Butterfly sightings for October 2012

Oct 1 2012

Ron Arnold

Location: Wisconsin Rapids, east side
Wood County

Oct 1 2012

Judith Huf

Location: Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Milwaukee County

I worked in the woods early this morning, so the only butterfly I saw today was this female Fiery Skipper just as I was getting ready to go home.

Fiery Skipper

Fiery Skipper

Oct 1 2012

D Nussbaum

Location: Ripon College Ceresco Prairie Conservancy
Fond du Lac County

Just touring the prairie without camera or binocs. Not much doing.

Oct 2 2012

Lester Doyle

Location: Wildenberg Sand Prairie: Lodi
Columbia County

Cabbage White

Cabbage White

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Oct 2 2012

Ryan Brady

Location: Downtown Ashland area
Ashland County

Who would've guessed I'd be looking at Fiery Skippers in October along the Lake Superior shore?

Oct 2 2012

Donnalynn Bloedel

Location: Campbellsport
Fond du Lac County

It's my first time ever seeing a Common Checkered-Skipper!

Common Checkered-Skipper

Common Checkered-Skipper

★ = New county photo record

Oct 2 2012

Jim Ebner

Location: Oconomowoc nr hwy 16 & cty hwy P
Waukesha County

Scads of Cabbage Whites, otherwise numbers of other species greatly reduced. A Monarch was the surprise of the day!

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Fiery Skipper

Fiery Skipper

Oct 2 2012

Ron Arnold

Location: county road S north of county road C
Wood County

Oct 2 2012

Karl and Dorothy Legler

Location: Millville Unit of Lower Wisconsin Riverway, Wyalusing St Pk, Bagley
Grant County

On October 1 we looked for White-M Hairstreak without success (needle in a 2 mile haystack). Today we found a Checkered White along the beach at Bagley, and a very worn Gray Hairstreak at Wyalusing. These are the first anglewings in a while.

Gray Comma

Gray Comma

Gray Comma

Gray Comma

American Copper

American Copper

Eastern Comma

Eastern Comma

Checkered White

Checkered White

★ = New county photo record

Oct 2 2012

Dan Sonnenberg

Location: My yard and soybean field
Marquette County

74 degrees and sunny. Combine came today. Found one of the host plants for dainties (common chickweed) in the marsh.

Oct 2 2012

D Nussbaum

Location: High Cliff State Park
Calumet County

Fiery Skipper

Fiery Skipper

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Painted Lady

Painted Lady

Orange Sulphur

Orange Sulphur

Common Buckeye

Common Buckeye

Oct 3 2012

Esjay

Location: Crex Meadows
Burnett County

Very few butterflies, concentrated on the very few asters still blooming.

Fiery Skipper

Fiery Skipper

Oct 3 2012

Lester Doyle

Location: Wildenberg Sand Prairie: Lodi
Columbia County

4:30-5:30 pm -- Air temp 71 deg. The American Copper was chasing and attempting to mate with the Purplish Copper.

Cabbage White

Cabbage White

Fiery Skipper

Fiery Skipper

Purplish Copper female American Copper male

Purplish Copper female American Copper male

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

★ = New county photo record
☆ = New county sighting record

Oct 3 2012

Sylvia Edlebeck

Location: Fitchburg, Quarry Ridge Recreational Area
Dane County

Besides Cabbage Whites, no species in abundance. There were a good number of asters around, so I thought there might be more butterflies. I was disappointed to see only one fiery skipper, since they have been my most consistent butterfly of the summer. The two small ponds at the park are completely dry, and the water levels in the small lake are very low. A person could walk around the whole lake on the dry lake bed.

Oct 3 2012

Ron Arnold

Location: Wisconsin Rapids, east side
Wood County

Oct 3 2012

Dan Sonnenberg

Location: My yard, meadow and now harvested soybean field
Marquette County

74 degrees and sunny. Some of the Daintys are still in the soybean field. The rest are hanging on White Heath Aster. Half the species didn't show up until after 3:30 PM.

Oct 3 2012

Karl and Dorothy Legler

Location: Several stops from Potosi to Bagley.
Grant County

14 species today. Best finds were Variegated Fritillaries, Painted Lady and half a dozen Buckeyes and Common Checkered-Skippers, and a late Peck's Skipper. Dorothy photographed the Sora Rail.

