Butterfly sightings for April 2015

First visit ever to this recently-established, newly-open-to-the-public wildlife and recreation area south of Verona. Hundreds of acres (riverbank, fields, woods), but brush clearing and trail making have only just begun. Good potential for butterfly hikes later after the site matures.

Eastern commas flitting around everywhere. Two of the mourning cloaks were extremely worn.

First butterfly of the year! Found on our back porch with temperature in the 50's.

Sunny afternoon in Richfield!

This slightly ragged old fellow appeared today. Lots of tree sap in our woods, so he was ignoring the rotten banana and the spoonful of Smucker's strawberry preserves I had put out.

mid 60's, windy, and sunny

saw my first butterfly of the year

Warm day, breezy. Saw this beautiful Mourning Cloak floating by my window. When he landed in the leaves, I ran outside with my camera. Tried to step around to capture an open-wing shot, but he flew away.

about 3pm, 65F and sunny. My first Wisconsin butterfly of the year!

Warm, sunny day (60 degrees). Butterfly spent quite a bit of time sunny on the compost bin by the garden. The Eastern Comma was sunning on the side of a large cottonwood tree in yard, 3:55 in pm.

Kudos to the University for the effort (and money) they have put in this past winter toward clearing out the invasive undergrowth. The habitat is improved and the line of sight is WAY better. If you've been disappointed here in the past, check it out this summer.

Mid afternoon sighting of a lovely Mourning Cloak sunning itself on a rock on the bank of Starkweather Creek. Sunny day at the time, moderate wind, around 60 degrees.

mids 60', windy, and sunny

Lots of Wood Frogs calling today.

Was found flying around our compost bin but didn't stick around long enough for a photo.

First butterly of the season for me.

My first butterfly of year.

Also my first Common Green Darner of the year!

There was ice on the calm water when I got there this morning and I was really surprised to see this at 8:55 AM.

76° Sunny. Saw a female Comma laying eggs on nettles that were barely out of the ground. This is the greatest number of ECs we have seen in our little woods. Saw 13 yesterday with my Father in the same area.

The butterflies were eating on birch sap.

Mourning cloak sunning itself on a concrete bench.

Found two Compton Tortoiseshells in my shoes that I left outside this morning.

Always good to see my first Cabbage White of the year.

First butterfly of the year!

In the shaded ephemeral pond area near the creek. Wouldn't sit long enough for a picture.

Nice to see the Cabbage Whites back again!

Eastern Comma flying around the beach.

first of the season

Also saw my first two Common Green Darners of the year.

flew across the parking lot

A few butterflies noted after completing a prescribed fire. I was very surprised by the swallowtails and the fritillary!

I saw some Rock Cress in flower and I was thinking someone would see the first Olympia Marble of the year soon, and then I did!

Sunny and in the 60's, saw my first Eastern Tiger Swallowtail of the year fly thru the yard going west toward the river.

Loads of rock cress and early buttercup in bloom, and a few violets.

This was only the second time I've seen Olympia marbles in my life, so what a treat to see so many in one afternoon. Olympia marbles don't tend to stay in one place for very long, so I felt fortunate to get a few photos.

My first comma slam since 2011 and the first Satyr Comma reported in WI since 2012.

One stopped to rest on my golf ball (a safe place to rest, actually, where he's not likely to get hit).

This beauty circled and landed obligingly right at my feet so I could snap this shot. A splash of warmth against the backdrop of the gray/green landscape.

Nice day for my birthday!

8am-12pm, Sunny and very Windy. Low 60-Low 70's temp. Great to see some many of a Lifer Butterfly with the Olympia Marbles. Lots of Festive and Obliqued-lined Tiger Beetles. One small "Blue" Butterfly, but could not get an ID. Also had a large Ground Beetle called a Fiery Hunter (Callisthenes calidus).

Well, the butterflies didn't cooperate for photos so I ended up taking some more photos of my favorite early spring flowers. The Trailing Arbutus looks the best I have ever seen it. I think that this is the first Pasque Flower that I have ever seen at Brockway Barrens.

Mid afternoon. 76 degrees. Cabbage whites attracted to the early violets.

Mostly sunny, 70F. Spring Azure seen near the wetlands W of 14th Ave, the cabbage whites seen near Rattlesnake Mound, which had abundant numbers of Festive and Oblique-Lined Tiger Beetles (ID not 100% sure).

FOR ME: after three attempts this month, First sighting in Wisconsin this year of an active butterfly! Eastern Comma -

Seen while hiking half way up Miller Bluff

2Hr visit: Arrive mid morning, with clear & sunny skies, lots of butterfly activity, walk 500 paces, down path and count 110+ Olympia Marbles: in about 45 Minutes, as I now start to take photos, hazy clouds begin to mask the sun, and eventually most of the activity stops. Other than photo's in books - first time I have ever seen this species in the wild.

