August 2019 Sightings

Beth Polvino & Jack Miller

Jack Miller's back yard Petersburg
Cape May County, NJ

I had a wonderful visit in Jack's yard today. I am sure we saw more butterfly species and butterflies than I have recorded here. 3 species were lifers for me. I had great looks at the Tawny Emperor caterpillars, a Cloudless Sulphur ovipositing, an unknown pink colored egg on a hackberry leaf, an unknown moth caterpillar on the hackberry tree, plus a 5-lined skink.

  • Black Swallowtail 1
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 2
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 2
  • Cabbage White 5
  • Orange Sulphur 1
  • Cloudless Sulphur 1
  • American Copper 2
  • Pearl Crescent 4
  • American Lady 3
  • Common Buckeye 10
  • Tawny Emperor 0
  • Monarch 3
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 6
  • Southern Cloudywing 1
  • Horace's Duskywing 1
  • Common Sootywing 1
  • Zabulon Skipper 3
  • Least Skipper 1
  • Tawny-edged Skipper 5
  • Sachem 8
  • Broad-winged Skipper 4
  • Dun Skipper 1

unknown cat remains

Southern Cloudywing

Tawny Emperor cat

Tawny-edged Skippers

unknown egg

Jennifer Bulava

Historic Smithville Park, Eastampton
Burlington County, NJ

Smith's Woods butterfly garden, during children's program, 10-11am.
9 black swallowtail cats, 1 of which attached itself to the underside of the host plant garden bed to transform, & 4 monarch cats.

  • Black Swallowtail 0
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 3
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 6
  • Cabbage White 5
  • Variegated Fritillary 1
  • Painted Lady 2
  • Red Admiral 2
  • Common Buckeye 1
  • Common Wood-Nymph 1
  • Monarch 3
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 8
  • Zabulon Skipper 6
  • Dun Skipper 1

Black Swallowtail cat

Painted Lady

David L. Amadio

Kimble's Beach Rd.
Cape May County, NJ

Obs,. made from 10:20 till 11. Hayhurst's Scallopwings still coming to the Yellow leafcup.

  • Hayhurst's Scallopwing 29
  • Zabulon Skipper 11
  • Broad-winged Skipper 4

David L. Amadio

The Nature Conservancy-Eldora
Cape May County, NJ

Obs. made from 9:35-10 & 1:40-2:15 Taking the high count between visits. Early visit yielded 15 sp.& later visit 21. Only filtered sun today, but temps made it to 83 or so, keeping butterflies active. Much of the activity here was on the other side of Rt47 on Sweet Pepperbush. A surprisingly fresh looking Rare Skipper was on the Pepperbush until a passing car flushed it into the vegetation. Nice 2nd flight of Aaron's Skippers. Cloudless Sulphur was observed just north of the property but still in Cape May County. IMAGE: ( Aaron's Skipper)

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 6
  • Cabbage White 1
  • Cloudless Sulphur 1
  • Red-banded Hairstreak 2
  • Gray Hairstreak 1
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 4
  • American Snout 1
  • Pearl Crescent 4
  • American Lady 2
  • Common Buckeye 1
  • Monarch 6
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 9
  • Horace's Duskywing 2
  • Rare Skipper 1
  • Zabulon Skipper 14
  • Salt Marsh Skipper 7
  • Aaron's Skipper 16
  • Little Glassywing 2
  • Delaware Skipper 6
  • Broad-winged Skipper 44
  • Dun Skipper 6

Aaron's Skipper

David L. Amadio

Rt47 mile 29.5
Cumberland County, NJ

  • Cloudless Sulphur 2

David L. Amadio

Lizard Tail Swamp Preserve, Sedge habitat
Cape May County, NJ

Obs. made from 12:15 to 12:50. Not a very thorough search as App. Browns were coming out of the bog areas. Found several Dion Skippers still hanging on here, all females.

  • Red-banded Hairstreak 1
  • White M Hairstreak 1
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 1
  • Appalachian Brown 20
  • Dion Skipper 3

Dion Skipper

Appalachian Brown

David L. Amadio

Powerline cut off of Middle Twp bike path, Cape May Courthouse
Cape May County, NJ

Obs. made here till noon. Abundant Sweet Peppergrass. Wasn't going to stop here today, but the Pepperbush drew me in like the butterflies. One of the Tigers was a dark form female.

