Butterfly sightings for May 2012

Believe that I had a Checkered White but couldn't get a picture. Larger than Cabbage White with significant black markings on upper side of front wing.

Failed to find Red-disked Alpine at one of the most promising sites in the county...the last records were in the 1970's, and that site doesn't look so good anymore (near Kempster).

Failed to find Freija at one of the most promising sites in the county...it may be vanishing at the southern range extreme?

search late in the day...very windy!

60's, warm and sunny, out on my bicycle.

I think the Sleepy Duskywing is an aberrant individual of this species. The bands are more typical of the Sleepy/Dreamy, but the light spots and the shape of the bands are quite unique and unlike any species.

63 Degrees and Partly Sunny. The Juniper Hairstreak was laying eggs. Question Mark was huge and had satiny black hindwings. Duskywing was feeding on Geraniums 3/4 the way up Ob.Hill. The moth is micro and powder blue in flight. Dozens of them buzzing my head, but only in the black locust.

Beautiful evening about 6:30 took a walk around the neighborhood. The Red Admirals were having fun dancing in small groups. Three danced over my neighbor's house. But this one was lazy resting on the fence, (photo) Hundreds of tiny (wing span @1/2 inch) moths in the grass, did not get a photo.

Finally Red-disked Alpines! This is the major historical site for RDA and Freija (per Les Ferge and others both species were very common here). The site has changed a lot since the 70's and Freija seems to have vanished, or at least is not detectable anymore.

No luck with Red-disked Alpine under great conditions...I've been trying here for years (this is the Vilas Co. historical site...last documented by George Balogh in the 1970's). No luck at other nearby sites as well...but still a beautiful day!

Great sunny day with plentiful butterfly activity. Red Admirals prolific and distracting, especially when stalking other flies. Juvenal's abundant, a banner year, with some scattered Sleepy Duskywings sprinkled in first sightings here of Silver-spotted Skipper, Giant Swallowtail, and Spring Azures. Clouded Sulphurs were ovipositing on red clover. Three hours well spent!

Casual evening observations. Lots of admirals moving north and first duskywing of year.

The big wave of Red Admirals reached us on these southerly winds the past couple days. Thousands on the move north. First Cabbage Whites of the season for me.

Was hoping for Red-disked Alpine but no luck. Tons of elfins, lots of Red Admirals, and great number of Freijas, a couple of which were moderately photogenic, which I've found to be a rarity!

79 degrees and sunny. First Monarch of the year. Met a new friend(Ornate Box Turtle) at the very top of the hill. And a ? duskywing.

Several butterflies on a backyard lilac bush

76 degrees and sunny.

A little lunch-break stroll through this nice reserve. 75 degrees, partly cloudy, slightly breezy.

With the all the speed demon Red Admirals whipping around, my first Giant Swallowtail of the year looked as graceful as an egret in flight. A bunch of Red Admirals were nectaring on what I believe is Russian Olive. The crescent in the photos likely got bonked by a car. Also saw 10+ Common Baskettails, lots of Green Darners and two Dot-tailed Whiteface dragonflies. And the Blanding's Turtle and Northern Water Snake were nice, too.

This morning it's warm and muggy after raining most of the night and there are so many Red Admirals flying about that I can't count them. This is the first blue butterfly I've seen this year, and it was bold. It landed on the porch about two feet from the cat.

Thanks to the help of this site, we were able to identify the approximately 50+ red admirals in the backyard -- feeding on the blossoms on the apple trees and resting on the side of the house. Dark Brown overall with 2 rows of white spots on the outer wing, and thicker band of orange on the wing between the white spots and the body. Also a band of orange on the (tail? - end of the body of the butterfly).

84 degrees and sunny. Just doing yardwork and such. 40-50 dead RAs on the 6 miles of road to Oxford. That was before noon. Saw fleeting glimpses of duskywings, too.

Thousands of Red Admirals on the south end of Phantom Lake Road (in the woods between the lake and County Road D. Many Orange Sulphurs and duskywings.

