October 2023 Sightings

Full sun, 70 degrees, E around 7mph. Had the Monarch festival at NJ Audubon’s Nature Center of Cape May today, so I wasn’t able to be out during the switch of the weather. However, I was out from 4:30-5:15pm and noticed a behavior I have never seen before. As monarch and Buckeye activity started to build in the dunes, several American Ladies were displaying loads of agonistic behavior chasing several Monarchs around - but the biggest surprise was that in the same way that hairstreaks will tree top at dusk and defend the highest points for roosting, the ladies were also gathered over the Japanese black pines and defending the tree tops. As many as six, or more were tree topping on a particular pine at about 25 ft high. There were others that defended separate pines down the dunes (mostly to the east).

[Interesting! Thanks for recording these details. jc]

Managed only one poor shot of our yard's FOY ocola. 17 black swallowtail cats munching away.

Obs. 11.30 - 1.30. Temps in the mid 70s, with a little breeze. It’s getting better. The Sleepy (flying) Oranges are stealing the show. I counted over 50 SO’s. Fields are mostly white (White Panicle-, Hairy-, Calico- and White Heath Asters). There is still some Partridge Pea there, one of the host plant of the SO’s.

[This little-known, disjunct part of Salem WMA is definitely becoming a hot spot, especially for sleepy oranges. jc]

Obs. made from 2:25 to 2:55, sunny and 80.

First sun after 4 rain days. Temps mid 70's. Butterflies were very active.

Obs. made from 4:05 to 4:50, sunny and 80. A nice showing of Red Admirals. No surprise with the abundance of stinging nettles. All sightings on White Snakeroot.

Obs. made from 3:10 to 3:55, sunny and 80. Odd to not find a single skipper here.

[Are commas staging a fall bust out? Five reports in the last three days. jc]

Incidental sightings while gardening. I saw a Question Mark or Comma twice a hour apart but did not have my camera on me. It was really on the move and even landed on me for a second but I did not have a chance to identify it. The Red-spotted Purple was laying eggs on a Black Cherry sapling and a larger Black Cherry beside it. Upon inspection I was able to see an egg at the end of one of the leaves where it landed. The Spicebush Swallowtail cat is about the 5th or 6th I have found this year and is on a different Sassafras tree than the other 2 I have photographed this year. Photo was taken about 9:15 at night but it was not out feeding yet. Another one I checked on was also not out feeding yet.

[That spicebush cat shot is a beauty! Can you find a photo contest to enter? jc]

Released the last Monarch, a female. Probably only 1/3 of the number of Monarchs we typically get. Not much activity lately but found this Spicebush cat who on those wet, cold days stayed out in the open for long periods. Now it has moved back in a leaf shelter.

Sunny, around mid 70s, winds ENE below 10mph. Biggest day I have ever seen for Ocola Skippers in the past three years studying lep migration in CM. It was truly fantastic and in many ways, random. I counted about 30 across three gardens and took into account the passing movement of individuals. So I don’t know for sure what the final volume was, but it broke triple digits easily. Observations were made between 9am-1pm.

[Sensational! An off-the-charts day! jc]

High counts of each species from 10/-10/2. Although ok in terms of number of species, the number of individuals is puny. A surprise from the past two days is not seeing a LT sk considering recent reports from CMSTPK. On 9/27, I saw a sootywing flying here, and yesterday a cat was climbing on the house looking for a place to make a nest. According to Cech and Tudor, sootywings overwinter as mature larva in "strongly bound silk nest(s)." I know that at least 5 sootywings eclosed here in the last week of September. In the first 7 years of our log, the lastest LOY date for sootywing was 9/17. In the last 9 years, that date has been passed 6 times, with 10/9/17 marking the new LOY. Are sootywings more likely to eclose in the fall rather than overwinter as cats due to climate change (warming)? Might this be a factor as to why their numbers are decreasing in SJ?

[Thanks for laying this out for us, Jack. Intriguing questions. jc]

Warm and sunny, not much diversity lately, but finally the Ocola showed up.

Obs. made from 10:30 to 4:15, at various locations including Triangle Park, Pavilion Circle, Lily Lake, CMP SP, The Rea farm, Harvard & Ocean Ave. Sunny all day with temps from 70-77. The State Park was the least productive today.

Sunny, 74 degrees. Most butterfly activity was on Goldenrod and Asters.

Obs. made from 4:30 to 5 p.m. Checked out Lantana plantings from Congress St. to Decatur St. The Long Tail, missing one tail was enjoying the large, raised bed of Lantana at "Uncle Bill's Pancake House".

Sunny, winds SSE. Found roosting in goldenrod/old field aster.

The ragged looking Orange Sulphur is the same one I saw yesterday and it appears to be on the same Boneset plant. The Eastern Comma might be the same one from yesterday (not too far from yesterday's sighting).

Sunny, late day sighting around sunset. Winds really flat probably SSE at the time.

The Mourning Cloaks must have newly emerged, given how bright and unworn they were.

The Sleepy Orange is still hanging around and we catch daily glimpses of the Anglewing but it is always on the move so still unable to identify it.

Out from 11:30 to 12:45. Mix of sun and clouds with temp in high 70's. The ragged looking Orange Sulphur seen three days in a row. I only got a quick glance at the Lady.

at 1 pm, 80 degrees, sunny, while walking from one building to another.

The ragged looking Orange Sulphur appeared for the fourth day in a row. Cloudy day with temp in the high 70's. Winds calm.

Took a walk over at lunch just to check out the pollinator garden–10 min look. Asters the main nectar but still some coneflowers and blue mistflower. Partly cloudy but warm–mid-70s.