Butterfly sightings for July 2015

Just checking pics from last year and saw this might be a new county record

An impromptu stop at the small gravel parking lot of the river landing was like a butterfly fairyland with butterflies landing all over me. The Checkerspot count was conservative as they were just everywhere I looked.

This was a scouting trip to get me fired up for Ron Arnold's NABA county here on Friday. I am fired up!
also 1 tiger swallowtail

Far SW corner near woodlot at W end of the trail: at least 35 (at least 20 on 1 clump of milkweed) we could identify along the trail but with binoculars we could see at least 50 other small hairstreak type butterflies; all on butterfly milkweed. There were easily over 1 hundred clumps of the milkweed scattered over the prairie but the butterflies were all within about 20 meters of the woodlot edge.

Also two lady-like butterflies.

This was the annual Mud Lake Butterfly Count for the North American Butterfly Association (NABA).
We found 36 species and 407 individuals. Highlights with photo credits are: Common Buckeye and Bronze Copper (Jim Otto), Viceroy caterpillar and Baltimore Checkerspot (Karl Legler), Tawny Emperor, Mulberry Wing and Compton Tortoiseshell.

Early afternoon. Started out sunny then became overcast. There was one orange lily that we saw blooming in the prairie (just one lonely lily) and lo and behold, there was a coral hairstreak on it.

1:30 to 3:45. Plentiful and docile. Almost stepped on the turkey in the photo.

It landed on my hand and posed for 3 minutes while I took a few pictures.

Just had to see the Regals today. We couldn't get any to sit on the flowers long enough to get a photo, but one sat on the scat nicely! Bob referred to the one with the three species of fritillaries as the Tri-frit-ca.

Surprised to see any butterflies, it was sunny but only 55 degrees this morning.

Seen in the prairie west of County C. Everything is starting to bloom including the prickly pear.

76° Sunny. A big "Thanks" to Rich Kahl for sharing his success on the 1st. Got some great shots today. Just follow the mowed path to the end.

This was the 25th year for the Sandhill/Seneca count. Acadian Hairstreak, Great Spangled Fritillary, Northern Crescent, Mourning Cloak, Eyed Brown and Monarch have been seen on each of the 25 counts. Thank you to everyone that helped this year. 34 species and 669 individuals were seen. We came across a large spider with her back covered in babies. She looked more like a bumpy toad when she moved.

Observed a pair of the Baltimore Checkerspot.

We walked about 11 miles in the grassland to survey 17 separate plots. We found Regal Fritillaries in 12 of the plots and Gray Coppers in 9. All of the Purplish Coppers were in the two northernmost patches of Buena Vista WA along Elm Road that are diagonal to one another east and west of the road. Three tries in a row we have found Purplish Copper in the NE corner of the southwestern patch of these two (a Wisconsin Society for Ornithology tract), in all cases northeast of the pond there.

White admirals were abundant. This one resting on our truck and deck.

74° Sunny. Most Baltimore Checkerspots ever on the farm. The butterfly in the photos is an aberrant Pearl Crescent.

This is a very secretive location with hundreds of grass pinks and rose pogonia orchids.

Skinner Creek - Hunting Grounds: 1:30Pm -4:30Pm
78 degrees, Sunny, passing clouds, gusty winds
334 sightings for nineteen species!

Karner Blue Meadow:
3 Pm - 4:30 Pm
Sunny, windy & 66 degrees
225 sightings for eight species!

Huge numbers of skippers, primarily European

This is our annual SWBA Butterfly and Dragonfly field trip to Swamp Lover's Preserve. 45 people attended and we found 21 butterfly species. Best sightings were Common Buckeye, Gray Comma, Baltimore Checkerspot and Mulberry Wing (photo by Dan Sonnenberg).

After seeing the Regal's sighted on July 2 I took a ride to find my first Regal sighting. With much success. Thank you !

See our June 13 posting for more info on the 4 Drummond Area Kettleholes. The two bogs south of Cornucopia are Pine Lake. The floating bogs at Pine Lake, West Wishbone, and East Wishbone had a much higher rate of Bog Coppers (all >650 Bog Coppers per hour) than the non-floating bogs (44 Bog Coppers at Mt. Valhalla, 5 at East Roger Lake, 1 at Crane Lake). The Dorcas Coppers were at East Wishbone and West Wishbone.

