was shocked that they were flying in Florence County.

Sunny for about an hour and then it went away and so did the butterflies. It was a terrific Easter day with pasque flowers, trailing arbutus, and elfins. I topped it off by stopping at Necedah and seeing four Whooping Cranes from the observation tower.

As I was taking down my butterfly photography exhibit, I was happy to spot a live butterfly flitting about the blooms.

My first ever Green Commas!

Glad to see three cabbage whites today -- my first butterflies of the season.

Also my lifer Green Commas! Both the Satyrs and Greens were occupying the same stretch of road - contact me at ryanbrady10@hotmail.com for exact location if interested. Was very surprised to not find a single tortoiseshell.

Clouds moved in and cut flight short but had a couple more Green Commas on the forest roads here as well. Also an early Spring Azure.

Until today, my earliest Brown Elfin sighting was April 27. Spring seems to be coming on fast. The ice photo was taken at this location just 13 days ago, and the frog eggs were photographed 6 days later.

Still haven't seen an Eastern Comma this year. Had my first tiger beetle of the year, a Six-spotted (C. sexguttata).

Found flying around sandy prairie/oak savanna habitat. This one surprisingly let me get really close up.

Same site from Ryan's April 5 sighting list. I am calling this place "Satyr Comma City."

Saw first few blooms on Chamaedaphne (leather-leaf) in bog to south of road.

On damp gravel of road

1 Cicindela limbalis (common Claybank Tiger beetle)

windy day, mostly sunny

A Green Darner also zoomed by.

I saw this in the parking lot at work this afternoon.

Earth-shattering early record for Freija Fritillary. Single fresh male found in 2.5 hour hike through bog under mostly sunny skies. No Brown Elfins out yet, even in their favorite haunts.

Two fresh males of Freija Fritillary; again, no Brown Elfins. New site for Freija Fritillary.

Single fresh male Freija Fritillary; still no Brown Elfins. Another new site for Freija, pushing the documented range slightly to the west...not a bad day!

The Mourning Cloak has been in our yard and woods since March 15, but the Admiral was a surprise visitor, inspecting some newly (trans)planted cabbages in the butterfly garden.

Bike trail below Marge's Lakeview along Hwy 35. Also saw 6 Variegated Meadowhawks and a few Common Green Darners

Beautiful, but windy day on the barrens.

A quick walk with my son produced my first elfins of the year, about two weeks earlier than last year. Also my first-of-year Boreal Long-lipped Tiger Beetle (C. longilabris) and some Variegated Meadowhawk dragonflies.

Very windy today. The elfins were active in the sheltered areas.

Emily, my 7 year old sister caught the Eastern Pine Elfin.

Butterfly was along a wood lot, and was last seen headed south toward the highway, only about 50 feet from the highway, which is the county line. He likely crossed over into Dodge County

Of the 8 species I've seen so far this year, 7 have set new early sightings dates for me in Wood County.

Cool, but sunny. Most seen on the road sunning to get warm. I got a couple ID photos from below, but despite an amazing abundance of spring flowers in bloom I saw little nectaring.

I was surprised to find such an early Red Admiral, especially since I haven't even seen so much as a Mourning Cloak here in Milwaukee County this year despite the warm weather we've been having. I took a poor photo of it with my cell phone.

I wasn't able to get a great photo of the Duskywing. The little guy wouldn't land in the sun where I had a good angle.

My first American Lady and C. Claybank Tiger Beetle (C. limbalis) of the year. Also 21 Green Darner dragonflies.

Outstanding Freija site nearing edge of known range...could've counted several hundred had I stayed longer. One fresh female. Leatherleaf in early full bloom, with not even one brown elfin! Other species found on adjacent uplands.

Finally a brown elfin in the peatland...well on a road through a peatland at least! Only 7 Freija due to searching a new pocket of "lower quality habitat" and also being late in the evening. One fresh female here too.

Casual observation while pulling garlic mustard, not all species reported.

Both species on moist seepy mucky soil

As I was zipping along the beltline near Whitney Way, along came my first swallowtail of the year crossing six lanes of traffic.

Wow First trip to the meadows this year and what a great day!

Sunny and warm. 1:30-2:30 pm.

Brief stop. Mostly fresh males, but one female was observed trying to oviposit, though no eggs were laid.

No Freija despite much effort in Sawyer County at the highest quality sites...but no problem finding it just to the east/north in Price & Ashland counties!

1 individual on coyote scat

Observed Red Admiral while it was resting on post of our upper deck, also its flight among plantings including Russian Olive, arbor vitae, yew.

Lots of Meadow Fritillaries this afternoon - they were fluttering fast over the tops of the grass. I couldn't get an exact count, but they seemed to be everywhere I looked. The Duskywings and Azures were on our gravel driveway.

In the wooded area of the Marsh Haven Nature Center. I missed the first two fly-bys, but got several great pictures the only time I saw him land. I am assuming only one butterfly, that I saw three times in about ten minutes.

I saw many more Juvenal duskywings today. they were out in the sun on a goat prairie, and along a wooded trail among some birds-foot violets and pussy toes.

What a treat to see a Juniper on Earth Day! I also saw an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail fly across the road in Sauk County.

Long live Elfins!

The Red Admiral was looking very worn. The Compton Tortoiseshells were also very worn looking.

This is a great site but very tiring to traverse due to extremly soft and hummocky sphagnum. I've officially concluded that no butterfly is as difficult to photograph as the Freija Fritillary -- constantly on the wing, buried under the bog grasses, or nectaring upside down. I can't tell you the effort it took me just to get these shots. Also had my lifer Red-disked Alpines, which were equally uncooperative but a real joy to see.

60s, sunny, but very windy. I watched a 5K race yesterday, but I felt that I had just run one today after chasing after the Red-disked Alpines through the bog. 3 Freija Frits and 2 Red-disked Alpines sitting on Riley Lake Rd.

Also spotted Eastern Forktail Damselflies, Green Darner Dragonflies, Variegated Meadowhawk Dragonflies, and a Snowberry Clearwing.

Either it's a great year for Green Commas or I just really learned how to identify them -- I can't seem to miss them this month on the forest roads surrounding the town of Clam Lake.

I finally got some photos of a Mustard White that actually include the butterfly, and not just the perch where it had been a moment before.

Harvester was worn. Also we saw a possible American Lady.

RDA's puddling/basking on damp road; none actively flying in habitat. Freija around peak flight.

Very Cold start to the day. Mid 30s so we did birding the first half. Then the butterflies began to move.

This is the spot R. Brady and M. Reese named infamously as Comma City, but after 4 hours of working the area intensely we did not see any Green Commas. Although bright and sunny the high was probably 51-52F which may have been a factor. But, it was a grand day nonetheless as we did observe two Comma species. Five male Green Darners were also spotted.

Very brief walk with my son. My first duskywing and Obliqued-lined Tiger Beetle (C. tranquebarica) of the year.

Hit Crex late, so I focused on new butterflies. Found the Mottled Duskywings on the east side.

This was the only individual of anything I saw flying. Wind was 10-20 mph from the North-Northeast, and it was chilly!

One of E. Tiger Swallowtails was a black female.
A swarm of about 10 Green Darners feeding.

Despite high winds there were a number of butterflies on the wing at the DNR's fish hatchery this afternoon. The Mourning Cloak appeared old and tattered. The Red Admiral was fresh and lively. Three whites didn't get close enough to subtype.

My first Sulphur of the year.