  • Black Swallowtail 1
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 9
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 13
  • Cloudless Sulphur 1
  • Red-banded Hairstreak 3
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 3
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 6
  • Pearl Crescent 6
  • Common Buckeye 6
  • Common Wood-Nymph 1
  • Monarch 3
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 34
  • Horace's Duskywing 2
  • Wild Indigo Duskywing 2
  • Aaron's Skipper 1
  • Zabulon Skipper 5
  • Swarthy Skipper 1
  • Least Skipper 1
  • Northern Broken-Dash 3
  • Broad-winged Skipper 1
  • Dun Skipper 1

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Jennifer Bulava

Willingboro Lakes Park, Willingboro
Burlington County, NJ

10:20-11:40am

  • Spicebush Swallowtail 5
  • Cabbage White 1
  • Question Mark 2
  • Common Buckeye 1
  • Red-spotted Purple 1
  • Hackberry Emperor 1
  • Monarch 1
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 5
  • Zabulon Skipper 2

Hackberry Emperor

David L. Amadio

CMBO-CRE Gardens
Cape May County, NJ

Obs. from 1-1:25. 81 degrees & cloudy. Gardens very dry, with little nectar. Mountain Mint was the most productive. 6 of the Gray Hairstreaks were on Mtn mint & 3 on Boneset in the pond.

  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1
  • Cloudless Sulphur 1
  • Juniper Hairstreak 3
  • Gray Hairstreak 9
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 2
  • Pearl Crescent 4
  • American Lady 1
  • Common Buckeye 4
  • Monarch 1
  • Zabulon Skipper 6
  • Delaware Skipper 1
  • Broad-winged Skipper 1

David L. Amadio

Backyard butterfly garden, West Deptford
Gloucester County, NJ

Back home again. Obs. made after 3:30. Likely under counting Zabs. They are zipping around everywhere.

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 3
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 2
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 1
  • American Snout 1
  • American Lady 1
  • Monarch 2
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 2
  • Zabulon Skipper 8
  • Broad-winged Skipper 3
  • Dun Skipper 1

Chris Herz

Palmyra Cove
Burlington County, NJ

Garden strip only, 10-11 am. Amazing numbers of zabulons with seemingly equal numbers of males & females

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Variegated Fritillary 1
  • Red Admiral 12
  • Common Buckeye 1
  • Monarch 5
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 30
  • Wild Indigo Duskywing 1
  • Zabulon Skipper 72
  • Swarthy Skipper 4
  • Least Skipper 20
  • Crossline Skipper 1
  • Broad-winged Skipper 17

Chris Herz

Audubon garden
Camden County, NJ

While working in the garden. 2 spicebush cats, 5 black ST chrysalises, and 5 monarch chrysalises.

  • Black Swallowtail 0
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 0
  • Cabbage White 5
  • Gray Hairstreak 3
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 3
  • American Snout 1
  • Painted Lady 1
  • Red Admiral 1
  • Red-spotted Purple 1
  • Monarch 2
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 1
  • Zabulon Skipper 1
  • Sachem 1

Spicebush Swallowtail cat

Beth Polvino

my yard NABA #1151 & Monarch Waystation #8318
Cape May County, NJ

New yard species #53 Delaware Skipper. Fiery Skippers here in better numbers and also Painted Ladies. Also had 4 Cloudless Sulphurs chasing each other around in the AM with 2 laying eggs later on.

  • Black Swallowtail 5
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 6
  • Cloudless Sulphur 4
  • Gray Hairstreak 1
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 2
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 3
  • American Snout 1
  • Variegated Fritillary 1
  • Question Mark 1
  • American Lady 4
  • Painted Lady 7
  • Red Admiral 2
  • Common Buckeye 9
  • Monarch 8
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 2
  • Common Sootywing 1
  • Zabulon Skipper 1
  • Fiery Skipper 5
  • Northern Broken-Dash 1
  • Sachem 5
  • Delaware Skipper 1
  • Broad-winged Skipper 2

Painted Lady

Delaware Skipper

Eric T

my backyard in Salem, NJ
Salem County, NJ

Still unable to travel much with ailing vehicle, so stuck around the backyard. The question mark landed in some sand just adjacent to my sugar maple tree and the red admiral was imaged as it was on the tree bark. Buckeye's are a plenty! The variegated fritillary has been hanging around, mainly sunning.

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 3
  • Cabbage White 2
  • Variegated Fritillary 1
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 1
  • Question Mark 1
  • Painted Lady 1
  • Red Admiral 1
  • Common Buckeye 6
  • Red-spotted Purple 2
  • Monarch 1

Question Mark

Variegated Fritillary

Jennifer Bulava

Long Bridge Park, Hainesport
Burlington County, NJ

1:00-2:30pm during public dragonfly program.

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 3
  • Cabbage White 2
  • Red-banded Hairstreak 1
  • Pearl Crescent 1
  • American Lady 2
  • Red Admiral 1
  • Common Buckeye 3
  • Red-spotted Purple 1
  • Monarch 2
  • Zabulon Skipper 1
  • Least Skipper 1

Common Buckeye

David L. Amadio

Backyard butterfly garden, West Deptford
Gloucester County, NJ

Only a couple of hours in the garden today.

