Butterfly sightings for July 2017

71 degrees, mostly cloudy and breezy. Just a few butterflies flying, plus a few dragons and tigers.

At trailhead. Approx. 6pm.

I received permission to also look on the goat farm across the tracks from the natural area. I was in the field from 8:52 until 11:30, walking about 1 mile.

This was the 29th annual Mud Lake NABA Butterfly Count. 11 observers in 3 groups counted 322 butterflies of 33 species (down from last year's record 43 species). Red Admiral was the most abundant species and the 3rd highest in 29 years. Mulberry Wing was also the 3rd highest in 29 years. Both are wetland species. Photo of Gray Comma by Jim Otto. Rest by Lester Doyle.

Fresh gravel along recently refinished road attracted hundreds of Commas, dozens of Crescents, Red Admirals, Baltimore Checkerspots and Fritillaries. Many fewer butterflies after 1 pm.
Nice sedge area.

Also found Painted Lady caterpillars on Canada thistle

76° Partly Sunny. After 4 PM. Saw 2 of the Giant cat.s. Photos of one show it is getting bigger. Buckeyes were Mating. L. Yellow was seen by the barn after 5 PM.

The robber fly was laying eggs on the dried grass.

Low flight

I think I saw my first robber fly.. a lot of skippers were on red clover.

100s of White Admirals.

80° Mostly Sunny 2:45-4 PM With Doreen.
Griffith is now graveled. Ditches still have butterflies. One Regal even tried to fly into the truck when I left the door open. Missed my chance at all 4 Frit. species in one photo by seconds.

Found in moist mesic woodland

Found in a shaded, moist mesic woodland area. No other butterflies were seen in the area at the time of the observation.

Found in restored prairie area with multiple, applicable flowering plants, eg. Common Milkweed! I am thinking the Monarchs are mating...just a guess!

Almost every step stirred one to several of these Coppers. Many nectaring on the abundant cranberry flowers.

It landed on wet pavement in my front yard as I was watering pots.

This was Southern Wis Butterfly Association's annual 4th of July field trip to SwampLover's Preserve. About 60 people participated! We found 27 species of butterflies and 12 species of dragonflies. Thanks to leaders Tod Highsmith, Karl and Dorothy Legler, Dan Sonnenberg (who took the photos) and all who attended.

We surveyed 17 of our 25 Regal Fritillary long-term monitoring plots (average number of years per plot is 20 in a row), an the Regal flight was well pre-peak. We found Regals on eight plots.

Also a flyby fritillary.

Found on a trail that borders a restored prairie.

This Grass Skipper was found in a restored prairie area of Seno.

Low 80's, very humid and overcast. This is my first (Dunn county) Checkered white in over 10 years. This is my go-to spot for Hairstreaks but none seen, yet, this year (too early?). Sadly, I had more wood ticks than butterflies.

85° Mostly Sunny. Surveying this property for the second time in an attempt to create an inventory for the owners.

I did not have much time for this walk, but I counted it as a very good day after seeing both a Baltimore Checkerspot and two Common Buckeyes.

Single Red Admiral floating around my flower garden at the house

Mostly sunny, 12:15 pm -- 2pm.

I don't know of any cranberry around this place so I'm wondering where the bog copper finds food.

Mostly cloudy on this stretch of road.

Sunny. 4pm/ Monarch appeared to be laying eggs on 2-yr-old common milkweed plants.

With six counters today, we found 30 species--our highest number. Only hairstreak observed was a striped. Also saw monarch caterpillars on both common and swamp milkweed.

Temp: 70-74 degrees F. Full sun to mostly sunny.

Sunny and about 77 degrees. 8:40-10:30 am.

Surveyed the remainder of our 25 Regal Fritillary long-term plots, and several others. Found Regals (27 males and one female) on 13 of the 14 plots surveyed, and Gray Coppers on 6 plots. Aphrodite Fritillaries and Regal Fritillaries are having below average years at most sites we've seen or heard about.

1:30-2:05pm. Mostly flew around overhead, but landed & fed a couple times on swamp milkweed in pollinator garden.

Good variety, but certainly no abundance on a day perfect for BFs.

Mourning Cloak enjoying some milkweed.

We surveyed the 400+ milkweed plants in our yard and garden and found 21 eggs. That's good, but well below the record high of 67 one July day several years ago.

77° Sunny. All 3 Giant Cats are gone. Hopefully
the larger 2 went into chrysalis. Marble sized hail two nights ago shredded the corn crop and probably killed the cat.s. Life goes on. Second Q.M. I have found out in the marsh. Black Dash was on Wild Burgamont near the garden.

The Dorcas Copper was a lifer!

