Butterfly sightings for September 2018

Rain, drizzle, and then the sun peeked out

Mid 70's a bit breezy and humid, partly sunny. The spider was preying on a ladybug.

Very foggy but some sun peaking through occasionally. Windy off the lake with the temps in the upper 60s.

Variable weather today. Showers interspersed with sunshine. Not the best day for butterflies, but I did see a few in between the raindrops. Also, a corn earworm moth.

Seen on Wild Quinine Flower

Garden Flowers and nearby wooded land. Very breezy, mid 80s, humid.

The fog had lifted when I got here but there were just as many Monarchs nectaring in the shade as there were in the sun.

Seen while walking along the trail (2.5 miles). When I started the fog was still heavy and visibility was less than half a mile. Temps were in the upper 60s with wind off the lake. Does not include the northern two miles of the trail.

I walked the prairie trails east and south of the Interpretive Center for a few hours between rain showers. Found two Giant Swallowtail caterpillars on prickly ash. As the rain started, I saw two Great spangled Fritillaries tuck in under a clump of sugar maple leaves.

Most of the butterflies were in the alfalfa field.

7 Monarchs tagged and released today. 56 chrysalises pending. This has been our most productive year ever for Monarchs.

Rainy off and on but warm

100’s of Monarchs in my backyard. Not sure why but it’s a neat thing.

Last year the owners of the Original Pancake House created a small, but very effective butterfly garden in their parking lot. It's adorable and attracts a number of different species. Today was monarch day!

Our property has several inches of water over much of the acreage - something I have never seen. Not good for butterflies.

Monarch and Painted Lady seen on Blazing Star.

Less standing water at this site. Hot, humid and very sunny but not many butterflies. Found a bear cub in a tree and found a coyote that was barking at me - both firsts in WI

The day was one of few sunny, clear, and windless ones in a string of rainy days. I released three monarchs, but noticed another one. The skippers enjoyed nestling in the zinnias while sipping the nectar.

What a day on the prairie! Warm and breezy, more butterflies than I expected (including a friendly Eastern Tailed-Blue), and abundant Common Green Darner and Black Saddlebags dragonflies. One monarch pair.

Very wet with water standing in the sand.

After a doctor's appointment, I stopped by the large field next to the clinc which had goldenrod and a few other types of plants. There were LOTS of monarchs, most nectaring, but quite a few just flying around (one within several inches of my face). Some were flying around the parking lot and some ventured across the street to Menards. Also saw an interesting moth.

walked most of the trail and stopped at all the main garden areas; 75 degrees with fog and some spotty sunlight shining through. They closed the West of the Lake Gardens for the year for construction. The numbers of Monarchs has been higher there than along the Mariner Trail in the last month

10 Monarchs eclosed today. Tagged and released (from the south-facing front door rather than the north-facing porch, to give them a head-start on their trip to Mexico).

The recent flooding wiped out the veggie crops, but the zinnias are going strong and feeding the butterflies.

off in the bushes at the side of the trail after the rain.

Hot muggy and sunny

Monarch still around, spotted a monarch caterpillar

12 more Monarchs eclosed on this persistently rainy day. Normally by midafternoon they would be fluttering, but this group hunkered down to wait. We'll tag and release them tomorrow.

Sunny 72F 5-10mph

25th Funereal Duskywing sighting in Wisconsin and 7th this year!

High of 72, sunny and perfect.

The water retention pond was seeded with wild flowers but this is the first that I have seen species that are more than transients

Butterflies were only seen in very small area with blooming flowers. Images of Fiery Skipper.

Breezy late morning

Sunny and pleasant day.

The Great Spangled Frits were about as worn as possible.

24th record for Wisconsin and the 6th this year.

Part of a hike put on by the Land trust and led by a DNR employee

seen in prairie type area

The Autumn Joy sedum in our yard is attractive to lots of bees and a few butterflies. The 26th Wisconsin sighting for the Funereal Duskywing and 8th this year. Only the 6th sighting of a Gray Hairstreak this year.

All fritillaries quite tattered and faded; most on thistles. All viceroys crisp and bright. NO monarchs!
Female Common Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis)

Late morning, so not the best time for a butterfly survey, but I did see a few. One monarch was a release, the other was flying directionally toward the southwest for the migration.

Sunny and calm middday

While walking our trails looking for butterflies, I happened to find a patch of Bottle (Closed) Gentian wildflowers. The one pictured below was the tallest with four layers of flowers.

