Nottingham County Park ~ Butterflies'

 I drove to I drove to Nottingham County Park this afternoon. It's a great place to walk but I was interested in seeing if the Great Spangled Fritillary's were around yet. I saw 5 of them today. I saw a total of 8 species of butterflies including 2 Monarch's! It's a start, though very little is blooming yet. I, actually, only stayed around the parking lot and not for long as the bugs were out & biting. this afternoon. It's a great place to walk but I was interested in seeing if the Great Spangled Fritillary's were around yet. I saw 5 of them today. I saw a total of 8 species of butterflies including 2 Monarch's! It's a start, though very little is blooming yet. I, actually, only stayed around the parking lot and not for long as the bugs were out & biting.

Great Spangled Fritillary's

Great Spangled Fritillary

Great Spangled Fritillary

Great Spangled Fritillary

Tawny-edged

Least 

Meadow Fritillary

Peck's

Lancaster County Butterflies ~ Holtwood Nature Perserve

 I was shocked to go back and find the main field with butterfly weed and other wildflowers has been mostly cut to the ground in prime season for the butterflies. I was told by a Nature Conservancy volunteer, they planted them by mistake instead of the grasses they received a grant to plant so are the staff are cutting everything now so they can replant in Oct. Very sad not to wait another 4-6 weeks.  Below are some of the butterflies from the day.  I missed missing any Zebra swallowtails but happy to see mating Sleepy Orange.

Mating Sleepy Orange

Great Spangled Fritillary

Summer Azure

Orange Sulphur

American Lady

 Eastern-tailed Blue 

Monarch Caterpillar

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Clouded Sulphur

Great Spangled Fritillary

Pearl Crescent

Clouded Sulphur

Common Buckeye

Walking at Nottingham County Park

Snowberry Clearwing

Snowberry Clearwing

Swarthy Skipper

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Spicebush Swallowtail

Spicebush Swallowtail

Early Goldenrod

Eastern Thistle Longhorn Bee

Great Spangled Fritillary

Pearl Crescent

 

National Pollinator Week ~ Nottingham County Park

 Both yesterday and then, again, this afternoon, I went over to Nottingham County Park to look for pollinators.  I was thrilled yesterday afternoon to see more Great Spangled Fritillaries than I had seen earlier in the day at Peacedale Preserve.  Then, today there were at least 30-50 Great Spangled Fritillaries right near the parking lot on the common milkweed.  It was exciting for me. Also, there were skippers, bumble bees and other pollinators there.  I will return multiple times this summer to see the wildlife including the birds.

Monarch ~ First of Year

Great Spangled Fritillary on Common Milkweed

Great Spangled Fritillary

Tawny-edged Skipper

Little Glassywing

Bumble Bee

Large Milkweed Bug

Red Milkweed Bug

Brown-belted Bumble Bee

Red Milkweed Bug

Chipping Sparrows bring food back to the nest.

Chipping Sparrows bring food back to the nest.

"Peacedale Preserve" Natural Lands

Thanks to KM on Butterflies & Moths of PA for sending me in the right direction to find Great Spangled Fritillary's. I went chasing butterflies late this afternoon after working most of the day in the garden. Lifer ~ Great Spangled Fritillary. It was my first visit to Peacedale Preserve which is about 20 minutes from my home It's a place that I would go back to later in the summer to look for more butterflies.

Lifer ~ Great Spangled Fritillary

 

Northern Broken Dash

Eastern-tailed Blue

American Cooper

Tree Swallow