Butterfly sightings for June 2018

Very cold day 57 F .

Partly cloudy to begin, overcast by noon, cool and breezy. All sightings before noon. Arctic Skippers are new for me! A few Tiger Swallowtails flying. Could not ID them all.

64 and sunny

on Ice Age Trail at forest road edge

Low 70's, sunny with a light wind

least skipper, my first of the year in Middleton, Dane Co.

There were 15 swallowtails in a honeysuckle bush. Then later we saw them all over the area.

A FOY White Admiral. Common Ringlets have arrived in numbers. One flyby Tiger Swallowtail.

Finally after the sun warmed up the air a little.

Northern and eastern roads around the Flowage. Many lupines on eastern road.

Great fun to find butterflies: FOY Great Spangled Fritillary.
and Dragonflies: Jade Clubtail and female Cobra Clubtail exuding eggs.
and Birds: Orchard Oriole, Henslow's Sp and Dickcissel

Blue trail out of Homestead Hollow.

Dusted skipper was on puccoon (as usual) along Airfield Rd north of Hwy 77. Springbrook Trail is my "never fail" spot for finding Pine Elfins. They were nectaring on New Jersey tea there. Some sort of scat attracted the two species of checkerspots on Namekagon Trail. The Namekagon Trail Bog (north of the Namekagon River) had numerous Silvery Checkerspots and a lone Mottled Duskywing.

7:35 - 11:55. Lots of small developments going into forested areas.

2 hours of observing

Peck's skipper, my first of the year

One of the Hobomok Skippers was the dark form Pocahontas.

Walking along park trail.

FOY Red-spotted purple

First Karner Blue was seen on Crex Ridge Road, then one off N. Refuge Road in lupine patch. Viceroy, Karners, copper, skippers were seen on scat (muskrat?) at edge of Reed Lake. Fourth visit over the years that have found butterflies congregating on scat at this spot. Gotta love scat--the butterflies do!

Mid 70's, partly cloudy and humid. There were a few Tiger Swallowtails. The bonus creature of the day- Blandings turtle.

Sunny afternoon, calm, 75.
Sorry about photo quality - only had my cell phone.

82F, calm humid, mostly sunny walking the trail to the bluff. Didn't go all the way to the top.
Dusted Skipper survey 0
Tiger swallowtail (1 yellow & 1 dark)
Blue 1 (never got great looks)

Found on the bank of the Wisconsin River Tributary system

85F, calm humid, mostly sunny;White wild Indigo (BBs really using), Penstomen, Red clover

saw a Blue but never got good looks

80 degrees and sunny. Most fun was the White Admiral and Common Ringlets. The White Admiral strays as far south as Sauk County. The Common Ringlet has marched southward in the state for 50 years, so its range extends down to Sauk County. Nice to see more than 1 Monarch!

82F, mostly sunny, light breeze

Start 10:15 ended at 2pm
82F, mostly sunny, light breeze

the bumble bees were crawling around inside the pitcher plant flowers but I got a couple of photos as the went in or came out

FOY Giant Swallowtail and first Giant Swallowtail at this site ever for me

Warm and sunny. Besides the butterflies, there were many Ctunuca Moths.

10 am Sunny and mild. On the "terrace" near Lake Michigan

mostly cloudy, 68F, 5-10mph

While hiking along the Ice Age Trail

laying eggs on jewelweed at 12:00 noon

Almost all sightings/all species nectaring on lilacs.

Near the entrance to Moely Prairie at the end of Alban Rd in Prairie du Sac, we saw a single Red-spotted Purple flying.

The monarch was busy depositing eggs. Also saw a Lady sp.

Lots of teneral Emerald Spreadwings including the one in the photo waiting for me at my car. My first of the year Viceroy and Peck's Skipper. The Common Ringlet is the southernmost location along the Lake Michigan counties.

1/2 hour, 79 degrees F, sunny

The Swallowtails and Monarchs were scattered along a 1/2 mile road feeding on clover flowers - sunny, warm morning. Many dragonflies were out too 'patrolling' the area.

These were spotted in an open spot in a wooded area south of Fifield.

This was more than a week ago, but I just noticed that Sauk Co. wasn't down as having a photo of Baltimores. I've seen them here for at least 4 years now. Also saw grass skippers, but I can't ID many of them.

My first European Skipper

At first glance, I was puzzled by my first sighting of the Red Spotted Purple. It was the underside of a dead butterfly. Startling colors.
There were also a good number of Hackberry Emperors.

Cloudy and Windy Late afternoon. Harris' Checkerspot is a lifer for me. Lots of Lupine but no butterflies on it.

Spotted on a rotten orange in my backyard.

Backyard

First American Lady we've seen in the garden this year, visited the pussytoes, then oviposited on the Pearly Everlasting. We already have several Monarchs in chrysalis.

Mating pair of Monarchs remained in the River Birch tree for at least an hour after male carried female to tree branch.

I rechecked the area where I had seen Baltimore Checkerspot caterpillars earlier in June. I did locate 2 more caterpillars. Unfortunately, there was a mower cutting the grasses in the ditches along the road.

Milbert's was right where I saw one last year.

Straddles the Sawyer County line...

Butterflies all observed in a Japanese Lilac tree in my yard.

A pleasant 2-hour walk, but in view of the prime season and near-perfect weather and varied habitat available, the number of butterflies was disappointingly low.

incidental while doing breeding bird atlasing. My first robber fly with my iPhone

We also had a surprise visit by a Black Bear at the bird feeder.

Up to 80 degrees. The 15th species (grass skipper) was seen too far away and too briefly to positively identify.

Saw the sundews with several sprites as prey

Several monarchs in the garden today. Saw two females laying eggs on milkweed at the same time, and a male and a female mating. This tattered female took a break to nectar on the alliums in the backyard.