Ovipositing on Queen Anne's Lace at a neighborhood park. Last week we harvested four BST caterpillars from a patch of rue around our mailbox; this morning we found two more. One of the caterpillars has already formed a chrysalis in a terrarium on the screen porch.

Monarchs still eclosing and departing; we've used up all 50 of our tags.

First Monarch that I have see in the wild tagged!

Missing parts of one hind wing, but still eagerly nectaring on showy goldenrod.

Monarchs were nectaring on sunflowers, goldenrod and asters. A few were flying directionally to the southwest.

It was a beautiful day to walk around the property except that every time I stopped to take a picture, I gave blood. Just a few Monarchs, and a lot of the Black Saddlebags and Common Green Darners have moved on, too.

One of the Pearl Crescents was very worn with at least a third of its wings missing but it was still flying without difficulty.

This little hike was meant to see my first Fringed Gentians of the year, but I was surprised at how few butterflies I saw.

The Monarchs were all intensely nectaring on stiff goldenrod

I have never seen a Delaware Skipper this late in the season. (Late record by four days! MR)

While out watering my Mexican sunflowers, I watched not only Monarchs sipping nectar, but also two hummingbirds. The hummingbirds however were too fast for me to get photos of, as they quickly went from flower to flower then flew off.

tough to see the butterflies for all the mosquitoes

I walked several of the prairie trails at Riveredge. There was an 8'x5' patch of asters in bloom, in the sun, with at least 25 sulphurs and Cabbage Whites on it.

Surprised by the Common Wood-Nymph. Not all that worn for this late in the year. The late date for this species in September 14.

I was just passing through and saw a couple of butterflies trying to fly in the heavy winds by the control structure at Kylingstad Flowage so I stopped and managed to get a couple of photos. What's interesting is that I had only seen 1 Least Skipper this year prior to today.

Five Monarchs eclosed this morning; just a few more left in chrysalises. We're finally nearing the end of an incredibly productive year.

The Black Swallowtail cats are starting to form Js (above the head of the big one in the pic is the remnant of a prior year's chrysalis because we reuse their favorite sticks).

The day before I noted these sightings, I found many sulphurs and Cabbage Whites nectaring on white aster in the prairie. There were too many to count and I didn't get close enough to determine the specific species. The photo I'm submitting today was taken the next day and was the only specimen on the flowers although I saw a few others flitting about from afar.

Hike terminated early because the mosquito-to-butterfly ratio was about 5,000:1 and it just wasn't worth it.

The butterfly sightings were all incidental while I was doing bird bath videos. I was finally able to get the bird species that has been taunting me with their songs all spring and summer, the Yellow Billed Cuckoo. It took an interesting bath by smashing its large body into the water and then standing back up. The day before I was lucky to watch a Woodcock take a nice long bath that lasted ten minutes. They also take an interesting bath by washing one side of their head at a time. I guess when you have that long of a beak you need to be creative.

A residence garden at 107th Avenue near Willow River State Wildlife Area.

casual observations over two hour period

Mid 80's, sunny, very calm

breezy and only had cell phone.

Sunny, slight breeze, 67° F. Highs in the 80s all last week and throughout the county. This was an incidental sighting while I was gardening, so I only managed one poor photo with my phone. But the Cloudless Sulphur was unmistakable: huge, greenish-yellow, with very few small markings (a male?). It hung around the phlox for a while, then took off. Lucky me!

Most of the butterflies were nectaring on New England asters

82 deg. , sunny, calm

No wind, 80’s. Sunny . On flowers in front yard, near porch.
Preferred the phlox.

First time in over forty years of working with butterflies that I have seen a Monarch with a tag! Then to see it when I was doing a bumble bee survey with a camera at the ready- what are the chances??!!

Mid morning, humid, 80's, clear with slight to moderate breeze.
Captured these Cabbage Whites mating! Over 200 Monarchs were sighted! The most I have seen in one trip! One Monarch had visibly damaged wings... but was able to easily fly.

Just a quick visit to Olbrich Gardens this morning, as it was such a hot and humid day. My husband and I had counted around 15 Monarchs on various flowers throughout the gardens, when we came upon a tree covered with white flowers. We stood in amazement watching dozens of Monarchs flying from flower to flower on the tree, sipping nectar. After counting about 30 Monarchs we had to give up, as there were just too many to count. Definitely the most monarchs we have ever seen in one place. How fun!

Sunny, 75F, light breeze
Mosquitoes terrible!

Tiger beetles
Festive 2
Oblique lined 4
Big sand 3
Bronzed 3

Very humid and way too many mosquitoes.