9:30 - 10:30, sunny

10:00 to 11:30. Many, perhaps 50, hairstreaks... interested only in fighting and mating but mostly fighting. Mixed it up with nearly every L Wood-Satyr that came around.

The female Purplish Copper looked large and gaudy compared to two nearby Dorcas Coppers on the bog. usually we see more Dorcas Coppers along the road nearby than on the bog, but today 7 of the 9 Dorcas Coppers were on the bog and 2 along the road.

This is the first hairstreak I've seen. The empty eggs and larva are a Giant silk moth sp. found on Elderberry. The Virginia Creeper Sphinx moth was hiding under Anise Hyssop

Bog that had no Cranberry Bog Coppers on June 23 had abundant ones on July 4. Easily saw more than two dozen. Showed a friend the bog, Papilio binocs, pitcher plants, and bog coppers. He loved it. It's great to share the joy of butterflying.

80+ degrees, very windy and humid.

9:45 to 11:30. With all the Hickory Hairstreaks around, went here today trying to scrounge one up for Winnebago County. No luck but came across a Striped for consolation.

Same bogs as on June 21. We found at least 6 Dorcas Coppers on every bog, except just 1 at Moose Junction West. Except for roadsides next to Bear Lake Bog, the rate of Dorcas Copper finding was at least twice as high out on the bog as on roadsides next to it. We found Dorcas Coppers along the roadsides of North Bear Lake Bog (1 east side, 5 west side) and Bear Lake Bog (6 west, 4 east), but not at the roadsides of three other bogs. The Baltimores were in the roadsides of North Bear Lake (E side) and Bear Lake (west side). There is a glaring paucity of large fritillaries in northern Wisconsin.

I found the Cecropia moth, that deposited the eggs I found a few days ago, hiding under Common milkweed.

Beautuful morning with fewer butterflies than hoped for. I thought I was too early, so I went back an hour later, same except I did find the Baltimore.

damp meadow. 30 minutes. noon.

East bluff forest trail. Watched a Red Spotted Purple for a few mins. Tried to get a photo... But a loud family chased it away. Beautiful dark blue color!!!

8:41 - 12:18, SWBA butterfly count, 8 people, 2.2 miles.

Seen while atlasing

And a hairstreak.

6-7:00pm. I was mainly looking for Gray Coppers. Saw five males all patrolling.

Red Admiral was flying low to ground around the garage, settling on gravel stones and then around weeds growing alongside the garage. Very entertaining for grandchildren who got a bit of a lesson in "let it be"

Bogs at County M/County GG NW part; Wilderness Road bog and roadside 2.3 miles west of County GG; Twin Lake Bog and Roadside just east of Forest Road 195 on FR 182. Saw 17 Dorcas Coppers in the Wilderness 2.3 roadside and 6 on that bog; 2 Dorcas Coppers on the eastern "Frigga" part of Twin Lake Bog, zero seen along road. The Baltimores were on the Twin Lake east bog (5) and roadside (2).

On N side of Hwy 77 1/2 mile east of where the railway goes under 77. This probably our highest count ever on this bog of both Dorcas Copper and Bog Copper. We saw no other butterflies.

Newly emerged

Oconto count's been postponed til tomorrow but I ran into some cool butterflies by accident during a break in the rains.

I'm pretty sure this ID is right - it's the first time I've seen a Hickory Hairstreak here.

Saw my first butterfly at 8am. Hazy sunshine, humid, about 65F.
Besides butterflies and birds, found the first Turk's Cap Lilies of the season blooming.

Partly cloudy, light wind, and around 70 degrees

Had 2 severe hail storms a week apart the end of June, amazed that any butterflies survived. They showed the next day after both storms.

~4:00. Sun, clouds and wind. Also saw a Red Admiral on Lake Winnebago this morning.

I had 3 on my milkweed plants

Cicindela punctulata was found on a gravel path, but very wary.

728 individuals seen, and 28 species. Red Admiral, Bog Copper, and Tawny-edged Skipper were new. Thanks to Nicole, Joanne and Nick for the Forest Service for joining us. Temperature started in the mid-50s at 9am but we had a good count once it warmed up. The last count here was 22 years ago!

