Butterfly sightings for July 2016

Preliminary total of 43 species. (Final total will include a Madison Audubon group at Goose Pond.) 5 counters in 3 groups. Temperature 61 to 72. Highlights include Common Buckeye, Striped Hairstreak, Little Glassywing, and Dion Skipper. Photo of Glassywing and Dion by Karl Legler. Photo of Coral and Striped Hairstreaks by Jim Otto.

Locally quite abundant at 10 am.

The day started off rather slowly due to the cold temperature, but then improved. It should be a great day tomorrow for the SWBA Sandhill field trip.

72 degrees, windy & sunny 2:30 - 5:30 Pm: Twelve Species for Seventy-Nine sightings.

Sunny and about 68F. Female Tiger Swallowtail was the Black form.

Flying around in the park near the pond.

Sunny and in the 60's with a slight breeze. Great day to hike the prairie trail and walk along the water. Lots of wildflowers and water lilies too!

DORCAS COPPER DAY: Fifield Township All finds associated with roadside bogs: Dorcas-1 Spruce Rd. 11:30 Am 58 degrees, Dorcas-2 Gates & FR508 2:30 Pm 71deg., Dorcas-3 Gates & Sailor Lk Rd 3:30 Pm, Dorcas-4 Gates just east of Sailor Lk Rd. 68 deg., Dorcas #5 1/4 mile down rd from #4 on Gates 68 degrees, * Although remarkably similar to #4 It either hitched a ride down the road, then raced ahead of me to surprise me, or it is the fifth of the day that I documented with my camera! WHAT A GREAT DAY - Sunny & Windy

Other SPRUCE Road Sightings, 58-64 degrees, sunny & windy: 11AM-1PM Thirteen species for eighty-nine sightings.

Mid-70s sunny. Lots of nectar sources.

Wilson Lake Rd Fr507: 62 degrees Sun & passing clouds mxed, windy: Eleven Species for fifty-three sightings! 10:30-11:30 Am

Picking blueberries in an open barrens area and this butterfly landed on my boot. As I took photos of it, it then flew to my hand. I tried to put it on a nearby shrub and it flew back to my hand, then face and shoulder. Liked to perch on my sunglasses. I just let it sit there while I picked blueberries. It stayed on my face and shoulder for about 15 minutes! The best I can tell, it was an Aphrodite Fritillary.

UNBELIEVABLE: DORCAS Copper Day II: All finds associated with bog roadside areas. Intentionally went to different unexplored areas today in search of the Dorcas
Dorcas-6: FR517: 11:10 Am 64 degrees, Dorcas-7: FR501 4:00 Pm 70 degrees, Dorcas-8
FR501 & FR132 Near Intersection: 4:30 Pm
Dorcas-9: FR132 just South of FR131 5:20 Pm 68 degrees, Dorcas-10 Same area aproximately 50 paces away from #9!

This was an ideal day for the field trip. Skippers and Hairstreaks were the predominate species. Reported numbers were minimums with many of them actually being much higher. Several participants were able to add a number of species to their life lists. After the Sandhill trip, we went to a nearby bog where Bog Coppers were observed. Thanks to Dan Sonnenberg for sharing his photos for this submission. Some of the Mourning Cloaks seemed to take a special interest in our tires.

On our way to a graduation party. My wife shopped while I looked around the yard. Tons of European Skippers. In fact, everywhere there was a patch of grass in Langlade County, these things were present. There has to be thousands per acre in spots. I even found them in numbers in the middle of the forest wherever a grassy road crossed a gravel road.

Middle of the day.

Forest Road 501 approximately 3:15-4:15 Pm
Sunny Mixed Clouds 68-72 degrees & windy.
Eleven Species for forty-four sightings!
A Haploa Day Moth!

FR 517 & Gates Lake Rd "136" near fr517
Thirteen Species for eighty sightings.
Two Day Moths: Ctenucha & Hummingbird Clearwing!

Individual Red Admiral on nettle at edge of woods

Also saw a Banded Tussock Moth

Beautiful Waukesha land conservancy property that obviously has someone keeping it free of invasives.

Beautiful morning, 70's, light breeze, partly cloudy. The butterflies didn't like it as well as I did.

Also one Tiger Swallowtail.

Warm and sunny

In 10-12 years of observation, this is by a full two weeks the latest date for a FOY monarch in our garden. She was pale and ragged, but was able to oviposit and move on.