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 6
  • American Lady 1
  • Hackberry Emperor 1
  • Monarch 1
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 4
  • Horace's Duskywing 1
  • Zabulon Skipper 6
  • Broad-winged Skipper 2
  • Dun Skipper 3

Tom Bailey

Tabernacle Township yard
Burlington County, NJ

Incidental sightings mid-afternoon while doing yard work.

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 4
  • Red-banded Hairstreak 1
  • Common Buckeye 1

Matt Webster

My House, Cedarbrook
Camden County, NJ

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 3
  • Pearl Crescent 1
  • American Lady 1
  • Common Buckeye 1
  • Red-spotted Purple 1
  • Monarch 3
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 4
  • Zabulon Skipper 1
  • Peck's Skipper 1

Tom Bailey

Palmyra Cove Nature Park & adjoining private property
Burlington County, NJ

6:40 to 12:15 pm. Mainly birding. Gardens continue to host many b'flys. C. White, Red Admiral, SS Skipper, & Zabulon Skipper numbers are close estimates. Photo is the trunk of a Black Willow which has been leaking large amounts of sap & attracting insects. How many b'flys can you count?

[Tom, thanks for the delightful photo. - jm]

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 6
  • Cabbage White 75
  • Orange Sulphur 10
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 3
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 4
  • Pearl Crescent 2
  • Question Mark 5
  • Eastern Comma 11
  • American Lady 1
  • Red Admiral 40
  • Common Buckeye 21
  • Red-spotted Purple 3
  • Viceroy 2
  • Monarch 7
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 50
  • Wild Indigo Duskywing 18
  • Zabulon Skipper 160
  • Swarthy Skipper 5
  • Least Skipper 12
  • Delaware Skipper 2
  • Broad-winged Skipper 12
  • Dun Skipper 12

lots of butterflies!

Jennifer Bulava

Historic Smithville Park, Eastampton
Burlington County, NJ

Children's butterfly program at Smith's Woods butterfly garden, 10-11:30am.
At least 10 black swallowtail caterpillars, & another one that attached itself to the garden bed to transform into a chrysalis. 4 monarch cats and 1 parasitized.

  • Black Swallowtail 0
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 4
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 5
  • Red-spotted Purple 1
  • Monarch 4
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 6
  • Least Skipper 1

Claire Campbell

Duchess Avenue Backyard, Marlton
Burlington County, NJ

  • Black Swallowtail 1
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 2
  • Cabbage White 1
  • Gray Hairstreak 1
  • Pearl Crescent 2
  • Common Buckeye 2
  • Monarch 2
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 1
  • Zabulon Skipper 2
  • Peck's Skipper 1

Steven Glynn and Harvey Tomlinson

Dix WMA- Sleepy Orange Colony
Cumberland County, NJ

We lead a tour of the Dix WMA Sleepy Orange colony today and welcomed participants from our butterfly blog and from Citizens United to Protect The Maurice River organization. An amazing day was enjoyed by everyone. Special thanks to Harvey, as well as Armas and Risa Hill, Wendy Walker, Cheryl Howell, Diane Irgang, Dan Morley and Susan Houde. The Sleepy Orange colony was very active and a second colony, replete with senna was also found adjacent to the main Dix WMA area, along Schoolhouse Road. The numbers of Cloudless Sulphurs, another species breeding and expanding with the strong senna and partridge pea growth present, were exceptional as well. Our count also includes numbers and species seen at the Green Swamp Preserve parking area and patches of nectar along Seabreeze Road leading into the main access to Dix WMA.

[Thanks to Steve and all those who participated in this trip. It is exciting to know that the Sleepy Orange colony is not only thriving but expanding. It appears this species is here to stay in NJ (also see the Sleepy Orange colony citing from 7/27 on the NABA North Jersey Butterfly Club). The same appears to be true for Cloudless Sulphurs. - jm]

  • Black Swallowtail 2
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 2
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 17
  • Cabbage White 18
  • Cloudless Sulphur 298
  • Sleepy Orange 152
  • Red-banded Hairstreak 1
  • Gray Hairstreak 10
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 4
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 5
  • Variegated Fritillary 2
  • Pearl Crescent 47
  • Question Mark 5
  • Eastern Comma 2
  • American Lady 1
  • Red Admiral 2
  • Common Buckeye 31
  • Red-spotted Purple 6
  • Hackberry Emperor 2
  • Common Wood-Nymph 1
  • Monarch 16
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 5
  • Horace's Duskywing 2
  • Aaron's Skipper 9
  • Zabulon Skipper 43
  • Salt Marsh Skipper 1
  • Swarthy Skipper 7
  • Least Skipper 22
  • Tawny-edged Skipper 1
  • Crossline Skipper 1
  • Northern Broken-Dash 4
  • Little Glassywing 1
  • Delaware Skipper 2
  • Broad-winged Skipper 36
  • Dun Skipper 11

