Brukner Nature Center, Butterfly Transit, September 7, 2014

I didn't walk on the September seventh walk,  but, thanks to Phil Shafer, I have photos to show you.  The spotters found  64 individuals.  This is the highest count we have had to date.

This must be the season for Eastern Tailed-Blues.  Sixteen were seen.

The Eastern Tailed-Blue above looks like it is another bloom on the aster.

Eastern Tailed-Blue (Everes comyntas) Wingspan: 0.75-1.00 inches (1.9-2.5 cm)

The group found ten Cabbage Whites, both males and females. Cabbage Whites are common in Ohio and are seen from mid-March to late October. By checking the Butterflies of Ohio, a Field Guide by Jaret C. Daniels, I was reminded that the males have one roundish spot on the forewing  and the females have two.

Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) Wingspan: 1.5-2.0 inches (3.8-5.1 cm)

What would have been exciting for me was to have seen the twenty !! Painted Ladies.  Ruth says they saw so many that after awhile the counters were saying, "Oh, just another Painted Lady."  She says other transit sites are also reporting many Painted Ladies this past week.

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) Wingspan: 1.75-2.4 inches (4.4-6.1 cm)

It was nice to finally see a Monarch.  We have been looking for them for weeks.  Monarchs have been scarce in Ohio for several years.  People have come up with several possible reasons.  One is that farming methods have changed so there are fewer Common Milkweed, the favorite food of Monarch larvae.  Some say the drought in Texas is also a factor since that is an important feeding area as the Monarchs head south to Mexico for the winter and again in the spring when they are returning to the northern states.

Monarch (Danaus plexippus)  Wingspan: 3.5-4.0 inches (8.9-10.2 cm)

When Ruth sent out the final count, she grouped all the Sulphurs in one group.  The walkers found a total of six.  Some were Orange Sulphurs (Colias eurytheme), some were Clouded Sulphurs (Colias philodice) and Phil took this photo which, we think, is of a  Southern Dogface (Zerene cesonia).  You can see the shadow of the black pattern on the upper side of the wings through the underside of the wings. Southern Dogface is a butterfly which is rare in Ohio, classified as a stray by Jaret C. Daniels.

Southern Dogface (Zerene cesonia) Wingspan: 1.9-2.5 inches (4.8-6.4 cm).

Sulphur (Colias)

Sulphur (Colias)