Red Admiral, again

Hi, It seems we are having another influx of Red Admirals from the south. I have been seeing them flying from a southern to north easterly direction for a few days now. Only a tenth of the large influx we had over a month ago. We now have some nectar plants open, but only Butterfly Bushes, and mostly Common Milkweed with scattered others in between. Some areas have a lot of Crown vetch and Black Eyed Susan's in full bloom, mostly along roadways. To see the Admiral up close like this really shows off its handsome coloration. Here is both wings up and top side view too. Have a Great Day, Denis

Question Mark butterfly

Hi, For some reason I cannot find any post of a Question Mark, so I will do so now. This is a picture from this year looking down on the top of the wings, and another one showing the "?" on the rear underwing. Denis

Eastern Comma butterfly

Yesterday, near the Octoraro Creek I found my first Eastern Comma this year. It was a hot day and the butterfly was seen at mid-day. The day started off quite hot and rose to the mid nineties in late afternoon with high humidity. The Octoraro separates Lancaster County to the west and Chester County to the east. The Octoraro is a little over twenty miles in length and drains just over 200 Sq.Mi. The Eastern comma takes its' name from the silvered 'Comma' on the rear underwing. Here is a picture of today's Comma and one from the past. It seems that I forgot to post the similar looking Question Mark and will do so on the next post. Have a great day, Denis

American Snout butterfly

Hi again, Here is an unusual butterfly with it's elongated mouth parts. I saw this one near the Tawny Emperor and along the Conestoga River, in Lancaster County, PA. Here is a picture of this unusually looking butterfly. Denis

Tawny Emperor butterfly

Hi, Earlier this week while looking for butterflies along the Conestoga River near the confluence with the Susquehanna River, I found several Tawny Emperor butterflies. These were seen across from the stand of Hackberry Trees that is their host. I expected to see a Hackberry butterfly more than this guy. Here are both shots, one with wings up and the other a topside view. Best to you, Denis

Painted Lady butterfly

Hi, and it is another hot one here at near one hundred degrees under partly cloudy skies. Even with all of the heat there are not many nectar sources available yet. Slowly there are more butterflies showing up, but nowhere near the mid summer numbers. Today While on a short mid-day walk I found this Painted Lady in mostly a shaded area. The Painted Lady butterfly has smaller and more hind underwing spots than the American Lady butterfly, that it is usually confused with as a rule. American Lady has two large spots that are easier to see as opposed to the Painted Lady that usually has 4 easy to see spots. Top view has differences as well. Here is a poor shot of the Painted Lady. Have a cool day if you can, Denis

Little Glassywing

Welcome again! Today I have a  more or less bland butterfly that is quite common and mostly overlooked by the average citizen. Only 'butterflyers' would notice this plain species for the most part. However there is another butterfly that is even less of an eye catcher, the Dun Skipper. Anyway this individual was nectaring on the few blooms  of Common Milkweed that were actually opened in a patch that is just about to bloom and not on the well opened patch nearby. Here is a Little Glassywing from today on Common Milkweed  and one from past years on Butterfly Bush blooms. Denis

Great Spangled Fritillary

Hi again, Today in our row of Butterfly bushes, where I have plantings of Common Milkweed, there were several Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies nectaring. I have been only seeing singles moving through, never stopping until yesterday. Great Spangled Fritillary is our second most abundant butterfly, only being outnumbered by Silver Spotted Skippers. I think the Great Spangled Fritillary is the most conspicuous summer butterfly. Have a great day! Denis

Summer Azure

Hi, Here is an Azure, one of many of this complex that is not fully understood, even today. There are quite a few that are distinguishable from each other within the complex and it is being unraveled now. The one here is summer form and showed more chalky coloration to the top of the wing, when seen in flight. Enjoy, Denis

Aaron's Skipper

Hi, Although not in SE PA I have a new butterfly to show you. My son and I went to Bombay Hook NWR just north east of Dover, Delaware. Yes where they have the car races, like tomorrow. Bombay sits on the Delaware river/bay and has a series of dikes to keep water at the level the management desires. Water levels vary at different times of year in the impoundments for particular needs throughout the year. Seasonal changes and migration are the biggest factors for the changes and work quite well. Anyway on our last impoundment, the road edge, had a large area of blooming Common Milkweed and the only butterfly seen here were two dozen plus Aaron's Skippers. With very windy and sunny conditions there were few other butterflies seen, so these were a special treat. Here is a picture of them. Have a good day, Denis

Clouded Skipper

Hello everyone, Today I took a walk in our county park, Nottingham County Park, that is across the road from where I live. The entrance is four miles, in a semi-circle, away. The area in the park is mostly Serpentine Barrens, mostly thin surface  poor soil with scrub oak and pines. Some other areas have deciduous trees with better soils. For the most part it is a valley setting and has blue stem grass in some areas that is good for some species of butterfly like the Clouded, seen today. Here is a, not so good, pix of a Clouded Skipper. Have a great day, Denis

  PS link to Serpentine Barrens here
http://statelineserpentinebarrens.org/home/about_the_state_line_serpentine_barrens