Monarchs were fresh and laying eggs. The Mourning Cloak was also fresh.

There were lots of butterflies today, but these were the first sightings of these 3 species for me this year. And the earliest I've ever seen any of them.

We had 10 plus, Red Admirals in our lilac trees

It was just flying around, hanging out!

Took a walk with my wife yesterday. She pushed the kids, I carried a camera. :)

Even though we had over 2" of rain today, butterflies made several appearances between showers. I also saw a larger butterfly just for a few seconds which I couldn't identify.

Beautiful site with a lot of neat boreal habitats...will post pictures once I get them downloaded. No Western Pine Elfin but conditions weren't ideal and lots of areas to check...bet it's here!

Lapping up the nectar of our lilac bushes.

Finally warm enough for more butterflies.

First Monarch sighting of the year. Lots of butterflies seen yesterday and today!

My lifer American Lady!

The Monarch (by 9 days the earliest ever seen in our garden) did not stop to oviposit or nectar. The others contended for an overripe banana.

Karl Legler passed along this report of the Variegated Fritillary that was photographed by the well-known birder Jerry DeBoer in Racine County on May 3. The report was submitted to WisBirdNet and the photo is on the Flicker website. This is a recent county record and also a tie for earliest Variegated Fritillary.

Monarch on muscari flowers

On Thursday, 5/3/12, a beautiful warm day two Morning Cloaks were on the mulch by the bushes at the base of the building. Another was flying by. Later, a friend and I went back to see if they were still there. We saw at least 9 in the mulch along the building. Some were opening their wings to reveal the beautiful black with white trim and blue spots. As we were leaving an American Lady flew into the window and a Clouded Sulphur made an appearance. Alas, no camera. Today, 5/4/12, a cold, windy, rainy, day camera in hand I really didn't expect any butterflies to be out but found one very sluggish individual by the wall.

I saw a Mourning Cloak as I was walking into the plant where I work this afternoon. There were many Red Admirals seen while driving to work.

Search late in the day. Finally able to re-document Red-disked Alpine in Vilas County...I've been trying since 2003!

Very big peatland complex and surely RDAs are in many places. My encounter was at 46.09009°N 89.92451°W

First of year here.

Saw my first Monarchs of the season, countless Red Admirals as well.

The butterflies were not flying much due to cloudy windy conditions.

Cloudy, but still saw my first Monarch of the year!

Very poor day for butterflies, but I was at the meadows so with a short view of the sun for about 45 mins I decided to see what I could find. Temp on arrival - 58f Temp on depart 3 hours later - 61f. No nectaring, no puddling.

Many butterflies I couldnt get a look at, likely red admirals along Phantom trail, one possible compton/comma, a white I couldnt get near, several duskywings, etc.

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I happened to see the Coppers on the way out of the park so I stopped at a small parking area.

72 Degrees and Sunny. 2-5 PM. Watched a Mustard White and SS Azure laying eggs. Autumn Olives were in bloom and loaded with butterflies. At times it felt like I was in a butterfly house, because there were so many BFs around me. At one point I had 2 pair of MCs fighting for 40' of sunlit trail. So cool!! A little farther down the trail a Hobomok was sitting in the grass. Pearl Crescents were mating. Saw some really dark Ladies. Closer look showed they were painted!!! Whew!!! Gotta catch my breath. And then the dragonflies . . .

Insane numbers of Red Admirals. I mostly counted them by 10s while driving slowly along roads. Had 600+ perched along ~12 miles of Cty GG and that was only one shoulder of the road. Amer. Lady total is a big undercount and I've never seen so many Orange Sulphurs up here. Finally, my first Dreamy Duskywings of the season.

72 Degrees and sunny. Spraying weeds around the yard in the afternoon when I found the mating pair of Silvery Blues. Marsh in the evening. QM and RA eggs hatched yesterday.

