July 2018 Sightings

Barb Sendelbach

Lafayette backyard
Sussex County, NJ

There has been some more activity at the milkweed as well as other visitors to the garden. However, the bait, mud and scat remain untouched.

In the evening I had a butterfly visitor at the moth lights. A European Skipper joined the crowd. I have had a number of butterflies come to the lights at night through the years. This was my first Skipper. The night before I had a beautiful Promethea Moth come to the back porch light.

  • Cabbage White 1
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 1
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 1
  • Common Wood-Nymph 1
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 1
  • Little Glassywing 2

Promethea Silkmoth

Promethea Silkmoth

Promethea Silkmoth

European Skipper

Ben Barkley

Ramapo Mountain State Forest
Passaic County, NJ

Observations from 8:00-11:00am. Primarily targeting Hoary Edge.

  • Banded Hairstreak 2
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 4
  • Red-spotted Purple 2
  • Northern Pearly-eye 1
  • Little Wood-Satyr 5
  • Monarch 1
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 8
  • Hoary Edge 6
  • Southern Cloudywing 3

Hoary Edge

Northern Pearly-eye

Chris Williams

Middlesex County Natural Area Off Riva Ave
Middlesex County, NJ

Lots to Milkweed but few Butterflies

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1
  • Red Admiral 2
  • Little Wood-Satyr 2
  • Monarch 4
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 3
  • Little Glassywing 1

Jim Springer

Morris County Community Gardens, Morris Twp.
Morris County, NJ

95°F, sunny, 3:30pm-4:30pm

  • Cabbage White 8
  • Orange Sulphur 1
  • Gray Hairstreak 1
  • Little Wood-Satyr 3
  • Wild Indigo Duskywing 1
  • Least Skipper 3
  • Northern Broken-Dash 2
  • Little Glassywing 3

Northern Broken-Dash

Ben Barkley

Appalachian Trail Lands at Canal Road
Sussex County, NJ

Observations from 11:45am-2:00pm. An unided hairstreak spp.

  • Cabbage White 6
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 2
  • Red Admiral 1
  • Viceroy 1
  • Hackberry Emperor 1
  • Northern Pearly-eye 6
  • Little Wood-Satyr 2
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 3
  • Least Skipper 12
  • Peck's Skipper 1
  • Dun Skipper 3

Eyed Brown

Garry Annibal and Lee Gaitskill

Big Brook Park, Marlboro NJ, Newman Springs Road entrance
Monmouth County, NJ

9:30 AM to 11:00 AM Hot, up to 92 deg. F., mostly sunny,

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 9
  • Orange Sulphur 11
  • American Copper 6
  • Banded Hairstreak 1
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 8
  • Little Wood-Satyr 4
  • Common Wood-Nymph 2
  • Monarch 8
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 1
  • Least Skipper 2
  • Dun Skipper 1

Dennis Briede

Mount'N'Meadow
Warren County, NJ

  • Baltimore Checkerspot 1

Jim Springer

Dismal Harmony Natural Area, Mendham Twp.
Morris County, NJ

2:00pm-3:00pm. 94°F, sunny, short stop to see if any Harvesters had recolonized the site-no joy.

  • Banded Hairstreak 1
  • Red-spotted Purple 1
  • Little Wood-Satyr 1

Banded Hairstreak

Fred Pfeifer

Ramapo Mountain State Forest
Passaic County, NJ

8:30-1:00 mid 90s
1 fresh Coral Hairstreak 1 worn

  • Coral Hairstreak 2
  • Edwards' Hairstreak 1
  • Banded Hairstreak 3
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 12
  • Red-spotted Purple 1
  • Little Wood-Satyr 10
  • Monarch 2
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 1
  • Hoary Edge 15
  • Southern Cloudywing 20
  • Little Glassywing 5
  • Delaware Skipper 6
  • Hobomok Skipper 1

Hobomok Skipper

Southern Cloudywing & Hoary Edge

Delaware Skipper

Coral Hairstreak

Tom Halliwell

Sunrise Mountain
Sussex County, NJ

11:30 to 2:15. A nice place to be on a hot day. Temps. in high 80s.

