Alana White-Skipper at National Butterfly Center, 11/28/16

My plan today was to run a few errands (like turn on the water for our new house) and then hit the National Butterfly Center.  Good stuff seen there in the past few days included Chestnut Crescent and Xami Hairstreak.  But when I arrived I had just missed seeing Mike Rickard's first US record of Alana White-Skipper Heliopetes alana.  Other butterfliers present had also missed it but, after a while, it reappeared only to give up the most frustrating photo ops.  Then there were a couple of fifty yard sprints in attempt to follow this lively little butterfly on its rounds.  As the afternoon progressed the skipper seemed to slow down and nectar more giving us much better shots.  Wow, two first US records in three days.  Looks like it's going to be a good fall butterfly season

Another good butterfly present for the past few days was this beat up Spot-celled Sister.  I only managed a couple of shots.  This is only the second I've ever seen.

A sharp Curve-winged Metalmark posed well for us.

The Chestnut Crescent was sighted again but I missed it.  Here's a Pale-banded Crescent.

Marius Hairstreaks have been more common than usual lately.

Not a lot of Purple on this Purple-washed Skipper but more than most I've been seeing this fall.

Looks like I forgot the grass skippers on my list submitted to NABA.

• Great Southern White 1
• Southern Dogface 5
• Cloudless Sulphur 5
• Large Orange Sulphur 20
• Lyside Sulphur 50
• Mexican Yellow 1
• Tailed Orange 3
• Little Yellow 15
• Mimosa Yellow 1
• Sleepy Orange 3
• Marius Hairstreak 1
• Gray Hairstreak 1
• Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak 3
• Western Pygmy-Blue 8
• Cassius Blue 1
• Ceraunus Blue 6
• American Snout 200
• Gulf Fritillary 5
• Julia Heliconian 2
• Zebra Heliconian 2
• Mexican Fritillary 5
• Bordered Patch 3
• Crimson Patch 8
• Elada Crescent 1
• Texan Crescent 1
• Pale-banded Crescent 5
• Vesta Crescent 4
• Phaon Crescent 50
• Pearl Crescent 1
• Red Admiral 4
• Common Buckeye 8
• White Peacock 15
• Common Mestra 10
• Tawny Emperor 10
• Monarch 1
• Queen 200
• Soldier 40
• Brown Longtail 2
• Glazed Pellicia 1
• Sickle-winged Skipper 1
• White Checkered-Skipper 1
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper10
• Laviana White-Skipper 6
• Turk's-cap White-Skipper 5