Brukner Nature Center Butterfly Transit Walks for May 1 and May 12, 2016

May 1

The Brukner Nature Center's front entrance is in the process of being updated.  All the plants we found butterflies on last year have been torn out.  The good news is that more will be put in.  Now, however, the lack of plants mean that we aren't seeing butterflies in an area where we usually find quite a few.

 Our best sections for finding butterflies on May 1st turned out to be on the sections just beyond the meadow on the Hickory Ridge trail.  There we saw seven Red Admirals.

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)  Wingspan 1.75-2.50 inches (4.4-6.4 cm)

We also saw four Eastern Commas in the same area.

Two Eastern Commas ( Polygonia comma)  Wingspan 2.0-2.4 inches (5.1-6.1 cm)

Jim found this American Painted Lady (Vanessa virginiensis).  They are similar to a Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui). Seeing the underside makes the identification easier.

American Painted Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) Wingspan 1.75-2.40 inches (4.4-6.1 cm)

The Henry's Elfins (2) were found flitting around the redbud blossoms just as they were on
April 24.  This photo is from April 24.

Henry' Elfin (Callophrys henrici) Wingspan  0.9-1.2 inches (2.3-3.0 cm)

Other butterflies that we saw were Cabbage Whites (4) and a Pearl Crescent.

May 12
The transit group attempted to monitor the trail on May 7 (Saturday) but it was not a good day for seeing butterflies...spitting rain, wind gusts, temperatures below 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  The group gave up on counting butterflies.  Nancy and Phil went out on Thursday, May 12,  which was a nicer day.  They found butterflies but they were elusive so Phil didn't get photos of them.  They counted a Red Admiral, a Silver-spotted Skipper, a Pearl Crescent, 5 Cabbage Whites.  In addition, two orange butterflies flitted by so fast, neither Nancy nor Phil got a good look at them.

However Phil did get these photos of turtles who live in Cattail Pond.

Painted Turtles (Above)

I'm not sure which turtle this is.  I know Snapping Turtles live in the pond but there may be other species, too.  I'm not sure the back is lumpy enough to be a Snapper.

I am reporting this on May 14.  Neither today nor tomorrow will be a good day for counting butterflies.  Today the high is predicted to be about 50 degrees Fahrenheit and there is a frost warning tonight.  Weather forecasters are suggesting that delicate plants should be covered.

We have had a few nice spring days but many more days when May has felt like March.  All of us are hoping for a few weeks of spring before the hot days of summer show up.

Brukner Nature Center Butterfly Transit Report for April 24, 2016

Our official season got off to a slow start.  The butterflies were around.  We were all seeing them.  But the weekends, when we could get together and count were cold or wet or both for the first two weeks of April.

The first day we walked was April 17.  The day was warm enough (80 degrees at 2 PM) but the butterflies must have been napping.  We listed flowers instead.  The bluebells were in full bloom and we saw hundreds, maybe thousands of spring beauties.

On April 24, Tom and I went to a play so we missed the walk.  I wished I could be in two places at once.  It was a beautiful day for butterflies.  The butterflies recorded were 2 Cabbage Whites, 2 Eastern Commas, Henry's Elfin, Pearl Crescent, 3 Question Marks, 5 Red Admirals, and a Tiger Swallowtail.

Jackie Watkins was the photographer of the day.

Is this a Henry's Elfin?  Henry's Elfin (Callophrys henrici) Wingspan 0.9-1.2 inches (2.3-3.0 cm)
Henry's Elfins primarily host on Redbuds (Cercis canadensis) when they are in bloom.

Silhouette of a Henry's Elfin

 An unidentified Duskywing (Erynnis)

There are eight Duskywings found in Ohio.  All of them have somewhat similar markings.  It usually takes an expert to positively identify them.

 Another view of the Duskywing

Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) Wingspan 2.25-3.00 inches (5.7-7.6 cm)

The Question Mark is one of the Anglewings which have irregular wing edges.  It has a silver dot and curved line on the underside of the hind wing which looks a bit like a ?.  This is one of the species that can be found feeding on rotting fruit, dung, and carrion as well as sap.

Underside of Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) Wingspan 1.75-2.5 inches (4.4-6.4 cm)

This is another species that frequently visits sap flows, dung, and fermenting fruit.

We have been watching for Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia) and today the group found them.

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July 5, Sunday...Butterflies on the Brukner Butterfly Transit

While I was taking photos at John and Jacquie's wedding, my butterfly loving friends were taking photos on the Brukner Nature Center's Butterfly transit.

Red Admirals were the most abundant species just as they were the previous week,  Twelve of them were within the transit parameters.

Three photos featuring the Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) Wingspan: 1.75-2.50 inches (4.4-6.4 cm)

The Great Spangled Fritillary's wings are looking worn on the edges.  This is one of six that the group saw.  Like the Red Admirals, it is nectaring on Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea).  These flowers are a favorite source of nectar for a variety of butterflies.

Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele) Wingspan: 2.9-3.8 inches (7.1-9.7 cm)

It is always nice to get a clear photo of a Cabbage White.  They are a common butterfly but they tend to flit about,  landing only among plants where it it difficult to get a clear view of them through the camera lens.  Because this one has two spots on its forewings, we know it is a female.

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

The Wild Indigo Duskywing is a dainty butterfly with a lovely muted pattern which shows up nicely on a sunny day.

Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae) Wingspan: 1.3-1.7 inches (3.3-4.3 cm)

This monsterous face belongs to the Spicebush Swallowtail larva.

Larva of the Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)  Wingspan: 3.5-5.0 inches (8.9-12.7 cm)

Because we are looking for larva we sometimes find other small creatures.  Ruth took this photo of a Northern Spring Peeper (Pseudacaris crucifer crucifer) with her iPhone.