Of particular note were our first Monarch eggs of the year, and by a full two weeks the earliest ever in our garden. Two monarchs oviposited 15 eggs, of which twelve were on the recently-sprouted swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), and only three on the taller and more numerous common milkweed (A. syriaca).

This was an awesome display of butterflies at the 7 Bridges Trail and Beach. Many monarchs appeared very fresh, Red admirals were weathered.

50 degrees and intermittent heavy downpours flooding the roads but still managed to see a FOY Monarch.

Many many Red Admirals today.

Beautiful day. Had lunch outside. Morning Cloak joined me. Sampling my lunch, walking on my finger, flying at my hair...what an experience. Butterfly feet are very soft and gentle.

Variegated Fritillary Butterfly seen at Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, WI, enjoying Allium

Despite the early hour (7-10 am) it was unusually warm which brought out the butterflies.

An almost 60 sunny day and I saw 1 Canadian Tiger Swallowtail (earliest I have ever seen one here), 1 Black Swallowtail (same), and at least 50 Red Admirals. Incredible day. Then upon returning home the 'territorial" Morning Cloak was at the end of my driveway and will remain there all summer!!! More butterflies at this time of the year than i have ever seen in Door County.

Seen on Battle Hollow prairie portion of Battle Bluff prairie State Natural Area

About 10 seen on one bluff prairie and 2 on another-both south of Rush Creek rd.

I caught a flash of orange on Monday but couldn't identify the butterfly. Today, a monarch spent a half hour in plain sight.

cloudy, 60 degrees. Not a whole lot of activity today. The bright spot was finding some showy orchis in bloom.

Yesterday I saw my first Monarch of the season in my backyard.

I saw at least 6 monarch butterflies in our backyard today and in South Shore Park across the street. This seems early to me, and also like a very sudden influx. I’ve been out and about a lot in the past week (birdwatching) and haven’t seen any until today.

On an evening visit to Jackson County. A small sunlite patch produced 4 butterfly species.

Got a good look at the skipper but didn't have my camera. I had seen a grass skipper last week and wasn't able to get a picture for an ID. I would say it was the same species.

3 PM, 64 degrees, sunny.
There were also a couple of unidentifiable blues, and a couple of unidentifiable fritillaries who didn't want to have their pictures taken.

One lone monarch, my first of the year, open mowed area.

mostly cloudy, breezy, 60 degrees.

A late afternoon walk came upon a solitary Monarch

65 Degrees and mostly sunny. Only had an hour to spare today. Took on an obligation to find first occurrences of Karner Blues. Got a hit first time at bat. And a bonus Gray Hairstreak.

70 degrees, mostly sunny. Saw the first dragonfly out here since I've been walking out here for lunch. A female Dot-tailed Whiteface.

The Milkweed plant was only about 5 inches high, but it had 7 Monarch eggs on it. I hope it can outgrow the caterpillars.

No time for a formal walk today but saw two red admirals anyways. One on the pavement near the water at the very busy Union Terrace, the other flying across Verona Road, well above car level.

First Eastern Black Swallowtail of the year. Also first Monarch ova of the year on Milkweed. Several adult Monarchs observed heading north.
Orange Sulfur female laying eggs on lawn clover.

My first Jutta Arctic - apparently early. Was in a black spruce swamp with cottongrass nearby.

Sunny, 64, breezy, muddy area next to the road.

Moments later, the Blanding's turtle blinked, and the azure was gone. Many duskywings did not get counted.

74 degrees and sunny. Another mind blowing trip to the . . . wet prairie. Todays adventure begins with Silvery Blues cruizing the vetch. Followed by Weeping willows that were weeping. Many places on the bark were sap was seeping out and BFs were feeding. More MCs, QMs, RAs and Monarchs than I could keep track of. On top of that "Love was in the air" and boy BFs fancy has turned to girl BFs. Got to get very close looks at QMs. Not all have the "?". Some had nothing at all. All had the 4 dots on the top side of the forewing. Autumn Olives were still a big draw.

After 6:30 pm, lots of American Ladies, Red Admirals, and more Painted Ladies than I have seen since 2003.

