May 2022 Sightings

Tom Bailey

Manchester Township
Ocean County, NJ

Rt. 70 powerline cut northeast of Spring Lake Blvd / Rattler Rd. 7:50 to 10:15 am. A brief visit on a partly sunny & hot morning.

All the azures were observed at the scattered puddles along the sand road. They were very flighty and would typically only alight on the ground for a few seconds before taking flight again (photography difficult). Visually they appear to be Holly Azures, Celastrina idella, though I listed them here as azure sp. One of its host plants Inkberry (Ilex glabra) is fairly common in the surrounding forest of Pitch Pine & various oak sp. at this location. Thanks Jack C. for your blog link to the following paper which is very helpful - Wright & Pavulaan, Celastrina idella: A New Butterfly Species From The Atlantic Coastal Plain (1999):

https://blogs.stockton.edu/sjbfs/files/2014/04/pavulaan-wright-1999-taxonomic-rpt-on-c-idella3.pdf

[Thank you, Tom, for the link reminder and for pointing out that idella should be flying right now. This is a good time to search for them, because blueberry azure (C. lucia) are finished and summer azure (C. neglecta) are just beginning. As has been pointed out many times, the azure complex is very complex – and the taxonomy variable, depending on which experts you find most persuasive. Butterflyers who enjoy the chase and the challenge should be most alert for azures ovipositing on hollies – inkberry, Am holly, or winterberry. jc]

  • Spicebush Swallowtail 3
  • Red-banded Hairstreak 2
  • Azure, sp. 10
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 6
  • Question Mark 1
  • American Lady 1
  • Red Admiral 1
  • Monarch 1
  • Duskywing sp. 4
  • Juvenal's Duskywing 5
  • Horace's Duskywing 1

Karen Thompson

Garrett Family Preserve, Cape May
Cape May County, NJ

  • Cabbage White 2
  • Orange Sulphur 4
  • Monarch 2

Karen Thompson

Higbee Beach WMA
Cape May County, NJ

  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 2
  • Question Mark 1

Question Mark

Chip Krilowicz

Cramer Hill Preserve
Camden County, NJ

I believe I have 3 pictures of the same Question Mark. The mark itself is just 3 dots.

[For more on the puzzles of "questionable" anglewings, go to our blog at:
https://blogs.stockton.edu/sjbfs/2017/03/10/questionable-commas/
Chip has some interesting shots there as well.
jc]

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 1
  • Spring Azure 1
  • Question Mark 2
  • Red-spotted Purple 2
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 3
  • Zabulon Skipper 4

Jesse & Jack Connor

Our yard in Port Republic
Atlantic County, NJ

Summer azure apparently ovipositing on ninebark, Physocarpus opulifolius.

  • Cabbage White 1
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 1
  • American Lady 1
  • Red Admiral 1
  • Red-spotted Purple 1
  • Zabulon Skipper 5
  • Peck's Skipper 1
  • Sachem 3

'Summer' Spring Azure

Red-spotted Purple

Cynthia Allen

My yard in CMCH
Cape May County, NJ

Summer form Question Mark around Hops. Summer Azure ovipositing on Silky Dogwood, its preferred host in my yard.

  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 1
  • Question Mark 1
  • Little Wood-Satyr 1
  • Zabulon Skipper 1

Eileen Bennett

Waretown backyard - Monarch Waystation# 10016
Ocean County, NJ

  • Red-banded Hairstreak 1
  • American Lady 3
  • Monarch 2
  • Horace's Duskywing 1

Chip Krilowicz

Cramer Hill Waterfront Park
Camden County, NJ

  • Black Swallowtail 2
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 1
  • Clouded Sulphur 2
  • Orange Sulphur 1
  • Pearl Crescent 1
  • Viceroy 2
  • Zabulon Skipper 3

Viceroy

Black Swallowtail

Pearl Crescent

Harvey Tomlinson

Lizardtail Swamp ROW
Cape May County, NJ

Due to award-winning Spring weather and ageing issues today was my first real Bug Hunt. Almost all of my list are FOYs for me, including Frosted Elfin oviposting. Snowberry Clearwing defying camera focus, and Summer Azures chasing Little Wood Satyrs…..