  • Black Swallowtail 2
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 1
  • Edwards' Hairstreak 4
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 3
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 1
  • Red-spotted Purple 1

Ben Barkley

Lord Stirling Park
Somerset County, NJ

Extremely hot and humid. Constant thunder from the east. Observations from 2-4pm

  • Cabbage White 10
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 1
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 2
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 1
  • Pearl Crescent 1
  • Red Admiral 1
  • Appalachian Brown 3
  • Little Wood-Satyr 30
  • Common Wood-Nymph 5
  • Monarch 1
  • Tawny-edged Skipper 1
  • Northern Broken-Dash 6
  • Little Glassywing 12
  • Dun Skipper 4

Appalachian Brown

Dun Skipper

Northern Broken-Dash

Northern Broken-Dash

C Wyluda

corner of Route 31 and Carlton Ave., Ewing Twp.
Mercer County, NJ

drive by sighting

  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1

Sharon & Wade Wander

White Lake Natural Area, Hardwick Twp.
Warren County, NJ

9:00-10:15 and 2:55-3:40, in different areas. Sunny, very hot, oppressively humid.

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 5
  • Clouded Sulphur 2
  • Orange Sulphur 1
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 1
  • Northern Metalmark 15
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 4
  • American Lady 1
  • Red Admiral 2
  • Common Wood-Nymph 6
  • Monarch 3
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 2
  • Little Glassywing 3
  • Delaware Skipper 4

Michael Newlon

Troy Meadows Road, Parsippany-Troy Hills Twp.
Morris County, NJ

10 AM - noon; sunny and very hot.

  • Cabbage White 2
  • Orange Sulphur 2
  • Banded Hairstreak 1
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 1
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 3
  • Pearl Crescent 1
  • Eastern Comma 1
  • Little Wood-Satyr 3
  • Common Wood-Nymph 1
  • Least Skipper 2
  • Little Glassywing 1
  • Dion Skipper 1
  • Black Dash 1

Black Dash

Dion Skipper

Pearl Crescent

John J. Collins

Appalachian Trail - Canal Road, etc.
Sussex County, NJ

[Moderator's Note]: This is the 3rd report of Compton Tortoiseshell in the state this year and first report of the summer brood–all in Sussex County. Keep an eye on them elsewhere in northern NJ.

  • Black Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 3
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 1
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 2
  • Eastern Comma 1
  • Compton Tortoiseshell 1
  • Viceroy 2
  • Monarch 2
  • Least Skipper 4
  • European Skipper 1

Sharon & Wade Wander

Private property, Fredon Twp.
Sussex County, NJ

11:15-12:00. Sunny, hot, humid. We had Baltimores here in 2016, but none since.

  • Cabbage White 5
  • Orange Sulphur 1
  • Banded Hairstreak 4
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 3
  • Pearl Crescent 1
  • Common Wood-Nymph 4
  • Monarch 1
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 8
  • European Skipper 9
  • Little Glassywing 3
  • Delaware Skipper 1

Tom Halliwell

Kittatinny Valley SP
Sussex County, NJ

10:00 to 2:15. Mostly overcast with occasional thin sun; temps in mid-80s.

  • Cabbage White 1
  • Clouded Sulphur 1
  • Orange Sulphur 1
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 2
  • Northern Metalmark 3
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 7
  • Pearl Crescent 1
  • Little Wood-Satyr 6
  • Common Wood-Nymph 1
  • Monarch 6
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 3
  • Northern Broken-Dash 2
  • Little Glassywing 4
  • Delaware Skipper 1
  • Dun Skipper 1

Mike Lee & C Wyluda

Appalachian Trail Lands at Canal Road
Sussex County, NJ

10-2pm overcast with thunder in the distance, very humid
first time visit and not my last

  • Cabbage White 2
  • Orange Sulphur 1
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 1
  • Pearl Crescent 3
  • Eastern Comma 1
  • Red Admiral 1
  • Hackberry Emperor 2
  • Northern Pearly-eye 4
  • Little Wood-Satyr 10
  • Common Wood-Nymph 1
  • Monarch 1
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 2
  • Least Skipper 6
  • Dun Skipper 1

Dun Skipper

Northern Pearly-eye

Hackberry Emperor

Hackberry Emperor

Eyed Brown

Little Wood-Satyr

Red Admiral

Common Wood-Nymph

Tom Bailey

Crosswicks Creek Park, Province Line Rd Section
Monmouth County, NJ

8 to 11 am. Hazy, Hot, & Humid.

  • Black Swallowtail 1
  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 6
  • Orange Sulphur 4
  • Eastern Tailed-Blue 2
  • Pearl Crescent 18
  • Viceroy 1
  • Little Wood-Satyr 4
  • Common Wood-Nymph 32
  • Monarch 6
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 4
  • Little Glassywing 2

Tom Halliwell

Fields near the Paulins Kill just SW of Route 206 and near Sussex Branch Trail in Frankford Twp.
Sussex County, NJ

1:30 to 3:00. Sunny, hot & humid. Checking a spot for Saturday's Springdale Fourth of July Butterfly Count.