Feeding on chive blossoms .

Found the Admirals on a gravel road in a wooded area.

The group shot shows 43 White Admirals in one view. Also I considered a new species, the Funereal Admiral, as the one guy was pretty beat up.

I was hoping to take a photo of a Common Ringlet at the site where I first saw them in Waushara Co. last year. No luck.
Also saw a tiger swallowtail

Temps in the upper 80's with high humidity, so I didn't stay very long. I stopped to look for Hairstreaks. None were found. Also, one probable Azure.

Monarchs were nectaring on Staghorn Sumac. 5-7:00pm

Doing yard work most of the afternoon. The ninebark was in flower and really attracting the insects!! (1 black swallowtail never got a photo)
Bombus vagans seen on weiglia and vicia

This morning I watched a female monarch laying eggs on the milkweed I planted in my backyard. Took this photo while she was resting on a nearby daylily plant.

This guy (or gal) landed on me at least 12 times. Before, and after a hail storm. It keeps coming back. I am crazy happy, but not sure what to do!

Very hot and humid day!

My first Blanding's Turtle ever in Waushara County!

About 25 people attended this trip on a hot and humid day (80's). Photo (by Dorothy Legler) shows the star attraction: numerous Baltimore Checkerspots. We also found catapillars of Monarch and Black Swallowtail -- which brought the number of species to 19. Thanks to leader Ann Thering!

We also saw a "Blue".

Saw plenty of these lapping up minerals right in the middle of the old factory roads

8:08 AM Commonly seen near the stock tank. The soil in this area is overturned and disturbed.

Butterflies were all seen in the grassy area on the SW side of the lake

10:04 AM Also Sighted on the Potato road and in Rethaber's pastures. Usually in the Potato Lane ditch

Another hot and humid day. There was also a flyby Tiger Swallowtail.

Being very territorial. Chasing birds from feeder.

I found what I believe to be a Hackberry Emperor nectaring for over an hour on an orange set out for our orioles. I did notice that there was a tiny white tip at the end of it's antennae.

Cloudy, very warm (90 plus) and windy 2-5 pm.

Partly CLoudy, very warm, in the Woods. I have never seen a Pepper and Salt Skipper before.

My flower garden

Sighted before 10 AM

Seen flying throughout the morning from 10 AM to 4 PM

While cleaning my tent outside my apartment in Two Rivers I was surprised to see this Common Buckeye, the first in the state this year.

Late in the day (after 5 pm) everything on the road.

White Admiral, steady feeding after heavy rains yesterday.

Dragonflies and Eastern Commas abundant in early afternoon, then disappeared. The photos were taken on our raspberry bed.

On Wild Lupine

Sitting on patio and all of a sudden, there it was.
Poor picture as it wasn't around long.

White Admirals and Red-Spotted Purples everywhere along these roads. Many other species mixed in.

On Wild Lupine

Found in our front yard on a sunny day in the 70's.

European skippers everywhere along roads (mostly nectaring on crown vetch, Ox-eye Daisies, bird's-foot trefoil, red clover). No other skipper types.

About 80 degrees, breezy, gusty, intermittently sunny. Hackberry Emperors puddling on dirt drive and rising as many as a dozen at a time when disturbed. Commas also puddling or sunning. Fritillaries especially on Common Milkweed or Butterfly Weed.

Laurie and I wandered about 1mi through the SNA - Many flowering puccoons, spiderworts, flowering spurges, harebells, two-flower cynthia, scattered butterfly milkweeds, a few morning glories (also crown vetch, bird's-foot treefoil, clovers near the roads). Few butterflies other than these. Completely overcast with occasional sprinkles, about 73 degrees, light winds.

Also saw a single Laphria divisor. Species were seen at several sites throughout the property.

Also saw caterpillars of Monarchs and Eastern Tiger Swallowtails

Need more bears in the north woods! 4 scat piles in road all covered with butterflies!

Very uncertain about the "Tawny-edged" : Last 2 pics!

Road side observations - 140th & 200th Avenue

Feeding on common Milkweed.

Seen on River Bank, Grasses

65 degrees, sunny. About 2 pm. A strong wind off the lake pushed all the butterflies down into the clover where they were easy to photograph even with only an iPhone.

We also saw a pair of nesting Killdeer and a Comma.

This was at the edge of the lake at the Wehr Nature Center. Was difficult to capture photo due to flying between grass blades.

First photo of one from Wisconsin this year! MR

noted while birding from 7:27 - 9:11, 1.6 miles. Arrowhead unfurling in the pond.

Butterfly Count led by Pat Fojut and Janet Barthel and around 30 volunteers fro 9-12 pm. We monitored around the building and then walked to the Fen.

Also found 2 Black swallowtail caterpillars on Golden Alexanders

A single specimen seen perching on a leaf in our restored tall grass prairie.

All Bog Coppers were males.

While photographing flowers for our prairie plant inventory, I caught this Common Ringlet nectaring on some yarrow. I'm told this butterfly was only first sighted in Sauk County in 2017.

Southern Wis Butterfly Association. The forecast was for cool and mostly cloudy, but on the day of the field trip it was 75 degrees+ and sunny! 28 participants. The rain from the week before had attracted butterflies to the gravel path. We had an exceptional show of butterflies! Comparing with the previous 7 years, this trip produced the highest number of individuals for Baltimore Checkerspot, Great Spangled Fritillary, Bronze Copper, Eyed Brown and Eastern Comma! To everyone's delight the Hackberry Emperors repeatedly landed on people! We saw 15 species. Photos by Gil Helland.

I thought I would see more butterflies at the park today. Dozens of Virginia Ctenucha moths, though.