Butterfly sightings for May 2010

On this beautiful sunny morning, I was out birding and was surprised by the number of butterflies feeding on the abundant dandelions. I was very sorry that I had not brought my camera along.

This Cabbage White was resting on mint after a courtship airdance with another. In addition to the BST and the Red Admiral there was one untyped sulphur and one Lady who didn't stop long enough for a spot count. All this in ~2 hours on a very windy day in a backyard butterfly garden; bodes well for the coming month.

This area looked very similar to some of the Frosted Elfin habitat so I decided to check it out. No Frosteds but I was surprised by the 3 Persius Duskywings, including a female that I saw lay an egg on Lupine.

2:30-4:30, cloudy and windy the entire two hours.

We found a rather bedraggled Red Admiral at a gas station in Oshkosh, captured it and brought it to our cottage in Neshkoro where we gave it some black cherry kool-aid. It seemed to get rejuvenated and flew off. We saw it again the next day.

Painted Lady (V. cardui) in small but steady numbers daily May 1- May 3. These are very periodic and may represent an early, and sizeable migration to Wisconsin this season.

I was surprised to see that other people in the state are not reporting the astonishing number of Red Admirals. Perhaps they are just down here in Milwaukee County. I was in a great field of dandelions in Grant Park and everywhere I looked there were dozens of Red Admirals. I tried to be conservative in my estimate that I entered into the species list but there may have been far more than the 50 that I have reported.

My first Juvenal's Duskywing and Meadow Frits this spring. Also had my first Northern Barrens Tiger Beetles (C. patruela) of the year.

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

Was looking for dragonflies and spotted a few butterflies while looking.

Concentrating on the Frosted Elfins so much that I almost stepped on the snake.

Tod also saw a Powdered Dancer damselfly.

Cool and windy, but a few butterflies were out. Some in the group saw hundreds of Clouded Sulphurs on flowering trees. Also saw an eastern hognose snake, very similar pose to Mike's.

Observed landing on pussy toes for 30 to 60 seconds.

Again good numbers of Am. Ladies and Red Admirals. One of the Admirals appeared to be laying eggs on Stinging Nettle.

Very, very windy.

Very windy. Temps were perfect! We saw more than we were able to ID as they blew by, carried by the winds!

This is a nice bog but fairly heavily timbered and isolated from other boreal-like habitats. Couldn't turn up any bog specialists other than hordes of black flies!

Quick check of "Satyr Comma City" produced only 2 very worn Satyr Commas and no Greens. Had my first Mustard Whites and Cow Path Tiger Beetle (C. purpurea) of the year. The initial push of Red Admirals and American Ladies has solidly reached the northwoods now as well.

More super early records from the north! Surprised not to find any Red-disked Alpines...habitat is superb.

Came here hoping for Red-disked Alpines but yet again the season has moved forward, with the dozen Frigga seen in only about 30 minutes or less!

Finally a RDA after more than a little sweat. Freijas were worn. Short visit before storm fronts chased me out.

Saw several Red Admirals while checking motion cameras back near Little Wolf River. Came back to house and saw one near my lilacs. Very windy today but was able to snap a photo.

I saw several small orangish ones I couldn't properly ID.

brief visit under mostly cloudy/windy conditions before storm front with few showers hit. All Freijas were females, but in OK shape still.

Hiked up to "Baldy" a goat hill on the farm. Saw these butterflies in and among wild raspberries and puccoon.

Canadian Tiger Swallowtail. One example crossing hwy.

Imagine my husbands surprise, when he walked into the spare room in the basement, and saw a Swallowtail on the floor! We'll put him outside tomorrow.

I came across these on a wooded trail on the ridge. There appeared to be two couples.

This is largely a negative report. That is after the large number of Am. Ladies and Red Admirals that I saw here in Milwaukee County at the beginning of the month, most of these butterflies have disappeared as mysteriously as they appeared.

I also saw one duskywing and my first Moccasin flower of the year.

Peak or near-peak flight of Chryxus Arctics, despite some snow in shaded areas! Most were found clustered in five small areas. Saw lots of territorial disputes, one pair mating, and another individual just emerging. Also had my lifer Olympia Marble -- a rare find up here. What a gorgeous little butterfly!

Seem to be really common around here this Spring.

Shopko must have nice blooming plants if it attracts butterflies.

I was here for some bird work (poor me, I know) and got in some butterflying. Unfortunately it was pretty disappointing as despite very good weather there was little flying. And none of the "bog specialties" I found provided even remotely satisfying views, let alone photos.

Finally a sunny warm day. Had my first of the year Tiger Swallowtail.