[An impressively diverse list. Very good to have you back at it, Harvey! jc]

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 3
  • Sulphur sp. 1
  • Frosted Elfin 1
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 4
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 5
  • Variegated Fritillary 1
  • Pearl Crescent 7
  • American Lady 2
  • Red Admiral 1
  • Common Buckeye 7
  • Red-spotted Purple 1
  • Viceroy 2
  • Little Wood-Satyr 11
  • Monarch 1

Frosted Elfin

Little Wood-Satyr

Jack Miller

MacNamara WMA
Cape May County, NJ

61, NE, gloomy. Observations from 3:30 - 5:00. I went for a long walk, but at the end of it I could not resist putting on the boots and heading into Tick City to look for S. cloudywing. No S CW, but I was very happy to see N. CW which is now scarce at Mac. No binoculars or camera, so lots of stalking and a few cooperative bflys. The dun sk was perfect and all 3 of the Zabs were males.

[Our log's FOY dun for 2022. And good to see northern cloudywing flying again at McNamara. jc]

  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 1
  • Anglewing sp. 1
  • Pearl Crescent 8
  • American Lady 1
  • Little Wood-Satyr 26
  • Duskywing sp. 1
  • Northern Cloudywing 2
  • Zabulon Skipper 3
  • Dun Skipper 1

Lucy Hooper

My backyard in Mickleton.
Gloucester County, NJ

  • Cabbage White 1
  • Red-banded Hairstreak 1
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 1

Red-banded Hairstreak

Wijbren Huisman

South Jersey Tech. Park, Glassboro
Gloucester County, NJ

Observation: 1.15-2.30 pm

[Our log's first report of least skipper for 2022. jc]

  • Black Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 1
  • Orange Sulphur 7
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 5
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 1
  • Least Skipper 1
  • Sachem 5

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Eileen Bennett

Waretown backyard - Monarch Waystation# 10016
Ocean County, NJ

  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 1
  • American Lady 1
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 1

Jeanine Apgar

Home yard, Galloway Township
Atlantic County, NJ

Sunny, cool and breezy. First-of -year yard grass skipper! Looking forward to more to come.

[Our first dun photo of 2022. jc]

  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1
  • Red-banded Hairstreak 2
  • Azure, sp. 4
  • Anglewing sp. 1
  • Pearl Crescent 5
  • Monarch 1
  • Dun Skipper 1

Jack Miller

Fries Mills rd powerlines
Gloucester County, NJ

Stopped here on the way back from CH area. Lovely weather, but a dismal showing of bflys. This powerline had been shaved last year and I wonder how that affects dusted sk and both n. and s. cloudywing. In years past, this has been a great spot for all three.

  • Swallowtail sp. 1
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 1
  • American Lady 2
  • Common Buckeye 1
  • Duskywing sp. 1

Jennifer Bulava

Laurel Run Park, Delran
Burlington County, NJ

1:00-2:00pm

  • Black Swallowtail 2
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 3
  • Cabbage White 3
  • Sulphur sp. 2
  • Orange Sulphur 2
  • Pearl Crescent 3
  • Common Buckeye 1
  • Monarch 2

Wijbren Huisman

Betty Park, Pitman
Gloucester County, NJ

Observation: 12.15-13.00

  • Cabbage White 1
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 2
  • Sachem 3

Jeanine Apgar and Greg Prelich

Edwin B Forsythe NWR, Oceanville
Atlantic County, NJ

Zabs were on a gorgeous patch of Lyre-leaved Sage, that was mostly cut just after we left the site.