Aaron's Skipper

Hackberry Emperor

Spicebush Swallowtail

Sleepy Oranges

Sleepy Orange

Robert C. Koch

Lumberton Leas on Creek Rd. Lumberton, NJ
Burlington County, NJ

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1
  • Sulphur sp. 5
  • Azure, sp. 1
  • Variegated Fritillary 7
  • Common Buckeye 9
  • Viceroy 1
  • Monarch 6
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 3
  • Sachem 2

Spicebush Swallowtail

Viceroy

Variegated Fritillary

David L. Amadio

Red Bank Battlefield, National Park
Gloucester County, NJ

A brief stop here from 4:25 till 4:45. Always enjoy watching the emperors swirling around the trunk of the old & large Hackberry tree here.

  • Black Swallowtail 2
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 8
  • Gray Hairstreak 1
  • Question Mark 1
  • American Lady 1
  • Common Buckeye 22
  • Hackberry Emperor 3
  • Monarch 1
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 9
  • Wild Indigo Duskywing 2
  • Zabulon Skipper 3
  • Broad-winged Skipper 1

David L. Amadio

Wheelabrator Refuge, Westville
Gloucester County, NJ

Obs. from 2:30 till 4:15. Garden & fields quite dry having missed any recent T-storms. Most Swarthy Skippers that I have seen in several years.

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 3
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 6
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 2
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 1
  • American Snout 2
  • Pearl Crescent 2
  • Eastern Comma 1
  • American Lady 1
  • Red Admiral 2
  • Common Buckeye 24
  • Red-spotted Purple 8
  • Viceroy 5
  • Hackberry Emperor 1
  • Monarch 12
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 2
  • Horace's Duskywing 1
  • Wild Indigo Duskywing 1
  • Zabulon Skipper 6
  • Swarthy Skipper 8
  • Least Skipper 2
  • Peck's Skipper 1
  • Tawny-edged Skipper 1
  • Crossline Skipper 2
  • Broad-winged Skipper 1

Viceroy

Swarthy Skipper

Tom Bailey

Palmyra Cove Nature Park
Burlington County, NJ

Incidental sightings while birding in the park during the morning.

  • Black Swallowtail 1
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 10
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 2
  • Cloudless Sulphur 2
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 4
  • Question Mark 6
  • Red-spotted Purple 11
  • Viceroy 2
  • Monarch 4
  • Dun Skipper 1

Matt Webster

My House, Cedarbrook
Camden County, NJ

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 3
  • Variegated Fritillary 2
  • American Lady 2
  • Common Buckeye 1
  • Red-spotted Purple 1
  • Monarch 3
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 5
  • Zabulon Skipper 2
  • Peck's Skipper 1
  • Sachem 1
  • Dun Skipper 1

David L. Amadio

Backyard butterfly garden, West Deptford
Gloucester County, NJ

A very active afternoon here in my garden. Spotted a Tawny Emperor high up in the shade of a Sassafras tree. Later completed an emperor sweep when one came to rotting fruit.

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 3
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 2
  • Cabbage White 7
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 2
  • American Snout 2
  • Pearl Crescent 1
  • Red Admiral 1
  • Common Buckeye 1
  • Red-spotted Purple 2
  • Hackberry Emperor 1
  • Tawny Emperor 1
  • Monarch 2
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 4
  • Wild Indigo Duskywing 1
  • Zabulon Skipper 5
  • Broad-winged Skipper 2
  • Dun Skipper 1

Tawny Emperor

Hackberry Emperor

Claire Campbell

Duchess Avenue Backyard, Marlton
Burlington County, NJ

First black swallowtail and monarch cats of 2019!

  • Black Swallowtail 0
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 2
  • Orange Sulphur 1
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 1
  • Variegated Fritillary 1
  • Common Buckeye 1
  • Monarch 1
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 1
  • Horace's Duskywing 1
  • Zabulon Skipper 1

Jennifer Bulava

Rancocas Creek Canoe Trail, Pemberton
Burlington County, NJ

During guided kayak trip; 3.5 miles from Burlington County College to Hanover St.
Most of the butterflies were on sweet pepperbush flowers.

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 8
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 5
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 1
  • Pearl Crescent 1
  • American Lady 1
  • Common Buckeye 2
  • Red-spotted Purple 2
  • Monarch 4
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 6
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