June 2018 Sightings

Nice to see a few more bugs on this lovely day. Tree swallow with its "Are you my mother?" face about to become the 4th species to fledge from the yard this year (also bluebirds, chickadees and mourning doves). Mockingbirds will be right on their tails.

[Nice to have our FOY rare skipper for 2018. jc]

10:00-11:30am, during children's insect program. Overcast and cool, not good for butterflies, but the students found a lot of caterpillars (all moths). If anyone knows what the attached caterpillar is, please let me know. We found it on a staghorn sumac leaf.

At work today. The Milkweed is in full bloom.

Brief check along roadside

Brief look at the dogbane.

A brief once around at 4 p.m.

On route to the CM Zoo, we stopped at TNC's garden at around 11 am. Nice numbers of Salt Marsh Skipper

10-12:00, very hot and sunny
(Incidental sightings, not able to look closely for butterflies during my children's program)

[Our first checkered skipper for 2018. And our first sootywing in three weeks. Good finds! jc]

On my way home from work. The only shot that I could get had to be lighten up on the computer to see any of the markings at all. When I tried to get a better angle it flew.

[Our first report of this species in exactly a year – since Harvey Tomlinson's report from this same area on June 28, 2017. Good to have on our log's list for 2018. We had only three or four reports from last year and only one from 2016. jc]

Rare sk's now in full swing here. Swallowtail was laying eggs in my tulip popular.

This field is once again loaded with milkweed and other flowering weeds. Surprising how few species were present.

One of my yearly checks to see how this small hard to reach colony of Mulberry Wings is doing. I believe I was on the early side. Sadly, no striped hs this visit.

My first fritillary of the year, spotted by Cynthia A.

During my public butterfly and dragonfly walk, 1-3pm. Excessive heat, 96 degrees+. Surprised we didn't see more. Tiger swallowtail was nectaring on buttonbush.
[This is only our 43rd Tiger ST this year. -jm]

Stopped briefly from 2:20 till 2:50. Both Horace's & one Silver spotted were in the garden. Sunny and in the 90's.

Partly sunny, light winds, 90 degrees. I was surveying a patch of dogbane near the boardwalk.

1 female black swallow tail @11:30 am. Enjoying mostly pink coneflowers. She stayed over 20 minutes and she is still here @11:50 am.

7:15 to 1 pm. Hot & humid. Very surprised when a pristine White Admiral landed next to me in a muddy area. Point blank looks for maybe 1/2 minute and then when I got my camera out it flew (of course). Re-landed twice but only briefly so wasn't able to get any photo to document.

[No matter how one looks at it, the White Admiral is a significant report to our log. I did not find one present in our log's history. Although the White Admiral is now recognized as a race of Limenitis Arthemis, with the Red-spotted Purple being known as L. A. Astyanax and the White Admiral being known as L. A. Arthemis, the difference between these two forms is striking. Congrats to Tom for this lovely find! - jm]

Buttonbush was the nectar of choice. 91 degrees, calm winds, mostly sunny. I just spent 35 minutes here.