The former Badger Army Ammunition site is an excellent location for butterfly-watching. A generation of non-use has resulted in a proliferation of wildflowers, and the abandoned network of asphalt roads makes for easy hiking. I seemed to be the only human on the 3,000 acres this afternoon. Highly recommended for your visit.

Scott rode around with manager Lesa Kardash to look at and walk through butterfly habitat. We saw both the Gray Coppers, most of the Regals, and the Striped Hairstreak before Scott went surveying on his own (found a Purplish Copper later). One of the 13 Regal Fritillaries was a female.

68° Sunny. Made it to the shrine of St. Hubert and beyond. 3 grouse families on the road near the entrance. Lots of butterflies by the shrine.

mostly cloudy, occasional sunshine breaks, ~70F, 4-6 pm.

Many damselflies along the river including ebony jewelwings, river jewelwings, and american rubyspots. Either an Edward's, Banded, or Hickory Hairstreak was also seen.

With Lauren M, Grace M and Drew C. Three cameras- no decent photos. Nothing wanted to pose today.

Our 23rd year monitoring regal Fritillaries here. This was one of our highest counts. We saw 1 female, 231 males, and 2 unknown gender Regals. The tiger swallowtail was a dark form female.

Glorious morning, partly cloudy then sunny, in the 60s.

This is the 10th year of this count. Although we didn't see the large numbers that we have come to expect, we did have 41 species, breaking the record of 39. Beautiful sunny day for butterflying, with the highs in the low 80s.

At least eight individuals were observed. I have never seen this butterfly at this location though I have been visiting the area for at least 15 years. And, this is my first ever sighting of this species! What a beautiful butterfly.

Skippers on swamp and common milkweed, also in vegetation of roadside. Sedge guys finally out.

With Lauren and Grace.

Our 15th year (1991-1996, 2007-2015) monitoring Ottoe Skippers here. The one Ottoe was a female. We saw 2 Leadplant Moths.

Brought an experienced Arizona birder/butterflier to see bog coppers. Noel spent a half hour happily photographing a "lifer", right on the roadside vegetation. Coppers were more common on the roadside than on the bog. Other highlight was seeing a sphinx moth larva parasitized by 170+ presumed Brachonidae wasps.

84° Mostly Sunny. Beautiful day to visit a beautiful place. Also a duskywing sp.

1115-1215, 79, mostly sunny, very humid.

I have not seen a Compton Tortoiseshell in about 25 years! Imagine my surprise when this one showed up!

Warm, calm and sunny day! Saw my first of the season Great Spangled Frit on common milkweed flowers. Also a monarch chrysalis (haven't seen one in the "wild" since 2011 when I found 30 on our property)! Not sure what that colorful tiny plant bug is.

Back to look for sedge obligates. Couldn't keep track of all the Mulberry Wings. All were in roadside grasses or on common milkweed blooms, with extensive fine-bladed sedge meadow to north and south. Still hoping to find a Two-spotted skipper. Next time.

Not much butterfly activity Am or early afternoon, disappointed I decided to climb Brady's Peak late afternoon, focus on other natural things, enjoying the view, and wildflowers when: 580 feet higher I got a photo of both emperors! From the climb I lost ten Lbs, wet with sweat, exhausted I was delusional!!!Now: HOW DO I GET DOWN??? 11:30 Am - 5:30 Pm, high eighties, humid, mild winds & sunny with passing clouds

Same sites as June 26 plus, we surveyed Shelp Lake on Forest Road 2183 today. The Jutta Arctic was in the southeastern part of the bog along Forest Road 2812 that is just west of the junction with FR 2414. July 11 ties 2013 as the year with our 2nd latest date for Jutta Arctic, before we set a later record in 2014. July 11 is 7 days later than our previous latest date in NE Wisconsin, however.

Planted Milkweed this year and saw this in back yard.

