Butterfly Fabric Postcard Swap

One of my postcard groups was having a butterfly swap  that I signed up for right away.  As everyone can tell I do really love butterflies.  For the base of my postcard, I painted pellon adding highlights of color after the first coat dried.  The color was to represent the flowers the butterflies would be nectaring on in the fields.

Beth to Miriam

Beth to Nancie

Nancie to Beth

Miriam to Beth

My Yard ~ First of Season Butterflies

Broad-winged Skipper ~ 7/13/18

Silver-spotted Skipper ~ 7/14/18

Whitewater Preserve, CA

Brewer's Sparrow ~ Life Bird #445

Monarch Butterfly ~ several seen but first image captured

Chukar along Whitewater Canyon Road ~ Life Bird #444

One of about 16 Chukar's along the roadway.

Scott's Oriole continues at our AirBnB

My Yard ~ Recent Arrivals

Clouded Sulphur

Always happy to see the return of the Long-tailed Skipper, a Southern migrant.

Long-tailed Skipper

Another Southern migrant returned, an Ocola Skipper

This year is the best I have ever had in the yard for the Ocola Skippers.

Common Checkered Skipper, last seen here in 2015, is the 39th species for this yard for 2017. 
This makes it the highest yard total for since I began to monitor butterflies.

Cape May Point ~ Monarch Butterfly Roosts

Word was out this afternoon that Monarch Butterflies were increasing in numbers and that roosts were forming in the trees in Cape May Point.  The largest roosts found were on the St Pete's beach crossover.  I decided then to go over to see them even though it was 5:30PM. It's getting dark earlier so sometimes it's harder to get good pictures.

My Yard ~ FOY Butterflies ~ 35 species thus far in 2017!

Tawny Emperor Butterfly on rotten peaches on 9/11

Red-spotted Purple Butterfly on rotten peaches on 9/15

Viceroy Butterfly also on rotten peaches on 9/17

My Yard ~~ Mating Monarch's Butterflies

Lots of mating going on in the Monarch world.  They are creating the generation that is supposed to migrate to their wintering grounds in Mexico. Pictures from the past few weeks.

Lancaster, PA ~ New Life Butterflies

A visit to Lancaster, PA allowed me to see 2 new life butterflies.
Here the Meadow Fritillary (new species) is facing off with a Red-banded Hairstreak.

Wild Indigo Duskywing (new species)

My Yard ~ Brazilian Skipper

First Brazilian Skipper seen in my yard since 2013.  It was not seen by
me at that time but by a friend. These skippers nectar and lay their eggs
on canna plants.  Here they are on a yellow canna in my yard.

Yard Butterfly #45 ~ Hayhurst's Scallopwing

Schroon Lake Butterflies

Northern Broken-dash Skipper

Monarch Butterfly

FOY Yard Butterflies

Common Sootywing

Fiery Skipper

NABA-North Jersey Butterfly Club ~ Great Purple Hairstreak

I am still so excited about seeing the Great Purple Hairstreak last Thursday in my yard .  To think if I had gone away as planned to KS & NE I never would have seen and gotten pictures of this butterfly. I was contacted by Jim S from the North Jersey NABA about including a picture of the butterfly I found in my yard in their information logs.  Here is the submission he wrote up:

NEW JERSEY BUTTERFLIES

Great Purple Hairstreak

Atlides halesus

Identification: Very large compared to other hairstreaks in our area. Slightly larger than Common Ringlet. Below: FW and HW very dark with red basal spots on both wings. Bright orange abdomen and white spots on body. Male has some iridescent blue underneath. Two sets of tails on each HW. Brilliant iridescent blue above seen while flying. Not easily confused with any other butterfly in NJ.

NJ Status and Distribution: Vagrant. Found throughout southern U.S.—closest colonies to NJ in southern Delmarva. Only one NJ record from southern Cape May County (6/15/17) in past century. Apparently, it was a resident in NJ before 1900.

Habitat: Moist woodlands.

Flight Period: March to November in VA.

Larval Food Plants: : Oak Mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum) which is still locally present in southern NJ.

Overwintering Stage: Pupa, but does not overwinter in NJ.

Best Locations: None, but most likely if found it will be in Cape May County.

Comments: A truly stunning butterfly. It is the only member of this tropical genus to make it into the US.

Copyright © 2017 NABA-North Jersey Butterfly Club

My Yard ~ Great Purple Hairstreak

What a fun afternoon!  I have been working on my photography in small breaks of time trying to learn more about how to properly use the camera so that I can take better images.  I am using one of the "Dummies for Books."  I went outside with my camera to take some images in the garden when I saw a Great Purple Hairstreak.  I knew immediately what butterfly it was though I didn't realize they were that much larger than a Gray or Red-banded Hairstreak.  She was nectaring on some Coreopsis in the front garden.  I took some documentation shots and then ran into get my camera that had the macro lens on it plus called my sister, Jenny out to see it.  Fortunately, it was still there when we came out.  I took more images and we watched it for about 20 minutes until it flew off into the dunes across the street.  After that I went into find out if we had ever had a GPH on our SJ Butterfly Log.  I could find no entries so I emailed Jack C to let him know about the butterfly.  I sure am hoping that she'll return and hang out some more.

Recent Yard Butterflies

Zabulon Skipper ~ Male

Zabulon Skipper ~ Female

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

First Monarch Butterfly of 2017 seen

Question Mark Butterfly

Silver-spotted Skipper

Common Buckeye Butterfly

Eastern-tailed Blue Butterfly

Pearl Crescent Butterfly