Variegated Fritillary

Variegated Fritillary

Peck's Skipper

Peck's Skipper

Sora Rail

Sora Rail

Common Checkered-Skipper

Common Checkered-Skipper

Painted Lady

Painted Lady

Variegated Fritillary

Variegated Fritillary

Oct 4 2012

Ron Arnold

Location: Wisconsin Rapids, east side
Wood County

Today is my 132nd day in a row of seeing a butterfly in Wood County. The streak that started on May 26th will end either today or tomorrow as I’m leaving tomorrow for a long weekend in Duluth. The streak includes 1 day of seeing a roosting butterfly during a rain storm (there could have been more, but seeing 1 was good enough), 6 days of overcast and 1 day of spotting roosting butterflies at 10pm at night by flashlight (thanks to the abundance of European Skippers on that night). I went out during 19 lunch breaks at work due to impending bad weather or working late and running out of daylight. On 30 days I saw only immigrant species, 32 days of seeing a single species, and 18 days I saw only a single butterfly. Special thanks to the Dainty Sulphurs, or the streak would have been much shorter. My previous streak wasn’t much over 30 days.

Oct 5 2012

Judith Huf

Location: Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Milwaukee County

On this cold day, I was surprised to find even a single butterfly.

Clouded Sulphur

Clouded Sulphur

Oct 6 2012

Bob Ring

Location: in my back yard
Outagamie County

Oct 7 2012

Karl and Dorothy Legler

Location: Swamp Lovers property
Dane County

Frost had been predicted for two evenings but it seemed that it didn't freeze in Sauk City. Didn't expect to see anything on a walk today but saw these two butterflies and a female Shadow Darner (dragonfly). Couple other dragonflies flew briefly.

Oct 7 2012

Dan Sonnenberg

Location: My Yard
Marquette County

50 Degrees, Sunny and light wind. During halftime of the packer game. Froze last night.

Oct 7 2012

Mike Reese

Location: Russell Hill
Grant County

Cool and windy. 1:00 - 3:30

Oct 7 2012

Matthew Drollinger

Location: Lions Den Gorge Nature Preserve, Grafton, WI
Ozaukee County

Monarch

Monarch

Red Admiral

Red Admiral

Oct 8 2012

Jim Ebner

Location: city of Oconomowoc, HWY 16 and P
Waukesha County

Windy, partly cloudy and 55 degrees. Thank heaven for Cabbage Whites, which remain eye candy and rather common. All other species rare, and no skippers sighted. My garden attracted Red Admiral and Cabbage White.

Red Admiral

Red Admiral

Orange Sulphur

Orange Sulphur

Cabbage White

Cabbage White

Oct 9 2012

Jim Ebner

Location: my garden west shore Okauchee Lake
Waukesha County

My large patch of French Marigolds lured a Common Checkered-Skipper, a pair of Sachems, and a Red Admiral during a brief period of sunshine at noon. 58 degrees, partial sun, and moderate wind.

Red Admiral

Red Admiral

Common Checkered-Skipper

Common Checkered-Skipper

Sachem female

Sachem female

Sachem male

Sachem male

Oct 11 2012

Peter Thornquist

Location: River Hills on the Milwaukee River
Milwaukee County

Monarch

Monarch

Oct 12 2012

Dan Sonnenberg

Location: My yard
Marquette County

50 degrees and sunny. The MC landed on a squirrel feeder I had just set on the ground outside my door.

Oct 15 2012

Jim Ebner

Location: HWY 16 & P Oconomowoc
Waukesha County

Cabbage Whites laying eggs on a native crucifer.This last generation will require a hasty development in order to make it in before really cold weather arrives. I doubt if enough time is available since a completed cycle requires four weeks. The female Sachem was a visitor in my garden.

Sachem

Sachem

Cabbage White egg

Cabbage White egg

Oct 15 2012

Daniel Jackson

Location: Scrub area adjacent to parking lot
La Crosse County

Oct 15 2012

Dan Sonnenberg

Location: My Yard & Soybean field
Marquette County

56 degrees and Sunny. 3 1/2" of rain over the weekend. More than doubles our total May 6 - Oct 12. Most in the yard. 4 Daintys in the Soybean field.

Checkered White

Checkered White

Gray Hairstreak

Gray Hairstreak

Oct 16 2012

Dan Sonnenberg

Location: Olbrich Gardens
Dane County

66 degrees and sunny. Painted Lady and Monarch were outside the entrance. Male Cabbage White attempted to mate with white form of the Clouded Sulphur 2 seperate times.

Painted Lady

Painted Lady

Monarch

Monarch

Oct 16 2012

Joan Braune

Location: Pheasant Branch
Dane County

Oct 16 2012

Ann Thering

Location: My Garden
Dane County

The Pipevine was one I reared from eggs from May (found on Pipevine in my garden).