Ball road from west county line to SW fence corner of Sand Hill Sanctuary. 2:30Pm - 5:30 Pm. Sunny, Hot Muggy, occasional gusts of wind, 80 + degrees. Being eaten alive by nats, horseflys & deer flys! I usually don't use repellant, but this is one time when I put it on. 168 sightings for 14 Species. Well Mike Pix ( 638, 44,46 & 47 ) might any of these be Hickory? Or am I out of luck again!

68-78° Mostly Sunny>Cloudy. 10-12:45 PM. 15 people attended. 10 species sighted while standing in the parking lot where a C. Wood Nymph landed on many people. Lunch by the "butterfly barn". More species joined us. Doreen and I took a ride around our farm after everyone left and saw Red Spotted Purples, Harvester, Banded Hairstreaks and an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail(18 species on the farm). Thanks to all who attended!

Shady yard garden with hostas, small pond and nearby in the sun are milkweeds and a variety of cone flowers and other perennials.

Mostly cloudy, 2:30-5:45

Spotted around 3pm while riding the trail.

Warm and sunny with very little wind.

Saw quite a few other skippers which we couldn't get good looks at to identify. Besides butterflies, there were lots of other interesting insects to observe and photograph.

10:00 to 12:10. Sun and clouds.

Sunny 70's 9:00-12:00. Blue trail from Homestead Hollow and prairie west of Cty C.

Columbine/Wild Indigo Duskywing. Also an unidentified Fritillary flew by.

Two pictures of the same butterfly.

Saw a Mullberry Wing with classic arrow mark. Brought up the camera and it was gone....

Butterflies near or in the woods going up the hill. In woods saw Laphria thoracia.

On a Black Oak leaf.

We walked 11 miles in the grassland to finish our Regal Fritillary long-term population monitoring. We found Regals in 13 of 16 plots and Gray Coppers in11 out of 16 plots.

We went here to find white fringed orchids - only 3 plants!

This was mainly a bird atlasing visit, but I did also spot some butterflies. Also saw a Monarch caterpillar on common milkweed.

Gusty winds swept the prairie grasslands! 86 degrees, and sunny: 10:30 Am to 2:30 Pm. 249 sightings for thirteen species. Did not get as nice of Regal Fritillary photo as I hoped for, but it was soon forgotten as I photographed a new species for myself with seeing the Gray Copper!

This was our 13th year of doing this count. New to the Wisconsin count was Gray Comma. Other highlights were Tawny Emperor, Juniper Hairstreak (4--the most ever), Wild Indigo Duskywing, Common Sootywing, and 3 Little Yellows. This was the 4th strongest year for Red Admirals after 2007, 2010 and 2012.

This was later afternoon, still very hot, The sunny skies were starting to turn overcast.

68-72 but felt much hotter due to humidity, sunny, 10:45 - 1:30. There was also one
Tiger Swallowtail. Mulberry Wing, Two-spotted, Appalachian Brown, and Compton tortoiseshell are all new for me.

This is our 23rd year in a row monitoring Regal Fritillaries in two areas of Pine island. We found Regals every year during 1995-2006 and 2010-2015, but not 1993-94 or 2007-2009. Three Regals today is one of our highest counts here in the last 10 years.

1:40 - 1:50, sunny, 72 (felt much hotter due to humidity). I hadn't planned to stop here but there was construction on the road I had planned to take. I stopped because there were a lot of butterflies visible just driving by. These were all on just one corner of the intersection.

Sunny and very hot, low 90s. We were on a Natural Resources Foundation field trip.

This weekend my wife found 67 Monarch eggs (and 6 early instars) on our milkweed plants. That is an all-time record for our garden.

Three butterfly's today in the Milkweed garden! Also a tiger swallowtail sp.

cool and sunny.

afternoon, 2:15 pm - 3 pm

Saw many tiger beetles including Cicindela repanda, hirticollis, formosa, scutellaris, punctulata, and Tetracha virginica. Many robber flies also seen, and also one Columbine/wild Indigo Duskywing.

Saw it sitting on my Japanese Anemone. This is a new species for me.

Sunny, mid 70's, with a light wind.

Karners were everywhere! Large number of butterflies at the puddle at the end of shortcut road. Lots (200+) of small brown skippers, often on clover and milkweed.

Saw about 50+ Ghost Tiger Beetle (Cicindela lepida) on a large sand patch off quarry road.