Ornythion Swallowtail, Pale-spotted Leafwing at NBC, 8/31/13

After missing the Glaucous Cracker and most recent Tailed Cecropian and then getting clobbered with rain, all on last Monday, I figured I was due something good today at the National Butterfly Center.  But things started pretty slow with only three Gray Crackers and no Guatemalans.  Things started to pick up with a couple of Florida Whites, including this immaculate male.

Then I found my best bug of the day and didn't even know it.  While photographing the Florida White, I saw a dark swallowtail which I recognized as a non-Pipevine.  Only problem was, I thought it was a Black Swallowtail.  After getting home and going through the photos I realized my Black Swallowtail had some weird spotting on the underwings.  Turns out it was a female Broad-banded Swallowtail, my first!  Um, well, wrong again.  Mike Rickard just sent me an email informing me that the tails are way to long for female Broad-banded and it is actually a female Ornythion.  Woops.  Well, it's still a new one for me.

Then I met a nice guy who showed me a Red-bordered Pixie, my first in quite a while.

After lunch I made another loop through the woods and added this Malachite, my first for the fall.

There were lots of Tropical Leafwings on the bait logs and I kept scrutinizing them, hoping to get lucky.  And I did.  This is the first Pale-spotted Leafwing I have ever found on my own.

Wow, what a day!  I almost forgot the Olive-clouded Skipper which is normally a pretty good bug for the day.

Oh yeah, there was a Zebra Heliconian also.