National Butterfly Center, 5/11/25

Butterflies have picked up at the National Butterfly Center but only common stuff.  I was going to post a few photos but I forgot and cleared my SD card so here's the list of 36 species.  We missed out of the forecast rain here in Hidalgo County.  Locally it's dry and we have a long stretch of 100+ in the forecast so hopefully things won't fry too badly.

• Giant Swallowtail 6
• Southern Dogface 1
• Large Orange Sulphur 6
• Lyside Sulphur 20
• Sleepy Orange 1
• Gray Hairstreak 3
• Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak 4
• Dusky-blue Groundstreak 1
• Ceraunus Blue 5
• Reakirt's Blue 20
• Red-bordered Metalmark 1
• American Snout 1
• Gulf Fritillary 2
• Bordered Patch 3
• Elada Checkerspot 8
• Texan Crescent 1
• Phaon Crescent 6
• Common Buckeye 1
• Mexican Bluewing 1
• Tawny Emperor 1
• Queen 60
• White-striped Longtail 1
• Brown Longtail 1
• Sickle-winged Skipper 3
• Funereal Duskywing 6
• White Checkered-Skipper 15
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper 8
• Laviana White-Skipper 5
• Julia's Skipper 1
• Southern Skipperling 1
• Fiery Skipper 6
• Whirlabout 6
• Sachem 1
• Common Mellana 1
• Celia's Roadside-Skipper 25
• Eufala Skipper 3

Vicroy's Ministreak at La Puerta Tract, 5/7/25

Monday I was driving out to Salineno and Falcon to look for birds but I got a late start so as I approached Rio Grande City I thought why not check out the La Puerta Tract of the Lower Rio Grande NWR.  Turns out it was lush and birdy.  So yesterday I ran there again but it was less birdy and the sun was out and stuff was flying.  So I switched over to butterflies and bees and had a good morning.  Butterfly of the day was this pebbly little Vicroy's Ministreak, only my third and first self found.

Otherwise butterflies were numerous but with low diversity as has been the case since the freeze and flood.  There was lots of cenizo out there so a Theona Checkerspot was expected.

Best I can tell this is a Theona Checkerspot catepillar.

Lots of Western Giant Swallowtails.

And lots of sulphurs like this Southern Dogface.

This fresh Funereal Duskywing almost looks like a Mournful but not mottled enough on the interior forewing.

Otherwise it was an amazing display of native bees like giant Glorious Protoxea.

And tiny Vireck's Nomad cuckoo Bee.

Here are both of these rare bees together for a size comparison.

Hoping we can get some more rain to keep this stuff going or they're going to fry in the summer heat.