Saw many Oblique-Lined Tiger Beetles, including a mating pair and an ovipositing female. I also saw 3 Festive Tiger Beetles. The sulphur was very small, and I thought it was a little yellow at first. I also saw Randy Powers there, photographing the Olympia Marbles.

My first of the year!

Afternoon: 2:30 - 4:30: Mostly Sunny & Breezy, clouding over by late afternoon. Eight different sightings for four species. A rare opportunity for me to photograph a Grapevine Day Moth - a real gem. The Marble was not willing to pose!

Also saw Festive, Oblique-lined, and Cow Path Tiger Beetles. Site hosts Boreal Long-lipped, N. Barrens, Six-spotted, and Big Sand as well but none appear to be out yet.

My first Cabbage White of the year! Low 50s and sunny.

The milkweed was first seen yesterday (4/22), which is by two weeks the earliest we have seen it sprout in our garden. I would like to think that the milkweed knows about an early (or large?) influx of Monarchs on their way north. Note one Monarch was seen at the Minnesota zoo on April 17, a month ahead of schedule.

http://bit.ly/first-sightings-1997-2015

http://bit.ly/monarch-early-mn

63° Partly Sunny "Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!"
American Lady jumped out in front of Doreen and I (and the Ranger) as we were about to take a trip around the fields.

One mile East of Popple Creek rd. - Fr 506 on Gates Lake rd. - Fr 136. 1Pm, 54 degrees, sunny with a few wispy clouds, winds are picking up from early morning, as we warm up. First butterfly photographed on wing by me, North of Hwy 29 this year in Northern Wisconsin woodlands!

1:00-1:40 pm, mostly sunny, 63-72 degrees F. The Spring Azure was of the marginata form.

1-2PM, sunny
First butterflies for the year. Lovely day.

The American Lady was very tattered, there was just enough left of the hindwing spots for an ID.

Nice to see a bunch of Cabbage Whites flitting about acting like Cabbage Whites do.

Broke the ice.

in flight near dandilions

More turtles than BFs today.

sunny, 65F. Lots of uncooperative marbles.

Noon-5 pm, 59-69 degrees F, 100% sun, wind N 5-10 mph. We saw no butterflies after 3 PM.

This was a brief mid-day visit. I was surprised to see the Swallowtail fly by. I was unable to get a photo because it quickly flew onto the neighboring crop land and just kept going.

Looking for my first elfin of the year. Found one, but there must of been two because she was laying eggs!

Approximately a nine mile ride down New Wood Road. 2:00-4:00 Pm, Clear Skies, Gusty Winds, 58 degrees. If the strong gusty winds didn't carry flushed butterflies away, they did not accomodate for taking pictures! A great day for a walk, the Grouse are drumming, a Pileated woodpecker calls in the distance! Seven sightings for two species.

There were not a lot of butterflies flying, but it was a nice day to be out. I also saw two Porcupines, a Blandings Turtle and what I suspect was a courting pair of American Bitterns.

Also had a white butterfly in yard.

I was pretty excited to find these today. I could see at least nine in flight. A lifer for me.

Late afternoon. 71 degrees.

67 degrees and sunny. No Comptons today. 20 minutes early afternoon.

69 degrees and sunny. Saw a blue that was most likely Silvery (location). Will see him again later this week.

Sunset, ~62 degrees. Looks like it has recently emerged by the look of the upper right wing.

Sunny, around 70, around 5 pm. I've seen a Bullsnake several times this week too, hiding most of the time, but was out doing a late afternoon sunning session a couple of days ago.

Took the day off work to visit Spring Green (was there for almost six hours). Mostly sunny to partially sunny skies; 60-70 degrees; light wind (4-7mph). In addition to items posted, I saw what appeared to be a Harvester in the wooded portion of the preserve, however I didn't get a photo (took off just as I hit the shutter), there was no water around (that I was aware of), and I am not confident in that assessment. The swallowtail photo is a small portion of a screen shot of a video on my phone - It wouldn't land for a photo.

12:58-2:38 PM, 95% sun, 67-74 degrees F, wind variable 2-8 mph.

Sunny, 63F.

On County trunk N just west of Cty Tk MB. 2PM, Sunny, windy & 64 degrees. In a agri production field, full of annual mustards & dandelions. Six cabbage whites of which I was able to get photo images of at least four of them!

First butterflies I've noticed this year

It was just flitting through our back yard.

Also one Lady whose spots I could not see.

Late afternoon visit- another promising barrens site. More species of moths flying during the day than butterflies, including 1 Infant (Archiearis infans) and the graceful Adela purpurea which dances over willow catkins, looking more like a bee than a moth.

Scoping out new barrens sites- this one looks promising.