February 2020 Sightings

also 1 5ft long.Black Rat Snake basking 6 feet up in a bush!

[Note: This report arrived on 2/18 which makes 2/3 our first February report of mourning cloak. Nicely done, James. - jm]

It sure felt like Spring today!

Fun Day with Good Company. A 4 species day, and 2 Northern Water Snakes. We may also have had a Sphinx Moth of some type. We believe the resident Western Kingbird had the Clouded Sulphur for lunch! Could this sulphur be our first emergent butterfly?

[Yes, I believe it's reasonable to speculate that the sulphur is the first of our reported butterflies in 2020 to be freshly emerged. Our other species so far this New Year are more likely over-wintering adults (as each species is known to over-winter as adults). Sulphurs are not listed as over-wintering species, as far as I know. Good find! jc]

A fly by late in the afternoon.

This Red Admiral was "on the move," it had flown across the Great Egg Harbor River and seemed to be heaving due SW into the wind. We saw it from the dike next to the northernmost impoundment.

What a crazy winter. Sunny and almost 60 here today. Checked the snapdragons and again found 2 Common Buckeye caterpillars that are still alive. They seem to borrow down in the hay. Continuing Black Swallowtail and Spicebush Swallowtails in the yard. Then a flyby Red Admiral while changing out the water for the birds.

[Very interesting find of buckeye cats in action in February! Common buckeye's overwintering status in our area seems uncertain or possibly changing. Gochfeld and Burger note that in 1997 the species' permanent range's northern border was believed to be North Carolina. They were not believed to overwinter in any form in NJ. Our residents were migrants from the south or the offspring of migrants – and only survived by heading south in fall. Cech and Tudor (2005) report virtually the same thing, "Resident across southern U.S., pushes north each spring."

We have had on the log a handful of sightings of adults possibly over-wintering: Jan 2, 2016; Dec 31, 2015; Jan 29, 2012; and possibly other dates I haven't tracked down. We have no previous reports of caterpillars of the species over-wintering here, however. Both adults and cats apparently over-wintering here (at least occasionally) is either a sign of more observers out looking than in the pre-log years or a sign of climate change having an effect on the species – or both.

Exciting find! jc]

[Update: Will Kerling has reminded me of an intriguing find he and Mike Crewe made on February 18, 2012 at Cape Island Creek Preserve (CMY), "Common Buckeye: fresh out of chrysalis with its wings drying! A really small butterfly with very dark topside and bottomside." This is further evidence that the usual understanding that buckeyes cannot survive NJ's winters may soon be changing. jc]

Only about 45-46 degrees, but sunny. Both Red Admirals were flying, with one landing on a sunny trunk.

Mourning cloaks seen at 11:40am, sunning themselves on patches of sand near the parking area.

[Nice. Our third report of mourning cloaks for the year, first for February, first of the year of two individuals at one site, and the northernmost report of a butterfly in NJ so far this year. jc]

Mourning Cloak floated through the yard. Anglewing landed briefly but not long enough to ID.

2 Am. Snout actively fighting(or courting?) Also 3 large Black Rat Snake basking.

Amazing snake activity today. 8 Ribbon snake, 2 Garter Snake,and 1 N. Watersnake seen between 9:30-11:30!

[A strange day to see 5x's more snakes than butterflies at the Point. -jm]

What a great "winter" for this species! I've had four days this month with butterflies: Feb. 3, 4, 12, and 18.

My friend sent me this photo of a snout she saw at Long Bridge Park today, so I am submitting this entry on her behalf. [Thanks to both of you for this. -jm]

at about 1:17pm; bright sun in the 50s

Midday walk in Bellplain with friends. Interesting that we saw both Butterflies in the first 5 minutes. Walked for another 2 1/2 hours without seeing another.

Restricted area, not open to public access.
Seen at 12:50pm.

At work today.