Also saw 2 monarch caterpillars, 10 Painted Lady caterpillars, Red Admiral caterpillars and 1 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail caterpillar

Pretty much a perfect day for butterflying! The deerflies, though, are extreme.

Northern Broken-Dash is uncommon here in my experience.

Number of species and number of individuals were way down for such a beautiful mostly sunny day.

447 individuals was a fairly low number again this year. Skipper species were well represented with the Hobomok making a late appearance. 3 Appalachian Browns is a new record high for the count. An Aphrodite joined me briefly for a ride-along and one of the albino bucks from my neighborhood stopped long enough for a quick picture.

This was our 15th year doing the Wisconsin portion of the Dubuque NABA Butterfly Count. In 5.5 hours we found 80 individuals of 23 species. Species is about average but individuals is 3rd lowest! High numbers of Wild Indigo Duskywing (7) and of Common Buckeye (3). A second Juniper Hairstreak was dead. The rare female Southern Dogface was new to the count.

Noticed two sunning themselves on the walkway to house and in lawn.

Mostly cloudy until 4pm. The Robber fly had a sulphur.

1.8 hours. We also found two Leadplant Moths, a prairie specialists we've surveyed for 24 years. This is our 26th straight year monitoring Regal Fritillaries during their main flight here. 80 Regals is below the recent average (like every Regal site but one that we know about this year) but still above the long-term median. Regals have increased a great deal here since 1992. We saw 78 male Regals and 2 of unknown gender.

Nectaring on Black-eyed Susans. Sunny, 1 pm

Sedge obligates were out in abundance on common and swamp milkweed along Co. Rd. O. Saw four Baltimores on dogbane plant. Only a single Coral Hairstreak seen; abundant butterfly milkweed along Stolte Rd was attracting bumblebees, but no other hairstreaks. Gotta wait another week for hairstreaks?

Weather called for "overcast." Beautiful sunny day, though. I was there from 10:30 am to 4:15 pm.

On American Hazelnut

More fun with Skippers!

Sunny, humid, 77 degrees. The Brown Butterfly I photographed was so faded and light,

Monitoring coppers, and an early try for Purplish Fritillaries. A pair of bogs north of Moose Junction along Hwy 35, a bog on Foxboro-Chaffee Road west of Hwy 35, bogs south of Milchesky Road 1.9 and 1.15 miles wet of County Hwy A, North Bear Creek and Bear Creek bogs along County Hwy A, and Lyman Lake Bog. Includes roAdside counting at all bogs except Milchesy Road 1.9 miles west.

This was our 28th annual NABA Trempealeau Butterfly Count. We found 34 species, but only 164 individuals. Only a single hairstreak. Counters were Karl and Dorothy Legler and Al Sheldon. We observed for a total of 8.5 hours. Photo of the Bronze Copper by Dorothy, all others by Al Sheldon.

This general survey did not include counts so each species present will get a "1."

1.5 hours. 4 km walking on trails to the prairies and back, and 1.3 km on prairie noses.

1.3 hours. Although Regls were in several areas in the east half of the prairie, the big concenrtation was the southernmost hill that is west of the north-south draw that divides the site in half. This is our 21st year in a row monitoring Regal Fritillaries here. After several low Regal years here, this count has bounced upward into the range of counts when we found 30-50 Regals a year almost every year on this transect here during about 2001-2010. One of the Regals I saw was a female.

On Rhubarb

In the prairie west of Hwy C which is beautiful now!

Near 80 degrees and humid. Finally seeing Hairstreaks!

also one unidentified skipper

Surprised to see a Little Yellow flying down the trail!

Sighted sitting on a bush in the forested area leading towards the water.

Lower 70's. Not many butterflies but lots of Dragon/Damselflies, Robber flies and a couple of Tiger Beetles.

Sunny, 74 degrees, wind at approximately 8 mph.

82° Sunny. 15 people attended. Everyone got to see Regal Fritillaries.

Sunny, 77 degrees, wind at approximately 9 mph.

Walking the woodland trails of Field Station grounds when the Tree ID group spotted this Female Tawny Emperor. I originally thought it was a Hackberry but this was corrected on Badger Naturalist.

I will get a picture of the Snout next sighting.
The monarch was laying eggs, found 13 eggs on July13, today I found 13 more. One plant has 6 eggs on it.

Mustard Whites everywhere, I've never seen so many at once.

This was the 21st annual NABA Butterfly Count at Northern Kettle Moraine. Counters Peter Fissel, Karl and Dorothy Legler and two others counted for 7.0 hours, finding 248 butterflies of 35 species. Gray Comma had its highest count (6). Notable were Striped Hairstreak and Little Glassywing.

Quick stop to see what might be there. Was happy to see the rare Sleepy Orange for the sixth time in eleven years at this site.