Oct 16 2012

Lester Doyle

Location: Lodi: Wildenberg Sand Prairie
Columbia County

70 degrees, sunny to partly cloudy, 12:30-2:00 pm

Gray Hairstreak

Gray Hairstreak

Oct 16 2012

Bob Ring

Location: My own back yard
Outagamie County

Oct 17 2012

Judith Huf

Location: Veterans Park, Milwaukee
Milwaukee County

I was searching for birds, but a warm morning with a little sun brought out a couple of species of butterflies.

Oct 17 2012

Dan Sonnenberg

Location: My Yard & Soybean field
Marquette County

69 degrees and sunny. 11-noon. Walked the yard and found 5. Rode the 3 wheeler slowly across the field to find the rest in 10 minutes, then the heavy clouds rolled in.

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Oct 17 2012

Jim Ebner

Location: my garden, Okauchee
Waukesha County

Nice fresh female of the Fiery Skipper, ..allowed me a nice side shot after stalking it for 10 minutes.

Fiery Skipper

Fiery Skipper

Fiery Skipper

Fiery Skipper

Oct 17 2012

Sylvia Edlebeck

Location: Fitchburg, Quarry Ridge Recreational Area
Dane County

Late morning, sunny, mid-60's, just before the clouds rolled in. The first dainty sulphur was flitting around on a dirt road. The second was above the water on the lake, a few feet from shore. It kept falling into the water, then pulling itself out. Finally it made its way to a twig floating in the water and went through a lengthy series of moves to get itself upright. It was still there half an hour later, still upright, but it had turned itself around.

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Oct 20 2012

Karl and Dorothy Legler

Location: Walking Iron County Park
Dane County

Temperature was about 58 degrees and mostly sunny. Also saw a female Shadow Darner (dragonfly).

Oct 21 2012

Bob Ring

Location: Large prairie garden near High Cliff State Park
Calumet County

pleasant afternoon with light winds

Oct 21 2012

Douglas Buege

Location: Eagle Heights Community Garden and Maple Bluff
Dane County

Oct 21 2012

Jim Otto

Location: MacKenzie Environmental Education Center
Columbia County

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Mourning Cloak

Mourning Cloak

Oct 21 2012

D Nussbaum

Location: Back roads near Weyauwega
Waupaca County

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Oct 21 2012

Jim Ebner

Location: Hwy 16 & P Oconomowoc
Waukesha County

Observed six species today, with the Eastern Tailed Blue a highlight. Conditions near perfect, but butterflies are now sadly disappearing from view.

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Oct 21 2012

Sylvia Edlebeck

Location: Olbrich Gardens, Madison
Dane County

Sunny and 65 degrees. One of the painted ladies landed on some chrysanthemums. During the next 10 minutes or so, she made her way down into the inside of the plant, almost to the ground. Interesting to watch. The other highlight of the day were several large groups of cedar waxwings which were frequenting crabapple trees and eating berries.

Cabbage White

Cabbage White

Fiery Skipper

Fiery Skipper

Orange Sulphur

Orange Sulphur

Sachem

Sachem

Painted Lady

Painted Lady

Oct 21 2012

Ron Arnold

Location: my property in the town of Seneca
Wood County

Oct 21 2012

Judith Huf

Location: Lake Park
Milwaukee County

Surprised to see a Monarch again. Haven't seen one in weeks.

Oct 21 2012

Karl and Dorothy Legler

Location: 7 stops from near East Dubuque to Cassville.
Grant County

6 of the stops were the same as on Oct 3. 11 species is not bad considering the several nights of freezing temperatures between then and now! We saw more clouded/orange sulphurs this time.

Common Buckeye

Common Buckeye

Pearl Crescent

Pearl Crescent

Sachem

Sachem

Sachem

Sachem

Orange Sulphur

Orange Sulphur

Common Checkered-Skipper

Common Checkered-Skipper

Variegated Fritillary

Variegated Fritillary

Oct 21 2012

Dan Sonnenberg

Location: My Yard & Soybean field
Marquette County

63 degrees and sunny. Packers game halftime. Walked the yard and found 4 Daintys. Rode the 3 wheeler slowly across the field to find the next 47 in 10 minutes. Doreen walked the yard with me after the game and found 1 more DS and 2 of the Orange Sulphurs.

