October 2023 Sightings

2-4 PM. 76 degrees and sunny after a rainy week.

3:45 - 4:45. Sunny, temp. high 70s.
2 Black Racers added some excitement when I flushed them on separate occasions. 2 of the Cabbage Whites were a mating pair.

The club took advantage of the warm and sunny weather to gather for what may very well be the last field trip of the year. About 16 members and guests walked through the gardens and along some of the trails. Most of the observations were made between 11:30 and 3:00. Lots of asters, goldenrods, and Black Knapweed blooming in the fields.

The tiger swallowtail was fresh—a third brood?

2:00-4:00. Mostly cloudy, upper 70s.

Nearly 80 this afternoon and mostly sunny.

The Ocola Skipper was extremely fresh and our fourth of the year. The 2023 dates of occurrence are: 8/17, 9/22, 9/27, and 10/2. The fresh female Sachem was avidly nectaring at Purpletop Verbena. The lady and the silver-spot were faded but gamely hanging in there.

77 degrees and sunny.
(Photos -Sachem F, Sachem M, & Monarch)
[Moderators: Based on Daniela's reports it appears that there is a pipeline of some southern immigrants to Oradell.]

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM; sunny, 67F. Sachems were on asters at the Fenske Visitor Center.

We went looking for migratory birds, but saw a surprising number of butterflies.

Leaderless Walks, 5 participants. Sunny, temperatures in the high 70's.

11:45-1:30. Beautiful day, temps in the 70s. At least 2 of the Coppers were females. We also had 4 snakes along the trail: a beautiful 4 foot Black Rat, an Eastern Garter, and baby Northern Brown and Milk. Plus a large Snapping Turtle and 3 species of frogs calling. And an imm. N. Harrier. [Moderators: This is the first report of Bronze Coppers (State Endangered) at this location since 2020. Can you find the copper in the third and last photos that show a bit of the habitat? But despite their rarity and coolness just way too many photos of coppers. Give the reader a break. We know of some colleagues in south Jersey (yeah, I'm looking at you JRM) who are probably really infuriated about this but hey find you own Bronze Coppers. Concerning the katydid, for some reason Wade, who knows better, neglected to photograph the genitalia well enough to clinch the ID. Last thought: The most often cited host plants for Bronze Copper are docks (Genus Rumex). Despite much searching we could not find any docks anywhere. However, we found acres of smartweeds (Genus Polygonum] of at least 3 species. And Polygonums are reported as an alternate host.]

10:15 AM - 1:30 PM. Sun, 67-81 F. Mostly birding. All but one Sachem at the Fenske Visitor Center. Earlier visited Central Ave Powerline (gasline maintenance had mowed vegetation to the ground) and Passaic River Park, where nectar sources were nearly spent; did not find a single butterfly,

82 degees, sunny, wind 3mph from S-SW. This is the 2nd Ocala Skipper I’ve seen at this park this year.

82 degrees and sunny. The Sachem party that started in our yard in July continues. Also saw 2 Cabbage Whites with a strong contrast in coloring. Not to be confused with the Clouded Sulphur that also visited. A Celery Looper moth also stopped by.

1:05-2:10 Sunny and around 80. A short walk through the beautiful sunflower fields. There were lots of other flowers available for pollinators as well, including dahlias and calla lilies. Fresh variegated fritillary landed on a buttercup but I just missed a photo!!

11:30-4:00. Sunny, in the 80s. Covered boat launch area, the Field of Flowers, the Big Dive cul-de-sac to the dam, and the aircraft navigation beacon. Decided to return to Assunpink after yesterday's outing with poor butterflying conditions and very happy I did so! Most of the butterfly action was in the Field of Flowers from the metal gates to the soybean field on the right side of the field and along the lakeshore from the end of The Big Dive to the dam.

10:15 AM - 12:30 PM. Sunny, 70-85 F. Oh, well.

84 degrees and sunny.
Couldn’t resist adding 2 photos of the Painted Lady because it’s a rare visitor to my garden.

12:45-1:30. Sunny, upper 70s. Searched for the last brood of Bronze Copper at this known location and found 2—a female apparently ovipositing at or near the base of an alien Curly Dock (Rumex crispus) - although we could not find an egg - and a male a short distance away. Quite a few R. crispus are growing along the edge of a road that is routinely mowed, presumably by the municipal road department. We also saw about 35 individual plants of the native Great Water Dock (R. orbiculatus) growing in the extensive Paulins Kill floodplain marsh, but any Bronze Coppers flying in this area would be very difficult to see from the road. Also found a colorful last-instar Smeared Dagger Moth caterpillar on Purple Loosestrife.

12:00, quick check.

3:00PM.

2:30-3:50 sunny and 70's with a breeze - several locations.

mostly sunny and 70's

Silver-spotted Skipper very worn and faded as expected in October.

Twin Lakes area 9:45-10:45 sunny mid 60's [Moderators: The ETS looks very fresh—a third brood? The north Jersey late date is 10/19.]

High 50s - 62 degrees, sunny but windy.

Temps in 50s to low 60s and sunny. All 3 Monarchs were visiting at the same time. Fiery Skipper was a male.

7-11 AM, mostly birding, too cool for butterflies early.

While working in the yard from 11:00 to 4:30.

2:10-2:45 Sunny and 60's

Many Fringed Gentians in bloom. [Moderators: Readers of this Sightings page may recall our frequent mentioning of our little dog ZuZu who accompanied us on many butterfly outings. Some of you no doubt met her in the field or at our house. We're immensely sad to announce the passing of our sweet and wonderful little dog when her kidneys finally gave out this morning. ZuZu wasn't much of a butterfly enthusiast but she rewarded us in so many other ways. It will be some time before we open the front door without saying, "C'mon Zu, let's go for a walk."]

Brief late afternoon stroll under sunny skies with temp in the mid 60's.