This day Kathy and I drove down Duck Pond Rd which turns into Wozny Rd, and goes through the Totagatic River Wildlife Area and saw hundreds of American Lady, Painted Lady and Red Admiral's.
The road is about ten miles long and the butterflies (and other bugs) are in serious abundance this year!

Early afternoon. 70s and sunny. Good to see the orange sulphurs up close and actually observe the orange on their upper wings (just glimpses while flying because they don't rest with wings open very often). Red admirals and mourning cloaks flying everywhere within inches of where we were walking on the path.

Perfect mix of habitats along this road saw so many butterflies today I lost count of several species!

Didn't go there for butterflies, but they were there anyway! Duskywings were near camp site fire ring. Eastern Commas were perching on the trees at the clearing's edge. Monarch was on top of the hill.

82 degrees and sunny. Saw Bfs while picking asparagus, doing chores in the yard and then a quick trip to the marsh. We got a lot of rain last week and the marsh is "squishy". Many ferns died with our last frost. Chased the "Blues" today to see if I could find the lost Eastern Tailed. Of course it would have to be in "the last place you look" (Last Blue of the day).

82 degrees and sunny. Fox river is up nearly 2'. Saw 5-6 different types of dragonflies too.

My yard was busy today & got a pic of a well-worn Mourning Cloak.

Windy and sunny during the one hour period I searched this refuge. Red Admirals remain commonest butterfly, but are diminishing in numbers compared to recent outings. Orange Sulfurs surprisingly common, and also fresh. Hobomok sighted ...first of the season. Another first, the Pearl Crescent glimpsed before it was carried off in the wind. Monarchs not common, rather occasional.

13 or 14 butterflies on an overripe banana, all at the same time. Then Mourning Cloaks would arrive and various chases would ensue. Great fun. And we've harvested 70 Monarch eggs from the milkweeds in the garden already.

Casual obs while doing yard work. First Monarch of year for me.

Very pleasant day. Butterflies around wherever you look. Saw my first swallowtail of the season.

Monarch flew around outer plants
Red Admiral was in tent of shade plants

11:00 am to 12:30 pm. Warm and sunny. Not as many Red Admirals as there have been. Surprised to see so many Mourning Cloaks flitting about in the open meadows in the sun.

Sunny, 70s, 10:30 AM

Who knows the plant that the Gorgone is nectaring on?

No sign of elfins today, though I didn't have that long to look. Did see plenty of duskywings that went un IDed.

This was a butterfly trip to Crex Meadows to Namekagon Barrens with various stops on the way. Dean Hansen led the trip with 15+ participants.

A perfect day for bike riding and sighting butterflys. Saw so many Red Admirals I lost count! As well as this American Copper, Monarchs, Swallowtails, whites and Sulphers

Saw two gravid female monarchs laying eggs very near the ground south of the canal. (No visible milkweek here) Sandhill crane on nest nearby. While going north from the canal found a nice buckeye puddling in the mud of the trail.

Various times throughout the day, sunny 60s, slightly breezy. There are a couple of eaglets peeking over the top of the nest. This photo was taken on the 13th from a boat on the Mississippi near Pairie du Chien.

Rustic Road is the perfect place to find butterflies, each time there is something new to be find. Wildlife sightings as well as butterflies!

Saw my first Tiger Swallowtail of the season, as well as my first question mark and American Lady. Lots of butterflies again today! It's like being in butterfly heaven!

Perkinstown Winter Sports Area is located about 15 miles west of Medford off Hwy 64 on Winter Sports Rd. The American Lady was ovipositing on pussy toes. Lucky to get this picture!

We were on a Natural Resources Foundation field trip to the Badger Ammo Plant properties this morning.

American Copper found on a dandelion

74 degrees, no wind, and variable skies. WOW! 6+ mating pairs of monarchs. Indigo Bunting and Scarlet Tanager cruised by just in front of me. Giant Swallowtail lazily danced less than 10' by also.

