Sunday, June 22, 2014

Recent Butterflies and Other Bright Things

Hobomk Slipper on Blue Flag
Will this be a good season for butterflies? It's hard to tell. Last year at this time we were experiencing torrential rains and historic flooding. One of the results of the deluge was to depress populations of our early summer butterflies. I suspect that this season's numbers will be down as a result of poor breeding success from last year, but again, it's hard to be sure. Butterflies can be quite resilient - and since a single butterfly can produce hundreds of eggs, favorable weather conditions this year can result in high survival rates for hatchlings. 
Hobomok Skipper can be found in forest clearings and wooded edges
The Common Ringlet has been around for a couple of weeks
Long Dash Skippers are just starting to emerge
Long Dash Skipper on Red Clover
Silver-spotted Skipper feeds on nectar of Tufted Vetch
Recently emerged Silver-spotted Skipper on newly opened Indian Hemp flowers
Silver-spotted Skipper
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
The White Admiral Butterfly imbibes water from the muddy driveway
White Admiral Butterfly - Its underwings are decorated with reddish spots
Baltimore Checkerspot caterpillar 
Viceroy Butterfly on a willow sapling
A female Common Yellowthroat with a beak-full of food for her young
The Common Spring Moth on Multiflora Rose
Foxglove Beardtongue began blooming in the meadow this week

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