Sachem, a skipper

Hi everyone, Here is a late summer skipper called 'Sachem'. The Sachem is abundant  in May and then in  July and August leading well into September, unless we have a hurricane. Sachems use a wide array of plants for nectar, hence their abundance. The host plant for the caterpillar is grass, therefore easy to find and an endless supply of caterpillar food. The Sachem can be quite variable in coloration and males and females look quite different. Here are some pix of each, males and females. Denis

 Female

Female

Female

Male Sachem

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, dark form/morph

Hi again, it is mid-summer and still long hot and humid day, making plants grow well. We have a lot of nectar sources, mostly Butterfly Bushes and many other assorted perennials and annuals for the butterflies. We get different species as the spring turns to summer and fall. Now we are seeing the dark form or morph of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. At first glance experienced folk know something is very different and can ID this quickly. Novices think it is a Spicebush or Black Swallowtail for the most part. Last year I had quite a few varying from very dark to almost a translucent yellow. Here is a normal or yellow version and then three dark form for you to view. Thanks a lot for looking and have a great day, Denis

   

Meadow Fritillary has not been seen here

Hi, and welcome on this cloudy rainy August day. Not complaining about rain as we had been in our second 'very dry spell' so to speak. Our ground is now moist enough that everything is re-growing, whereas it had stopped twice in our mini-droughts of this summer. Our butterfly numbers are substantially lower, by far, than in many previous years. This butterfly, a Meadow Fritillary, is usually a regular in early summer but this year they have eluded me so far. However other folks I know have had better luck than I have this season. Here is a pix of a Meadow Fritillary. Best to you, Denis

Appalachian Brown butterfly

Hello again, Here is a butterfly that I forgot to post some time ago. It is an Appalachian Brown butterfly. The Appalachian Brown is usually found in wet locations especially wooded. I have an old overgrown pasture that is laden with springs, mostly in late winter and spring. This is ideal for the Appalachian to live in well. We do not have a lot of them but these are regular breeders here. Below are two pic, one top view and the other with wings in folded up position. Best to you, Denis

Cloudless Sulphur, a unique beauty.

Hi, Today while baling hay I had a Cloudless Sulphur pass by and momentarily land on a Canna flower like the ones in the photos below. Typically Cloudless Sulphurs do not stay around for long, only later on in the afternoon/evening. Perhaps they need to refuel at that time. Today's beauty was in a rush and made a few passes at the Canna flowers but did not stop. It sure did make my day seeing one here, more inland. Usually I find them after Labor Day and more along the coast, especially the ocean as opposed to the Delaware Bay and rivers. Below are two pics of Cloudless Sulphurs nectaring on Canna Flowers. I do not use the larger flowered 'Presidential' type cannas but the smaller flowered varieties for hummingbird and butterflies. Have a great day, Denis

Buckeye, Common

Hi All, There is usually an abundance of Common Buckeye butterflies in our area in mid to late summer. They are quite stunning in their elegant patterns on top wing surfaces especially and easily seen. In the early emergence they seem to be more skittish and a bit difficult to photograph. The Buckeye host plant here is common plantain so there are enough plants for the cats to dine on everywhere. Butterfly Bush doubles as a host plant, with us having over a dozen and a half on our farm. Late season has us with the most Buckeyes even to almost Thanksgiving. Best to You, Denis

Checkered Whites

Hi, Today I went east to New Jersey to see some Checkered White Butterflies. Very similar to the more common, for us anyway, Cabbage Whites. Where I went was just across the Delaware Memorial Bridge a few miles on Route 40 to just past NJ 48. It is here that some other folks have been seeing the Checkered White Butterfly. Seems they are Locally Common when you can find them. The edges of the road and some weedy fields held Peppergrass, their host plant, and this is where they were. These are new to me so I just had to go and see these. Have a great day, Denis.

                                         The tiny white flowers are the Peppergrass.        

Cabbage Whites our most abundant butterfly.

Hello, posting of Cabbage Whites may seem a little unusual but they are one of our earliest and latest butterflies along with being the most abundant. Most folks never get to see the up close actual colors in the Cabbage Whites and the differences between males and females. Here are a few pictures from different times to show some of the differences in each up close. Best to you, Denis

                                 Cabbage Whites puddling on moist mushroom  soil.

A pair of Cabbage Whites with wings open on Soybean leaf

A mated pair of Cabbage Whites on Pepperweed

A Cabbage White nectaring on Peppermint blossoms

American Copper butterfly

Hi, here is a small but very colorful butterfly usually seen by me on small flowers. The first is on White or Ladino Clover and the other is on Penngift Crown Vetch,  These small butterflies are sometimes difficult to even see, let alone ID properly.  Here are some pics of the American Copper for you to view. The first  butterfly pix has a large chunk taken out of it's wings, but able to fly well, Denis

Fiery Skipper seen here today

Hi again, Here in Nottingham, southeastern PA we usually do not see many Fiery Skippers. Last year I saw none here! When seen I usually see several to less than a dozen of these southern migrants. Fiery Skippers are more tropical and are not capable of overwintering  themselves, nor their caterpillars. We do get some migrants late in some summers, but one never knows what year they will appear. I do plant a lot more tropical type flowers than most folks do, so I have a slight advantage over most in my humble opinion. I plant a lot of Cannas and Lantana regularly along with any tropical that is usually sold here as an annual simply because it cannot withstand our winters and perish in the cold. Here is the Fiery Skipper nectaring on Blue Salvias, Denis

Monarch laying eggs on Butterfly Weed

Hi, Today it is hot but not overbearing with a little veil of clouds, on occasion, to cut the sun's rays and heat. On one of my many walks I came across a Monarch landing on my new, foot high, Butterfly Weed plants that I had planted three weeks ago. Butterflies like to lay their eggs on young plants and these fit the bill perfectly. You can see her abdomen curled under the leaf where she is laying the egg. I will attempt to take a picture of the egg itself tomorrow as it is getting late/dull out now. Here is the egg laying in the top photo and another Monarch nectaring on Swamp Milkweed. Have a great day, Denis