Stevens, Pa ~ Middle Creek WMA

This was my first visit to Middle Creek, made better by going with birding friends, Herb & Betty.  There wasn't much in the way of birds but the butterflies were not in great quantity but enjoyable. Out on a trail, Betty found a Snowberry Clearwing moth caterpillar. I was excited as I have always heard the caterpillar was cool looking and now I was able to see that for myself. Lots of nectar in the form of False Sunflower and some Joe Pye weed. Planting at the Visitors Center brought in 3 Clearwing moths ~ Snowberry & Hummingbird.  The visitors center had awesome displays of many preserved birds.  It was well worth a visit and it would be worth a second visit also.

Snowberry Clearwing moth caterpillar

Monarch

Silver-spotted Skipper with Hummingbird Clearwing moth

Hummingbird Clearwing

Hummingbird Clearwing

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Wolf's Hollow County Park

Wild Bergamot

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Horace's Duskywing

Zabulon

Peck's Skipper

Silver-spotted Skipper

Snowberry Clearwing

Zabulon

Monarch

Orange Sulphur

Monarch Caterpillar

 

Eastern-tailed Blue

Visit to Wolf's Hollow County Park

 Yesterday, I decided to take a ride over to Wolf's Hollow County park to see what might be happening in relations to their plants and the fields where I saw so many butterflies last summer.  I have been over several times since April but hadn't seen much. This time the Common Milkweed down the path was blooming so there were some butterflies and also some bugs.  Next, I walked for about 2 hours on several paths. There was a little stream where there were some cool dragonflies named Ebony Jewelwing.  I was able to take a good amount of pictures and uploaded about 50 of them to iNaturalist.

Eastern-tailed Blue

Little Glassywing

Little Glassywing ~ Dorsal View

Pearl Crescent

Meadow Fritillary

Gray Hairstreak

Silver-spotted Skipper

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Ebony Jewelwing

Ebony Jewelwing

Ebony Jewelwings Mating

Ebony Jewelwing

Honeycroft Village ~ Around my Yard

 Great day in the yard today- 3 Hummers on the porch feeding on flowers & at feeder at the same time. 9 species total of butterflies with 2 new yard butterflies #12 Zabulon Skipper, #13 Least Skipper and 11 Tiger Swallowtails that included 3 dark morph swallowtail. The Tiger swallowtails are going crazy on the tall garden Phlox.

Zabulon Skipper

Silver-spotted Skipper

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Zabulon Skipper

Least Skipper

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Northern Flicker

Northern Flicker

Beth's Patch ~ Bugs

Praying Mathis (about the size of a dime)

Silver-spotted Skipper

Monarch caterpillar on butterfly weed.

 

Beth's Patch ~ Aberrant Silver-spotted Skipper

This Silver-spotted Skipper was seen by me yesterday morning and then throughout the day.  It had some markings of the Silver-spotted Skipper but was definitely not the same.  I couldn't find it in any butterfly guide so went to my expert butterfly friends.  One sent the images to Iowa State University's Bug Guide...Top entomologists concurred it is an aberrant Silver-spotted Skipper.

Beth's Patch ~ FOY Silver-spotted Skipper

First of Year Silver-spotted Skipper in the yard yesterday.