September 2022 Sightings

9:40-1:00
sunny and very breezy, 70s

during dog walk

2:20 pm to 5:10 pm. 78 degrees, mostly sunny. Surprising number of Fritillaries still around.

sunny, mild day. Photo by James M Falletti

4:00 - 5:15. Mostly sunny. Three Harvesters, one caterpillar and two adults, one of them laying eggs. Also two handsome tussock moth caterpillars on beech twigs.

3:55-6:10 sunny and hot. The gardens are amazing and still in full bloom. Seeing such high numbers of sachems is great for observing the variations in both the males and females! They were feeding on most blooms including the tropical milkweed in the image. I spent a lot of time with the ocola skipper which stayed near the pickerelweed flowers and chased with the sachems nearby. This seems to be a consistent location annually for the ocolas.

10:10-2:30

Mostly sunny, light wind, and generally warm and comfortable after an unseasonably cool start.

This was our annual survey for the State Endangered Leonard's Skipper at this gated facility. We saw only 4 Leonard's, which may be our lowest total in many years. Their Little Bluestem habitat in the lower meadow is being rapidly invaded by Sericea (aka Chinese) Lespedeza. Native Field Thistle, an excellent nectar plant, is also increasing greatly in the same area, but no Leonard's were seen using it, instead preferring Spotted Knapweed. Biggest surprise was a stunning Pipevine Swallowtail (FOY for us) nectaring all too briefly at a Field Thistle.

These apartments are basically not butterfly friendly. However, there are several butterfly bushes which attract some species although never in great numbers. We were pleasantly surprised to discover the Sachems and the Ocola, neither of which appear with regularity.

mystery cocoon on Swallowtail enclosure. Sulphur being torn apart by a large yellow jacket.

mowed fields, stream was a trickle, garden was very dry

Mid-afternoon, mostly cloudy. Viceroy was 2 days earlier.

10-11:10 am; not crowded; a lot of flowers

9-11:30 AM, mostly birding. Sun and clouds, 75-85F. Much Field thistle blooming between the Overlook and the bridge. Only one butterfly on it, but some other stuff to look at; the bug I think is Leptoglossus phyllopus. I owe the Viceroys to someone who did not pick up after their dog.

4:45-5:30 83 and cloudy. No swarthy or tawny-edged skippers around today. Interesting behavior with a spicebush swallowtail wrapping its wings around a thistle blossom. After it flew off I checked as I thought there may have been a spider, but nothing was on the flower.

Brief stop. Power Company setting up for more construction here, much of the mint patch is beaten down, much of the loosetrife spent. But this year I have to be grateful even for a Cabbage White.

sunny, mid 70' photo by: Don Torino

10:20 AM - 12:30 PM. Clouds and sun, breezy, 70-80 F. Viceroys likely the same as seen on Sept 05. One unidentified grass-skipper.

Random observations in gardens and meadow throughout this mostly sunny and pleasant day. Low double figures of species is about what we would expect here at this time of year but the 17 individuals is pathetic and alarming. Moths, too, are way down and some nights I see fewer than 10 species.

1:50-3:10
Sunny , warm, and low humidity.

1:30-3:50 PM, sunny, humid, about 80F. Most skippers quite faded. Lots of courtship between Sachems.

About 10 minutes of observation from edge of public roads. Only a small portion of extensive hayfields were viewed so sulphurs and especially ringlets were grossly under counted. Only 4 Meadow Frits were seen in the same area where well over 100 were seen last year at about the same date.

4:10-5:30. 74 and sunny. I walked the area near the environmental center and discovery path. It was a bit late in the season for the small gardens which have some new native species and other pollinator friendly flowers. Mostly goldenrod and asters still blooming. It's a really nice spot overall. Lots of the alianthus webworm moths around.

230-300pm

Walked Field of Flowers. Then cruised the gravel road from the boat launch to the model airplane field. Then walked the second, smaller flower field and fields beyond it off Eldridge Road

2:00pm - 5:15pm. Mostly sunny becoming mostly cloudy. In the low 80s. One of the three Little Yellows worn. Amazing "Field of Tickseed Sunflowers" of perhaps some thirty acres lies beyond the second, smaller "Field of Flowers" near the Wildlife Conservation Center. I am guessing that this solid, Tickseed Sunflower field had been planted.

3:15-4pm
asters, golden rod blooming. COYOTE!
Fresh mowed fields along boardwalk.
Sleepy Oranges fresh and not landing

[moderator]The coyote is a great find!

Mixed clouds and sun, warm.
Frequent sorties through our gardens.

Our FOY yard Ocola Skipper was only briefly seen. The average arrival date for this species in our yard is between Aug. 10 and 15. A likely Sachem gave us the slip before we could get bins on it. The lone Dun Skipper was very fresh.