Wasn't really looking for butterflies today, except in a patch of Lupine, but kept seeing butterflies on and off during the day. Did see quite a few Skippers, but not well enough to ID them. Not as many Red Admirals lately.

With Ryan Brady, Kim Kreitinger, Eric Preston

They just make you feel so peaceful when you watch them fly about.

Saw many species again today, including this Question Mark

This would be my first sighting and snapshot of a Henry's Elfin

Saw 1 Frigga Fritillary along N. Gates Rd. three times in a half an hour. Scott and Ann Swengel reported that this species was in peak flight.

Very windy which made chasing butterflies and dragonflies a little tough. Did find my first Four-spotted Skimmer of the year and also found a small pond with ovipositing Variegated Meadowhawks.

Beautiful Afternoon. Whites and Sulphur in sunny meadow. Morning Cloak, Red Admiral, Painted Lady and 1 unknown in wooded area near stream. I

outside our table window on bush

walking in yard

A beautiful Monarch was fluttering around.

A perfect day for butterfly photography. I also several Duskywing Skippers and a tiny Grass Skipper all of which I was unable to ID. I was surprised by the number of Question Marks that I saw.

The only new butterfly for the year for me today was the Snout. There continues to be an exceptional number of Mourning Cloaks but the number of Red Admirals are declining.

First Giant Swallowtail of the season; most species seen in sunny forest/yard opening

About two hours searching along trails and parking lot.

84 Degrees and Sunny. Autumn olives not as busy as last week. One that was still aeromatic had 5 Swallowtails in it.

Walking around the yard looking for butterflies

Forested trails sparsely populated, except for exposed sunnier tracts, where Red Admirals continue to persist at much less intensity than previously. Orange Sulfurs rather common, and a singleton worn Mourning Cloak also seen. Highlight of the one hour outing, a female Little Sulfur settled long enough on a dandilion to allow a pic. In my area this butterfly is seldom seen, perhaps once in several years, so this sighting was a thriller.

NRF Field Trip - Prairie Reptiles of the Mississippi Bluffs. Sunny and 80 degrees. We were on the Southern prairie (Battle Hollow Prairie). Time was spent predominantly looking for lizards, otherwise the list would probably be longer.

Also saw a Forcipate Emerald (dragonfly).

Two were seen on a sandbar in the Kickapoo River while kayaking the river.

78 Degrees and Sunny. 11AM to Noon.

I saw a Red Spotted Purple butterfly near the office building in the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge

I saw a monarch patrolling an area, flying really close to the ground. This milkweed, 5 inches tall, was the only milkweed in the area. Underneath, I found the two freshly laid eggs.

Hit the trifecta of swallowtails, with the earliest-ever sighting by us of a Giant.

I stopped at Never's Dam and Spangler's landings on the St. Croix River. I saw Giant Swallowtails in the exact same spots last year.

Was hoping for Dusted Skippers but surprised with Common Ringlet and excited to see Gorgone Checkerspots. I saw a Gorgone 2 miles away a few years back so very glad to see them on the State Natural Area as well were there is more habitat!

This photo was taken in my front yard this Lilac bush had at least fifteen Giant Swallowtails and numerous Monarchs

Pretty incredible mid-May! (Also heard a Bell's Vireo.)

Black Swallowtail - female

Chryxus Arctic, Olympia Marble, and Hoary Elfin were new for me.

Sunny, 65 degrees. The Common Ringlets were quite abundant and active. The Harvester was up about 10' high in a tree, so it was tough to get a decent shot.

Season's first sightings for Peck's Skipper, Viceroy, Red-spotted Purple and Question Mark.

74 Degrees and Sunny. Saw some BFs while prepping and painting the barn today. Meadow and marsh 4:30-5:45 PM.

One flowering shrub feeding several in middle of open meadow. Had to brave the bumbles to get a look. Honeysuckles good feeding site too. One of the Monarchs was feeding on Pucoon blooming among the Lupines.