Oct 21 2012

Jorgen Goderstad

Location: Black Earth
Dane County

Oct 21 2012

Lester Doyle

Location: Lodi: Wildenberg Sand Prairie
Columbia County

Sunny, air temp = 63 degrees, 1:30-2:30 pm. Pictures include a mating pair of Dainty Sulfurs, one with an open-winged male.

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

American Copper

American Copper

Oct 21 2012

Fern Springs

Location: my yard in Brockway
Jackson County

1:30 64, Partly sunny
Had planned to cut these flowers back this weekend since I hadn't seen any butterflies for weeks. One sulphur (camera shy) and this lovely moth today. Maybe next weekend.

Celery Looper

Celery Looper

Oct 21 2012

Jim Otto

Location: Browne Prairie at Madison Audubon's Goose Pond Sancturay
Columbia County

The Buckeye was in great condition, a surprise for this late in the year.

Common Buckeye

Common Buckeye

Clouded Sulphur

Clouded Sulphur

Oct 24 2012

Karl and Dorothy Legler

Location: Avon Bottoms W. A., Evansville W. A., Magnolia Bluff County Park
Rock County

77 degrees. Overcast with intermittent sun. Not much variety!

Oct 24 2012

Douglas Buege

Location: Olbrich Gardens
Dane County

Thought I'd stop on the way home from work to see if anybody was flying. Fiery skippers on asters.

Oct 24 2012

Lester Doyle

Location: Deforest: ABS Global (work)
Dane County

Sunny...73 degrees about noon, saw both butterflies while going to and adjacent building. I really wish I could have hit my normal Columbia Co. location today.

Oct 24 2012

Ginny Nelson

Location: Stricker's Pond Middleton/Madison
Dane County

Oct 24 2012

Dan Sonnenberg

Location: My Yard & Soybean field
Marquette County

High Temp was 78 degrees with an overnight low of 61.. Sun would peak thru from time to time. Soybean field held 90 of the Daintys. Saw the C. White 2 different times, but wouldn't let me get close enough for a pict. It would fly away and bury itself in the tall grass along the road.

Gray Hairstreak

Gray Hairstreak

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Oct 24 2012

Jim Ebner

Location: Oconomowoc
Waukesha County

Ideal weather topping in the 70's. Noted cultivated Sage in small gardenplot (downtown) held Sachem female and Cabbage White. My garden yielded a male Fiery Skipper and an Orange Sulfur.

Oct 24 2012

D Nussbaum

Location: High Cliff State Park
Calumet County

Partly cloudy and about 70 degrees. Great day until the clouds rolled in. Also saw a "Lady" and possibly an American Copper.

Common Buckeye

Common Buckeye

Orange Sulphur

Orange Sulphur

Monarch

Monarch

Northern Crescent

Northern Crescent

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur

Cabbage White

Cabbage White

Clouded Sulphur

Clouded Sulphur

Oct 27 2012

Dennis Malueg

Location: My prairie
Waushara County

A very frosty 22 degs here this morning, spotted the lone orange sulphur during my late morning walk.

Oct 27 2012

D Nussbaum

Location: High Cliff State Park
Calumet County

Sunny but 30 degrees colder than the last time I was here. Just two Orange Sulphurs. The first one led me to the second.

Orange Sulphur

Orange Sulphur

Orange Sulphur

Orange Sulphur

Oct 28 2012

Jim Otto

Location: Observatory Hill SNA
Marquette County

Sunny, but chilly.

Mourning Cloak

Mourning Cloak

Oct 28 2012

Bob Ring

Location: Prairie garden near High Cliff State Park
Calumet County

Really no butterflies to speak of. The prairie plants are pretty well withered and dead.

Oct 29 2012

Dan Sonnenberg

Location: My soybean field
Marquette County

47 degrees and sunny at noon. Still had some frost on the ground in the shade of the barn. Sun felt warm on the south slope of the soybean field. Walked the same route as weeks past. Heath asters are almost gone. All that is left are some tiny white flowers.
Had a big brown butterfly flit past my window yesterday.

Oct 29 2012

D Nussbaum

Location: My yard
Winnebago County

Saw two Orange Sulphurs while burning leaves. It seemed like they were attracted by the heat.

Oct 30 2012

Lester Doyle

Location: Lodi: Wildenberg Sand Prairie
Columbia County

Light Overcast, 1:30 pm, 45 degrees. This is the only butterfly seen today. This Dainty was on the sand with wings open apparently trying to heat up some. It responded to touch by closing it's wings, but would open them again, providing a great photographic opportunity for a top view.

Dainty Sulphur

Dainty Sulphur