Sunny afternoon in the 70's.

One of the swallowtails was a black form female that was ovipositing, so the egg is from the swallowtail. A young Eastern Tiger caterpillar was also seen.

Gates Lk FR136 & Riley Lk FR137. 11Am-2:30 Pm
64-78 degrees Sun & cloud Mix "Windy" Only two Dorcas today on Gates FR136 East of Popple Cr.
Dorcas #11snap shot of UW and it flew away! Dorcas #12 Snap of UW, and was disrupted by a Checker Skipper a Butterfly I have never seen before! I lost track of the copper and focused on the skipper. 26 Species fir 114 sightings! The Monarch only my 16th sighting for the year!

Bennitt Road & Hakett Road: 64-78 degrees Clear Sunny skies & windy: Seventeen Species for Ninty-One sightings!

75, mostly cloudy, light breeze

Photos are some of things seen on the SWBA trip on July 2. I saw 5 individual Asilus sericeus (robber fly).
Hummingbird moth and the group saw the Appalachian Brown (on the right) and Northern Pearly Eye

7:35 to 9:10.

Most butterflies seen were on damp road gravel or roadside vervain or swamp milkweed, 0.1 mile north of Co. Rd O on Jimmy Carter Road. Dun skippers were too skittish to photograph. Approaching storm cut trip short--was unable to look for hairstreaks on butterfly milkweed on Stolte Road.

1:00 to 1:50.

The Monarchs were hand-reared releases.

The hairsteaks kept lying down on one side, soaking up more sun? The American Lady was the largest and most vibrant that I have ever seen.

Our Yard, Meadow and Marsh, Chaffee Creek SNA, Shillinglaw Prairies, Hamel Prairies and the Oxford Boat Landing. 1-4:30 PM Lots of places have Swamp Thistle! Chaffee Creek parking lots have recently been regraveled. At least 100 sulphurs there. Lots of other B-fly's there. Found my 1st Marquette Co. Comptons there today! Baltimore was stuck to the Milkweed.

I came looking for Baltimore Checkerspots! And to get ready for tomorrow's count (which unfortunately doesn't include thos road). Mike, I'm not certain about the gray or the green commas so please check those pics. I pored over the books and really think I've found a Green in Oconto Co. It's the butterfly hanging upside down and my photo certainly shows green patches. It only opened its wings a fraction, then it flew off into the swamp.

Thanks to Dan, Nicole, JoAnne, and Nick for rounding out our crew. We found the Dorcas on Jack Pine Camp Road. 25 species this year--6 more than last year. Temp stayed between 68 and 72 degrees F. Intermittent rain with mostly overcast conditions until 3:30 pm when the sun came out and the butterflies started moving. (Photos provided by Dan Sonnenberg).

Sedge-obligate skippers were out in very nice numbers, mostly on common milkweed of roadsides near sedge meadows, e.g., on Co. Rd. O 2.9 miles west of Hwy 87 and along Stolte Road at the south end of the large sedge meadow. Over forty Mulberry Wings, over 60 Dun Skippers seen. 8-10 sedge skippers were on a single common milkweed plant. Butterfly milkweed along Stolte Rd is past prime, and it attracted only two hairstreaks. Can't understand the lack of hairstreaks here this year.

Both Northern Pearly Eyes stayed around an area under a swallow's nest, and appeared to be feeding on the droppings.

cloudy and warm

Just a few sightings while looking for breeding birds on a hot and sunny day.

We also saw two Fritillaries and 20+ Blues.

We also saw four other Fritillaries and two Blues.

We also saw four other Blues and two Fritillaries.

Hot breezy day

The monarch had no color upper or lower wings, leucistic? (No, just very worn. Mike)

Lots of skippers around - probably more species but these are what I could identify.

At least one Red Admiral joined along for about 10 minutes.

Breezy, sunny, mid-70's. Of the Black swallowtails, 2 were males and 1 female

This place is huge. Makes me wonder what else we didn't see.

About 10 larger fritillaries flitting about.

Impressed with the great variety of nectar plants. Lots of butterfly weed.

Warm, sunny, breezy.

We also saw 10+ Fritillaries and other Blues.

Cloudy and intermittent rain. Only got to spend 1.5 Hours looking. Lots of scouting new terrain.

All sightings today were gathered in the same small area of milkweeds. Cut short by rain.