I walked the bluff trail to the stairs and back on the inner loop. This place can be magic for Monarchs on the right day.

Watched five monarchs sipping nectar from my Mexican sunflowers at the same time. I usually only see one or two.

All Monarchs nectaring on Goldenrods; at least 8 unidentified small Crescent-like butterflies.

All nectaring on planted landscape Clethra sp. bushes.

2 Gray Tree Frogs (Hyla sp.) greeted us every morning outside the entrance to our lodging bldg, having feasted on insects drawn to the night lighting.

Very low numbers of monarchs the last two days

Overcast. Most of the butterflies were on the north end area which is designated as the Monarch Sanctuary.

Finally seeing butterflies again after over two days of rain and clouds.

Seen in my native gardens on New England Aster and also on my non-native Zinnia flowers. Pictures taken on Zinnia plant.

Walking fallow field

Seen on New England Asters.

Most monarchs nectaring on abundant New England Aster. Quite annoyed Garter Snake (Thamnophis sp.) at my close intrusion.

Asters were the preferred nectar source today

2nd Wisconsin record for the Ocola Skipper! Both from Olbrich Gardens

4:00-4:40

We always see many migrating monarchs near our Marquette County property at this time of year--on calm days, flying at a leisurely pace WSW, along the highway and the shore of Buffalo Lake.

Seen on asters in my native gardens.

I walked the big loop around the east and west ends of the Forest Beach Migratory Preserve in mid-afternoon. Butterflies were loving the asters. One Eastern Tailed-Blue was ovipositing on clover.

Beautiful day in the research garden. The Monarchs were photographic and plentiful. The Fiery Skippers were so busy chasing the bees and other skippers, it was difficult to get a good pik.

I was driving and noticed an ET Blue flying on the side of a gravel road so I stopped and got out. I walked along side the road for about 100'. What a surprise to find the one and only Painted Lady I've seen this year.

I spent most of the day out biking. Should have picked sunnier (Warmer) trails

12 Monarchs came fluttering out of a quaking aspen this morning stating around 7:30am. They were all over all day, mostly nectaring on New England asters.

I started at the Nine Springs E-Way, but I didn't see many butterflies so I went down the road to Lake Farm Park. I thought I would see more butterflies, but a lot of the sunflowers, goldenrod, and other plants have gone to seed. Still quite a few asters around, and actually the Monarchs seemed to be going for the clover. I saw a few Clouded Sulphurs, but I didn't get close enough to photograph them.

Mid 70's, sunny. 3:15-3:45 I rushed out to the park late afternoon when I heard there would be rain tomorrow. I walked the hill by the shelter in hopes of locating Monarchs. I saw quite a few butterflies before the clouds moved in and the mosquitoes forced me home.

early afternoon sunny

Sunny light breeze late afternoon

sunny with a light breeze midday

I had my best Monarch day of the year. I was surprised because I thought Migration was nearly over here. I had a very conservative count of 335, most of which were nectaring on New England Asters. I say conservative because I didn't want to disturb them and only counted the ones I could see nectaring or those that passed by me heading south. In the fall, I always start from the south and work my way north. After I finished looking at the major nectar sources I stood in one spot and counted the Monarchs that migrated between me and Lake Michigan. In 10 minutes I counted 26 Monarchs (4:11pm start) that flew by.

South of Hwy 49

I walked the big loop around the prairies at Forest Beach. Of the 103 Monarchs I saw in about 2 miles, almost half were in a stretch about 50 yards long with lots of New England asters. I saw at least 400 Common Green Darner dragonflies.

After my survey I headed to Richland Center and wound up having a Chinese Praying Mantis fly into my windshield. This is the first one that I have ever seen in Wisconsin. I also came across this large green caterpillar with red spots and a horn.

All seven species were seen in the open trial garden, but only three species were seen in the main gardens which had much more shade.

Cool and getting cloudy. Found a few species while surveying for dragonflies and damselflies. Highlight was a female Striped Saddlebags Dragonfly.

Cool and sunny. Monarchs everywhere, in the trees, the grass, on flowers, flying. Also thousands of migrating dragonflies.

Just a quick stop at Olbrich Gardens to ID the tree I saw there last week that was loaded with white flowers and Monarchs. (It's a Seven Son Flower bush/tree). There were only a few flowers left blooming on the tree, but Monarchs could be seen nectaring on Brazilian Verbena throughout the area. It was a cool, cloudy, and windy afternoon.

All before 12:30pm. Barely 50 degrees. This field with Butterflyweed was mowed a few weeks ago, causing it to rebloom now.