Butterfly sightings for October 2013

Some of the best butterflying of the year! So many individuals that it was very difficult to count them. Higher numbers are under counted. Warm weather of 80 degrees helped keep them active. There were Buckeyes about every 10 feet. Are the Buckeyes moving north with southerly winds or are they migrating south??

Ocola Skipper is a lifer for me! And not on Mike's list of skippers....

Wisconsin state record! Mike

In my yard early afternoon. The photo is of a White-lined Sphinx moth that was feeding on my catnip.

I saw these while working in my yard.

12:30 to 2:45. You're not going to see many October days nicer than this one.

Saw more whites and sulphurs today than any other day this year, including several white form sulphurs.

78° Sunny. Impromtu NABA outing yielded a late season tying record Meadow Frit.

Pat Ready tried to get a photo of the Dainty Sulphur, but it wasn't cooperative. My FOY, and a lifer for Pat!

Overcast and threatening rain, but fairly warm.

3:30 PM travels 1 mile in about 200 minutes. 76 F, SSE wind 5 mph.

Overcast but still found a few butterflies.

Incidental sightings while birding

Steve Thiessen and I were birding a new Waterfowl Production Area, a former corn field that was planted to prairie this year. Stunning number of butterflies and moths - all I could do was estimate. Some were flying even in the steady light rain that started after a while.

71° Cloudy and mist between rain storms. The sun vailed by clouds was just enough to get the cabbage whites flying. 20 minutes was all I had. Saw my first Dainty of the year. All within 25 yards of the barn.

Wasn't expecting to see any butterflies today since it's been rainy. But it is warm. Saw 2 monarchs on the asters.

57 degrees, 5:45 PM, partly overcast

I saw a butterfly in my back yard and it turned out to be a new yard butterfly and my FOY Purplish Copper!

Mild and sunny.

Mid-70s and sunny, a perfect day to be outdoors.

More butterflies than birdies.

First Fiery Skipper of the year! Clouded Sulfurs enjoying good flight, with Orange Sulfurs much scarcer.

10:15 to 10:30. The Celery Looper never stopped flapping.

3:30 PM traveling 20 min (1 mile). 74 F. SSW wind 11 mph

70° Sunny.

3:30 PM, 1 mile in about 20 minutes, 72 F, S wind 8 mph.

Four monarchs at the same time is the most we have seen in one area all season long. All were nectaring on New England Aster. A refreshing sight.

Nectaring on New England Aster; a first-ever for our garden.

I spotted these butterflies on my garden mum.

74° Sunny.

Sunny and mild.

Red clover patch, about one half acre. Many Day Moths. Spent about 30 minutes enjoying wholesome numbers of butterflies. Nothing rare!!!!

74 degrees today.

On the north side of Hwy 49 watching birds and butterflies. Monarchs were all migrating south across Hwy 49.

Very early about 9:30 am. Sunny and mild.

75 degrees and windy. Dainty Sulphurs associated with sandy/gravelly shores of water. Heard Scissors Grinder (cicada). (Heard in Lancaster also.) Russet-tipped Clubtail (dragonfly) Dorothy's photos.

72 degrees and windy. The Dainty Sulphurs seemed to be primarily associated with and near the sandy/gravelly shores of water bodies.

70s and very windy. Followed the largest male Orange Sulphur I have ever seen for 10 minutes. (solid orange with solid black edge when viewed from top. Only saw it flying. Bottom of wings drab orange.) No picts. The size of a Great Spangled Fritillary. Dwarfed(3-4X) the Clouded Sulphurs that would fly up beside it. 2+X the size of the other O.S.s(or largest female I have ever seen) Maybe another day.

I have never seen this many clouded sulphurs in one day. They were everywhere, in the garden and along the roadways. Quite a few flowers were still blooming in the garden. Marigolds seemed to be the nectar source of choice, followed by zinnias.

Quite a few prairie plants still blooming. Lots of butterflies, with clouded sulphurs being the most numerous.

68° Sunny & windy.

Walked part of a field on the north side of Bell Brook Rd. Not much blooming except around the parking area

Sunny day, no clouds, no wind, temp 60, time 3:00. Driving on Main Street toward the center of town spotted a Monarch crossing the road about at windshield level. Slowed down to avoid mashed Monarch. Other than frequent Cabbage whites this is the first sighting in Racine for me since First part of August.

Windy , sunny, temp in the upper 50's.Clover field. No Monarchs, but Sulfurs very active.
Silver-spotted Skipper enjoyed my lawn chair (Oct. 12) after nectaring on dwarf zinnias.

Walked the outside perimeter trails. More caterpillars than butterflies and moths. The Musclewood was in its prime.

One lone Monarch, heading south as fast as he can.

Sprague Mather and Goose Pools area only. 15 eagles including 13 immature eagles.

Cool and sunny. More Sulphurs today than I have seen here all this summer.

This was mainly a bird watching trip, but I did spot a few sulphurs flying after the cold morning fog cleared out.

Also saw a lady but it got blown away in the wind before I could get a good look at it.

All the butterflies were on the soccer field down at the lake front feeding on dandelions. Sunny but not real warm, occasionally breezy.

Open sunny patch . 49 degrees.

While on the trails at Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary, I flushed a Clouded Sulphur. It made a circle around me, and landed where it came from, right next to another. It was mostly sunny and calm, and the forecast called for a high of 44.

At the soccer field along the lake front again this morning to look for birds. I was surprised to see a few butterflies after the cold weather we've been having. It was sunny, windy, and a bit warmer this morning.

50° Sunny. Checking trail cams. Both in the same spot. May have been more than 1 comma.

Also saw a white female Sulphur. It is always amazing to find Dainty Sulphurs persisting at the end of the year, after several evenings of temperatures in the 20's. They are so small they can't hold heat very well, and being immigrants they are built for warmer climes! We've seen them in late January and February in Texas which suggests they might overwinter as adults like some other Sulphurs. Perhaps here in Wisconsin the last generation simply outlives the adult stage of our permanent residents (except Anglewings, etc.) Just guessing.

Grassy area, green but stubbled. Strong west wind. All Sulphurs carried eastward by wind and I was unable to secure pics.

I stopped to check out the baseball field on County GG which usually has dandelions and other weedy species in flower in late October, and a good spot for late season butterflies. I saw a butterfly as soon as I stepped out of my car! 3:15-3:45

Birding was lousy today despite the beautiful sunny, mild (50 F) weather, but there were butterflies to compensate. Still a few flowers: clover, dandelions, and asters.

50° Mostly Cloudy. Slow awkward fluttering, but a perfect landing. Found a snake skin at the top of the compost bin.

Same location as Oct 27..In five minutes spotted three Clouded Sulfurs..all the white female form.
Temp about 50 degrees, with much calmer winds.

It was flying through and decided to stop for awhile during a rainstorm and try to dry off.