This was our 14th year for this count. Terrible weather! Cloudy to dark overcast and rain in afternoon. Observers were Karl and Dorothy Legler, Peter Fissel and Pat Ready. Only 9 species found! Highlight was Little Yellow (photo by Dorothy) and Wild Indigo Duskywing.

High wind- 3
Air temp- 88

Only a few butterflies today. Cloudy, transitional day. But we did see 100s of Chestnut-Marked Pondweed Moths (Parapoynx badiusalis).

I was in Jackson County to work on my Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas blocks. The common milkweed and butterflyweed were in bloom, and attracting many nectaring butterflies. There were also many other grass skippers, crescents, and browns seen but not ID'd or photographed.

Warm, breezy and humid. The monarch and swallowtail were depositing eggs. Also found a second instar monarch caterpillar on common milkweed.

90+° Sunny. 10 minute stop on the way home at 3:45PM. Was hoping for a Sootywing. Little Yellow was faded almost to white.

Dan and Doug's Excellent Adventure--2016

Surprisingly few butterflies on a warm and sunny day.

Found in a sedge meadow.

Despite sunny and warm day, few butterflies. Very breezy may explain some but even the "Monarch Refuge" had no Monarch. (Did see one outside of that area.)

Two commas dancing above a fern on a wooded trail above a ravine feeding into Kinnickinnic River. This one landed on the fern. Sorry the picture isn't very sharp. When I tried to get closer, it flew away.

84° Mostly Sunny. Karner Blue Survey

84° Mostly Sunny. Probably left a few out. Ignored most butterflies that weren't "Blue". Karner Blue Survey. Variegated stopped me in my tracks.

NRF Bird Atlas Field Trip

Many more fritillaries were seen that I could not identify for certain. Also, there was a small black skipper around the pond. First time I've encountered an Aphrodite at this location.

I was thinking I hadn't seen many butterflies in the garden this year--aside from many Red Admirals and a few Tiger Swallowtails. Then, today this Tawny Emperor showed up on the oranges I put out for the birds. This has happened several times in past years, too. Nice to see butterflies enjoying the fruit, too.

There was a bit of butterfly action inside and outside the bog! Some interesting finds!

Mostly cloudy, very windy. Many "Blues" flitting about!

Pollinator survey. Temperatures around 84 degrees and partly cloudy, though windy. Survey time from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Pollinator Survey. 80 degrees, mostly sunny, and windy. Survey times from 10:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

Located on rosebush at dusk.

All the Acadian Hairstreaks were near the northernmost flower garden.

Warm sunny day, very windy.

Temperatures around 70 with scattered clouds and showers. Meadowsweet and milkweed were big hits and even got a chance to see a Clearwing!

This was the 27th year for this count. Morning was sunny, afternoon had dark overcast with nothing moving. We had only 28 species. Counters were Karl and Dorothy Legler and Dave Hanson. Highlights were Juniper Hairstreak (only the 4th one recorded on the count, and Common Roadside Skipper (only 7th time.) This was the latest we have done this count in 18 years. All the Hickory Hairstreaks were worn. Heard Bell's Vireo.

The Little Yellow was fresh, and the Black Swallowtail was laying eggs (dill). This was the first time I've seen a Mydas Fly in my yard. It mainly ignored the wasps.

70° Partly Sunny. 11-1 PM. Sulphur, Lady & Hairstreak were at Bible Camp. 2nd Bog Copper and the Dorcas Copper were only a foot apart when I first saw them. At one point the Dorcas tried to land on the same Daisy as the 2nd Bog.

These two were attracted to the water on our driveway.

In my front yard

Low 70's, sun and pop-up showers. Also, a Tiger Swallowtail and a few Azures.

We also saw two other blues, five other fritillaries, 5+ hairstreaks and many different skippers.

Stopped here midday after the SWBA Shea Prairie field trip. Lots of puddling going on. The Eastern-tailed Blues in the the photo are on Great Blue Heron poop. Also a hissing and "rattling" fox snake, and a Laphria robber fly.

Mid 70's, partly cloudy and breezy. Also had one Tiger Swallowtail and found a chrysalis (Viceroy?) attached to a milkweed plant.

FOY Monarch for me.. YAY!!

Sunny, upper 70s. Of the butterflies, the most interesting were the monarchs mating and the giant swallowtails--large and in constant motion as they often are--no photo ops for them today. Also saw sandhill cranes, great blue herons, MANY dragonflies, and several deer, to round out a lovely afternoon.