  • Cabbage White 4
  • Clouded Sulphur 1
  • Orange Sulphur 3
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 1
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 4
  • Pearl Crescent 6
  • Baltimore Checkerspot 2
  • Appalachian Brown 2
  • Little Wood-Satyr 1
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 2
  • Common Sootywing 1
  • Little Glassywing 1

Baltimore Checkerspot

Little Wood-Satyr

Common Sootywing

Appalachian Brown

Barb Sendelbach

Lafayette backyard
Sussex County, NJ

Finally a Banded Hairstreak!

I also found two different instars of Abbott's Sphinx caterpillars on the Virginia Creeper on the front porch.

  • Cabbage White 1
  • Banded Hairstreak 1
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 1
  • Common Wood-Nymph 1
  • Little Glassywing 3

Abbott's Sphinx caterpillar

Banded Hairstreak

Barb Sendelbach

Sussex Branch Trail (Newton Section)
Sussex County, NJ

Wooded and marshy area to the left of the trail head where the official trail ends and goes towards the Rt 206 shopping area.

  • Cabbage White 3
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 1
  • Little Wood-Satyr 1
  • Common Wood-Nymph 2
  • Monarch 1
  • Least Skipper 1
  • Mulberry Wing 2
  • Dion Skipper 1

Dion Skipper

Mulberry Wing

Chris Daly

Piscataway
Middlesex County, NJ

  • Monarch 1

Monarch

Barb Sendelbach

KVSP - Butterfly garden, fields and woods behind park office.
Sussex County, NJ

Mid afternoon. We watched a Monarch ovipositing in the butterfly garden. We had a few early and mid instar Prominent and Crambid Snout caterpillars on various trees and plants. Butterfly numbers were very low compared to visits in early July in other years.

  • Cabbage White
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure
  • Great Spangled Fritillary
  • Pearl Crescent
  • Common Wood-Nymph
  • Monarch
  • Silver-spotted Skipper

Mike Lee & C Wyluda

Appalachian Trail Lands at Canal Road
Sussex County, NJ

4-6pm
sunny 77f lots of thru hikers
many fresh commas

  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 1
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 1
  • Pearl Crescent 1
  • Eastern Comma 3
  • Viceroy 1
  • Northern Pearly-eye 1
  • Little Wood-Satyr 6
  • Common Wood-Nymph 2
  • Monarch 4

Eastern Comma

Eastern Comma

Eastern Comma

Alice Koster

Dismal Harmony Natural Area, Mendham Twp.
Morris County, NJ

No Harvesters! 2:15-3:00, sunny

  • Cabbage White 2
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 1
  • Eastern Comma 1
  • Little Wood-Satyr 3
  • Dun Skipper 1

Ben Barkley

Kittatinny Valley State Park
Sussex County, NJ

Observations from 11-11:45am

  • Northern Metalmark 3
  • Little Wood-Satyr 8

Northern Metalmark

Ben Barkley

Whittingham WMA
Sussex County, NJ

Observations from 12:10-1:30 pm

  • Cabbage White 10
  • Orange Sulphur 6
  • 'Summer' Spring Azure 1
  • Great Spangled Fritillary 8
  • Pearl Crescent 10
  • Red-spotted Purple 1
  • Little Wood-Satyr 4
  • Common Wood-Nymph 1
  • Monarch 22
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 10
  • Common Checkered-Skipper 1
  • Northern Broken-Dash 2
  • Little Glassywing 5
  • Broad-winged Skipper 1
  • Dun Skipper 3

Red-spotted Purple

Marianne Ofenloch

DWGNRA )field west of Mountain Rd, Walpack Twp.)
Sussex County, NJ

  • Clouded Sulphur c
  • Baltimore Checkerspot 1
  • Monarch c

Baltimore Checkerspot

Mike Lee & C Wyluda

Ramapo Mountain State Forest
Passaic County, NJ

9:30-2 pm
sunny and no clouds 77f
walked to castle , button bush productive
very comfortable day

  • Spicebush Swallowtail 1
  • Cabbage White 2
  • Coral Hairstreak 1
  • Banded Hairstreak 1
  • Red-spotted Purple 3
  • Little Wood-Satyr 15
  • Silver-spotted Skipper 5
  • Hoary Edge 2
  • Zabulon Skipper 1
  • European Skipper 1
  • Northern Broken-Dash 2
  • Little Glassywing 6
  • Delaware Skipper 2
  • Dun Skipper 4

Banded Hairstreak

Hoary Edge

Delaware Skipper

Little Glassywing

Delaware Skipper

Coral Hairstreak

Hoary Edge

Little Glassywing

Northern Broken-Dash

European Skipper