March 2022 Sightings

This is a converted landfill into a Park, grasslands and wetlands.

[Our first cabbage white of the year and the first butterfly report from CAM in 2022. Thank you, Chip! jc]

Sunny at 51 degrees; WNW winds at 7mph.

[All three of our classic over-winterers in one spot. Nice! jc]

I enjoyed watching the Mourning Cloaks floating through the woods on this balmy afternoon. The Commas were chasing each other all over the place!

My first butterflies of the year seen between 1:30-2:00pm! Anglewings were flying a good 10-12 feet over my head, one in the middle of the woods, the other out on the edge of the field. 75 degrees but extreme winds.

Mourning Cloak phone camera photo – best I could do!

Finally, my FOY butterflies. The M. Cloak brushed right past me in flight. Tha anglewing, most likely E. Comma, flew over my head.

Took a nice long walk on the sand roads today. MC are have a good year. I've already seen many more this year than I saw all of last year.

[Yes, we've already had ~15 reports. Let's hope the good year continues for mo cloaks. They have been down for three of our last four years – 2021, 2019, and 2018. And in 2020 they just reached our log's 10-year average for 2009-2018. jc.]

1 cabbage white flying despite 45 degrees and 20 mph winds! Seen just off the Amico Island parking lot on the new greenway trail around noon.

[Our log's second cabbage white in 2022 and first in BUR. jc]

Obs. made from 1:45 to 3, Sunny 56-59 deg. & winds S9-12. A very comfortable afternoon. Mourning Cloak got by me in a hurry. Commas chasing each other through the woods.

Low 50's and froggy (Jersey chorus, peepers and wood frogs). I spent the day in New Castle DE and therefore did not have camera or binoculars. On the drive home at 3:45 I decided to walk the road as it was still lovely out. My phone is not the ticket for taking photos and I only got 1 chance.

[Nice! Our first azure of 2022 and our first lycaenid of any kind. Good find! jc]

[Our first photo of cabbage white in 2022. jc]

Incidental sighting while in the backyard.

First of the year butterfly

Our first anglewings of the spring!

Mourning Cloak flew west along beachfront around 12:45. Sunny, 56ºF, winds S/SW 10mph.

3:45-5:00 pm. Sunny, high 60's, little wind. Mo cloaks singletons spaced out over about half a mile. Four anglewings in two sets of two chasing each other; two that landed in sight were commas and perhaps all four were. Both azures were "marginata."

Some new species for the year and Blueberry Azure is a lifer! Nice to meet Jack Miller out in the field today!

A Mourning Cloak in the yard today landed on an Oregon Grape Holly bush which has just started blooming. It stayed for about 5 minutes and I was able to confirm it was nectaring.

55 degrees and rising temps, with mostly clear skies made for a nice day. Snouts and the Azure were flying up to red maple flowers.

Many of us have noticed and reported how early Spring bflys can be skitterish and are likely to fly high into trees. Two dogfighting Henry's flew across the road and soared to the treetops. The only bfly I saw that was not flying was a MC; when it took off it was "attacked" by another MC and the two of them as they rose into the canopy startled a snout which took flight. The anglewing was a flyby as was the other snout. Not exactly a day for photos.

[Our log's first elfin for 2022. Nice! jc]

Runt of a sulphur seen close several times as a fly-by. No orange in wings.

[Our log's first sulphur for 2022. Congrats on the find! jc]

Another ideal spring day in the mid-60s brought out the Azures during a short butterfly walk near home.

Our first yard butterfly of 2022.

Out for a walk and a mourning cloak flew by.

Around 11am, historic side of park