November 2022 Sightings

Glorious sun and about 70. Short walk through the fields along the entrance road and by the big white barn. As we pulled into the small parking lot by the barn we glimpsed a large hawk diving close to the ground by the barn and out of view. Carefully moving forward we saw a huge (almost certainly a female) adult Red-shouldered Hawk grappling with what appeared to be a large Garter Snake. We managed a few photos before it flew to a large tree and started to rip apart the unfortunate snake.

Full sun and low 60s for our late morning walk with ZuZu. Slim pickings indeed in November in NW Jersey. Not much in bloom other than a few fading asters.

Sun through high clouds with temps rising into the low 70s by early afternoon. Frequent observations of our large clump of New England Aster—Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Hella Lacy'. This exuberant aster has lovely light-purple flowers that start blooming in mid-October, withstand frost, and will continue to bloom well into November. In our yard it is just about the only plant still in flower and as such attracts dozens of honeybees as well as bumblebees, hover flies, moths, other insects, and (if we are lucky) a late butterfly or two. Highly recommended as a late-blooming addition to pollinator gardens!

1:30 - 3:30. Sunny and breezy, in the mid 70s. All the closely observed Buckeyes and Sulphurs appeared fresh. Only the Variegated Fritillary was a little bit worn. One Buckeye spent several minutes trying to hook up with the Fritillary, but ultimately to no avail. Also five additional Sulphurs, either Clouded or Orange, in constant motion and too far to ID.

[Moderators' revised note: Our sharp-eyed colleague from Cape May, Jack Russell Miller (a real terrier when it comes to scrutinizing photos), corrected the identification of Peck's Skipper to female Fiery, and this was confirmed by Jeff Glassberg. The date is certainly more likely for Fiery, and according to Jeff, the dark antennae and white around the back of the eye help separate it from the very similar female Peck's. Thanks to Jack and Jeff for keeping the moderators on their toes!]

Sulfur sp., 1

Sunny low 50's

[Moderators' Comments (WW, SAW)]: This is only the second report of Painted Lady from North Jersey in 2022. The first was by S. Buckingham (also with photo) on June 15 from Mountainside Park. This species has been reported more often from South Jersey (mostly from Cape May County), beginning in mid-April and continuing into November, but most reports are of single individuals. So, not a particularly good year, at least in NJ for this variably abundant species.

I believe this is a female fiery as I believe I was just schooled by this site. A few nectar sources left here - pink flowers pictured were this butterfly's favorite today. [Moderators' note: For all of you football fans. After review, there was not enough evidence to overturn the call made in the field, so the ID will stand.]

47°F, in sunny sheltered spot along the shoreline. [moderators': The north Jersey late date for this species is Nov. 16. and the south Jersey late date is Nov. 29. With results still trickling in, It appears to have been a good year for Common Checkered Skipper throughout the state.]

1:15-3:15. Sunny, around 55 degrees. Thanks to two German Shorthaired Pointers, which incidentally flushed a Buckeye from the grass near the navigation beacon, I saw a butterfly today. Lots of hunting activity; if venturing into Assunpink this time of year, it is wise to wear orange.

Temps up to 55 degrees today, sunny, mild breezes. Didn't expect so many butterflies on a November day.
Couldn't get photos of all the sulphurs, as they were moving fast and erratically, not sure of ID's.

2:20-2:50, 55º, sunny, a bit breezy. The grassy, south-facing slopes in our local park, dotted with a few late dandelion flowers, often produce a few end-of-November Sulphurs, but given that we've had several nights in the low 20s, we were very pleased to find this hardy OS.