February 2023 Sightings

Hoping for a butterfly this sunny 50 degree day, but not actually expecting one, suddenly it appeared flying fast about 1:45 pm. Another sighting a ways down the trail was more cooperative, and had us wondering if there were one or two. One has a missing part of the hindwing, but it's hard to tell from the photos for sure.

[An excellent find! jc]

[Our third report and third species for 2023. Nice! jc]

Clear, mid-40s, NW breeze. Mourning Cloak basking on ground in spot out of wind.

[Congratulations on the February find! jc]

My FOY butterfly was a mourning cloak that was actively flying back and forth across the trailhead at 1:45 pm.

[JB and CS give us our third and fourth mo cloaks for 2023. Spring is edging toward the horizon. jc]

As I drove the road, it flushed off the road at 1:00 pm. It was 55 degrees F.

Flushed from a sunny area protected from the wind

Partly sunny, low 60’s
Snout was a flyby and Mourning Cloaks were flying around/sunning in our wooded area.

59 deg. F; high cirrostratus, mostly clear, light SW breeze. Fluttered by and landed ~15 ft. up in honey locust to bask.

Very warm day. Partly cloudy, 62 degrees. Found first about 10:15 am, hanging about the woodpile, it hovered around the nearby sticks and leaves, almost disappearing into the brush. I finally got a pic about 11:30. I have no idea if it is the same butterfly I put into the woodpile in January as I don't want to disturb the area until it warms up more.

[This is only our 2nd Feb record logged for ATL – and the other came just last year from this same yard, when JA found one there on 2/23/22. Good work, Jeanine. jc]

Seen when walking the RR tracks in bear swamp. The Azure got away from me without landing. I think Blueberry Azure but not sure.

[Interesting! Our log's observers have proven azures – especially blueberry azures – can emerge in some warm winters in Feb and even January, something unexpected 15 years ago. Thanks for the alert, Brian. jc]

Highly cropped cell phone pic

a non-stop fly-by.

Clear, low 50s, light SW. 1 mile through woods. 2 additional butterflies fluttered by too quickly to be ID'd. Mourning Cloaks flying up together.

[This is our first report of eastern comma in 2023. Congratulations, Scott!

[It is also our third Am snout report this month. Apparently, the warm winter allowed successful over-wintering of at least some individuals of this "half-hardy" species. Who will be the first to photo one in 2023? jc]

Two different Mourning Cloaks (hope they find each other) around Noon, when it was 51 degrees. Each of them were on the asphalt road in sunlit sections out of the wind. We also had a blooming Red Maple tree.

Sunny, around 65 degrees. Walked the whole length of the road from Sunset. Started sometime around 1 pm once the cloud cover gave way. The patient reward was February azures. The Dowdells contribute their own sighting of comma here.

[Good work – you guys "swept" all five of our Feb butterflies and logged the first five-species day in 2023. jc]

Sunny, 65 degrees, around 2:30pm. Mourning Cloak flew through front porch and headed across front yard toward wooded area across the street.

Full sun, 46 degrees. Winds ESE at 9mph. 12:45pm. This one was sitting on the brick patio avoiding the winds and soaking in the strong sun today.