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Orange Sulphur 2
  • Azure, sp. 1
  • Monarch 5
  • Zabulon Skipper 2

Zabulon Skipper male

Zabulon Skipper female

Jeanine Apgar and Greg Prelich

Port Republic WMA
Atlantic County, NJ

There was a very nice field of assorted host and nectar plants, including a huge corner of thistle, but lots of deer ticks!

[Our first photo'd least skipper of 2022. jc]

  • Cabbage White 5
  • Azure, sp. 2
  • Pearl Crescent 2
  • Mourning Cloak 1
  • American Lady 4
  • Common Buckeye 7
  • Monarch 5
  • Zabulon Skipper 12
  • Least Skipper 1
  • Sachem 2

Least Skipper

Sachem

Common Buckeye

Jackie Parker

712 Foster Ave
Cape May County, NJ

  • Silver-spotted Skipper 1

Jack Miller

my yard Petersburg
Cape May County, NJ

While working in the yard. Besides the 2 least sk's, I only saw 2 bflys (neither of which I could identify) in 6 hrs.

  • Least Skipper 2

Pat Sutton

Sutton GDN in Goshen
Cape May County, NJ

American Lady caterpillars on Field Pussy Toes (in webbed shut leaves). Found 2 Monarch eggs on Common Milkweed.

  • Pearl Crescent 1
  • American Lady 0
  • Monarch 1

Eileen Bennett

Waretown backyard - Monarch Waystation# 10016
Ocean County, NJ

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 1
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 1

Karen Thompson

Home, Lower Township
Cape May County, NJ

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Monarch 1

Harvey Tomlinson and Jack Miller

Lizard Tail Swamp
Cape May County, NJ

A wonderfully unexpected walk at LTS today with Painted Lady, Both Cloudywings, 2 Frosted Elfins. 100+ Little Wood-Satyrs, and a very dark summer morph Question Mark. Cloudywings sure are variable.

[Impressive diversity! Both cloudywings, our first painted lady in more than a month (and only second for the year), and triple digit little wood satyrs. Good work! jc]

  • Black Swallowtail 2
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 2
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 3
  • Cabbage White 1
  • Red-banded Hairstreak 1
  • Frosted Elfin 2
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 9
  • Variegated Fritillary 4
  • Pearl Crescent 5
  • Question Mark 1
  • American Lady 5
  • Painted Lady 1
  • Common Buckeye 12
  • Red-spotted Purple 4
  • Viceroy 11
  • Little Wood-Satyr 100
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 4
  • Southern Cloudywing 7
  • Northern Cloudywing 1
  • Horace's Duskywing 1
  • Zabulon Skipper 5
  • Least Skipper 20
  • Sachem 5
  • Dun Skipper 1

Dun Skipper

Northern Cloudywing

Southern Cloudywing

Painted Lady

David L. Amadio

Backyard butterfly garden, West Deptford
Gloucester County, NJ

  • Cabbage White 1
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 1
  • Zabulon Skipper 1

Eileen Bennett

Waretown backyard - Monarch Waystation# 10016
Ocean County, NJ

  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1

Pat & Clay Sutton, Wendy & Dennis Allen

Cox Hall Creek WMA
Cape May County, NJ

  • Cabbage White 3
  • Orange Sulphur 1
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 3
  • Red Admiral 1
  • Common Buckeye 1
  • Viceroy 3
  • Little Wood-Satyr 20
  • Monarch 1
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 1

David L. Amadio

Fries Mill Rd. powerline
Gloucester County, NJ

After a trip to a nearby nursery, I decided to have a look around. Very little activity, but was pleased to find one Dusted Skipper likely near the end of its flight period here. Also had a Polites sp., either Tawny edge or Crossline, but too brief for a pos. I.D. Obs. made from 11:25 to 12:15, part sun, mid 70's and breezy.

  • Common Buckeye 1
  • Dusted Skipper 1

Dusted Skipper

Tom Bailey

Franklin Parker Preserve
Burlington County, NJ

Baptist Road section. Incidental sightings in the morning while birding.

  • Spicebush Swallowtail 2
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