The red admiral was in the parking lot of Mounds Pet Food Warehouse. A nice surprise.

Despite its large size (93 acres), Owen Conservation Park has very few pussytoes. In a 2-hour walk I found only 3 patches; fortunately two of those had American Lady eggs. I counted about a half-dozen eggs, but didn't examine the underside of leaves.

The butterfly looked pretty battered up.

This butterfly was cruising over the long grass outside the barn and drew my attention. I wasn't really on a butterfly hunt. but here it was my first silver spotted skipper of the year!

The Black Swallowtail was in the parking lot of the Bud Cook Hiking Area. The Red Admiral was on Northern Road.

Not a lot of nectar sources here.

Over one mile (one way) hike to get to the Freija habitat! Weather perhaps not good enough (plus late in the flight) to find Red-disked Alpines, but should be loaded here.

Still more Red Admirals and Am. Ladies. Where are the other butterflies?

First day off in two weeks needed to get out and look for things. Scarlet Tanager, Trumpeter Swan nesting, Bobolink sighted. Loads of tiger beetles, C. formosa, C. scutellaris, C. sexguttata, C. tranquebarica also seen

In flight over old field (smooth brome) vegetation, first this season for me.

The Elfins were quite worn. This was the first time that I was used as a perch by a Harvester.

There wasn't much happening here today. I was hoping to find some Silvery Blues and some Duskywings.

The sun came back out long enough for me to spot my first Meadow Frit of the year.

All casual observations made between 8-9 am while doing some bird survey work. My first Silver-bordered Fritillaries of the year.

It was along a gravel road not too far from the river.

13 butterfly watchers participated -- on a Monday! 25 species seen. (Also 10 unidentified E. Tiger/ Canadian Tiger Swallowtails.) The mated pair of Gorgone Checkerspots taken on Dave Hanson's shirt.

Saw a Checkerspot that I couldn't get close to for ID and a couple long distance looks at sulphurs in addition to the Common Ringlets.

Saw lots of Tiger Swallowtails, photo of a nice big one on coyote scat. Karner Blue and what I think might be a Common Ringlet seen in field.

I was surprised to see the robber fly,

I saw this lovely very small (smaller than a red Admiral) butterfly in the woods on a wild geranium.

Saw all of these guys in the meadow. They were mating and with the exception of the Common Ringlet were not wanting to settle very long. Beautiful May day!

Cold last week really impacted numbers. 2 yellow swallowtails, likely Canadian, not included in submission.

Several other Tiger Swallowtails flew by. A beautiful day!

Two butterflies were in my backyard on my lilacs.

my first Giant Swallowtail sighting of the year

I watched the female ovipositing on lupine in this sandy pine barrens habitat. I was too excited about the egg to take a picture of the butterfly!

There were at least two, chasing and being chased by several Juvenal's Duskwings along a wooded path.

I saw the Swallowtail, Silver-spotted Skipper, and American Lady as I walked into the garden this morning. Nice surprise!

Eight monarch eggs on A. syriaca this morning (none on the incarnata yet). I did not see the female, but these eggs were not present 48 hours ago. This is 5 days earlier than our first eggs last year.

Cloudy in the afternoon including some rain soon after I got there at 1:00. This trip was to look for Laphria cinerea which we saw on the Monday field trip. I saw more than 10 including two mated pairs.

Just a few butterflies and even less sunshine today, but lots of dragonflies.

With my day off drove over to look for Dusted Skippers, very little sunshine but by 9AM. the butterflies were everywhere stayed till 2:00 and stopped counting the Gorgones.

Stopped to check out some areas in Wood County on my way home from Jackson County

Practically no sunshine again today, but more butterflies than I expected. The Monarch, Ringlets, Crescents, and Arctic Skipper were the first of the year for me. I also saw 2 Tiger Swallowtails, but couldn't identify them to species, they were probably Canadians.

Saw this cool spider in the parking lot.

The Juvenal's Duskywings were very worn.

Stopped at the Necedah Wildlife Refuge around 5:30 on my way back from the Chequamegon Bay Birding & Nature Festival in Ashland hoping to see some 'Karner' Melissa Blues, and I was not disappointed. Found about 8 individuals in one patch of lupine. Also saw numerous Tiger Swallowtails while driving through the Refuge, including a group of 8-10 who were puddling along side the road.

Haven't been out much lately but here are some casual observations as summer comes on strong!

My butterflying has been limited due to the fact that I've been put on second shift. It give's me more time to watch the moths though! There is a lot of color at night. I saw my first luna moth of the season!

My yard.

Very hot and sunny this morning with only the slightest breeze from the lake to moderate the heat. Most of the Monarchs were near the milkweed patch and the Red Admirals were near the stinging nettle.

We went out after about 5:30 and saw more than I expected.

First Monarch of the year for me.

The Question Mark was nectaring on Ninebark, and the azure was laying eggs on this great butterfly shrub.

The butterflies were out after the big rains of last night and this morning. Such a wonderful surprise!

My wife planted a small flower planter garden on the deck recently- 2 Red Admirals seemed to be chasing small gnats near the planter, but landed on my head and then my shoulder as I approached to take a picture.

Got a picture of Arctic Skippers and Common Ringlet with and without spot.

I missed my chance for butterflying this morning as thunderstorms moved in just as I was ready to go out. The sun came out about the time I had to take my granddaughter to her ballgame, so I made a quick lap around the park. The highlight of the day was seeing a Whooping Crane in my neighbor's field.

Exciting day on the meadows. Monarchs, Dusted skippers everywhere. Couldn't get any shots of the few sulphurs and whites. Clearwings are always a treat. Got too excited over the Gray Hairstreak (first one for me ever)

Also saw my first monarch or a viceroy. It was flying in the shade along a wooded edge.

Usually my first American Coppers of the year are very fresh, but this one was fairly worn. The Ringlets were found throughout my open field.

The most common species here today was the Deer Tick.

brief stops while running supply errand from MN to WI...not a bad chore! Bog Frits still early in flight here at this point but should soon be out over much of northern WI.

Sunny and Mild. Typical city park habitat with a lot of invasive species. Not great butterfly habitat.

Most of the Swallowtails were seen while puddling. One of the Ringlets was very dark above with none of the typical orange showing while in flight, I wasn't sure what it was until it landed. The underside looked normal.

I saw a Viceroy today, and one Red-spotted Purple. They both were on the gravel drive. I also saw quite a few skippers which I assume are the same ones I've been seeing...Juvenals but didn't list them because I didn't see them close enough to identify.

Late morning in our front yard in a small subdivision near forests and river.

Honey Creek SNA had more mosquitoes than butterflies; just one tattered Juvenal's Duskywing and lots of Red Admirals in the riparian sunny spots. Schluckebier Prairie SNA was much more pleasant, with a Monarch and 3 American Ladies visiting the abundant Antennaria.

A common Red Admiral, and an Arctic Skipper at the southern edge of its range, nectaring on the numerous Wild Geraniums.

Quick stop to do some dragonflying...

The Azures and the Question Mark were all in the young sun-dappled woods. All the others were in the open meadows.

One of the Question Marks was laying eggs on nettle.

Butterflies were on the move. I had a hard time getting pictures because they didn't want to "settle'

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, or Canadian Tiger Swallowtail butterflies are all over my Japanese Lilac bush, sometimes 3 or 4 at a time.

Tattered Question Mark, missing one hindwing, was nectaring on Dame's Rocket.

The 2 Monarchs, and at least 4 Crescents, were on the prairies, and the rest were in the wooded area.

These were seen after 5:30 today.

A couple of skippers that I couldn't get onto.

Raspberries are in bloom - butterflies were all over them.

The Little Yellow flew by me in the parking lot.

The Duskywing was seen laying eggs on willow. The White Admiral was seen while driving through the town of Hansen.

This six-spotted tiger beetle grabbed two ants while I observed it. I couldn't get a clear shot of the ant in it's jaws. Now I know why their called tiger beetles!

Just poking around near my parents' house.

Very fresh Red-spotted Purple resting on oak. Peck's Skipper resting on carrot.

Found hovering over the gravel driveway on a hot sunny day, 5:45 PM

These were seen while I was out in my yard today. I also saw a small dark grass skipper that wouldn't perch long enough for me to focus my binoculars on it.

Lots of Azures but most would not settle down for a look. One of the few who did looked like a very worn "Spring" Spring Azure.

Eight Red-spotted Purples puddling. Another 6 nearby. Total of 16.

The Crescent photos are of the same individual.

An interesting area of wetlands and overgrown fields. Had a better morning of birding than butterflying.

Not a lot of nectar sources. Five species of tiger beetles.

I saw these while working outside today. The Swallowtail had almost nothing left of both hindwings. It didn't seem to be having any trouble with flying other that it seemed slower than normal. It sure looked strange.

The little wood-satyr's were very abundant last year and it looks like it will be the same this year. The sun drenched stones around my fire pit proved to be a popular spot with the red admirals.

My first Bog Frits and Jutta Arctic of the year.

My house is by far the best place up here that I know for American Coppers. Lots of C. Ringlets flying in the fields right now as well.