Santa Ana NWR, 5/30/23

With all the recent rain I thought a trip to Santa Ana NWR was in order.  Trails were muddy so I walked the tour road to the cemetery.  Things are pretty lush but not a lot was blooming except at the cemetery where I found this Potrillo Skipper.  I had seen them there in the past but a check of my records found my last one was 5/31/15.  Almost the same date eight years ago.

Nearby was this Texas Powdered Skipper.  I found my lifer at Santa ana years ago.

A group of 25 Laviana White-Skippers were sucking at the moist soil.

Along with a Mimosa Yellow.

Checking the piles of animal scat can always be productive.  Here's a Sickle-winged Skipper and a Texan Crescent.

Here's today's list of 31 species.  Gotta get back over there in a couple of weeks.

• Giant Swallowtail 6
• Great Southern White 1
• Southern Dogface 1
• Large Orange Sulphur 2
• Lyside Sulphur 40
• Little Yellow 3
• Mimosa Yellow 1
• Dusky-blue Groundstreak 1
• Clytie Ministreak 1
• Reakirt's Blue 2
• Red-bordered Metalmark 1
• American Snout 3
• Gulf Fritillary 2
• Variegated Fritillary 1
• Bordered Patch 2
• Texan Crescent 12
• Vesta Crescent 15
• White Peacock 3
• Common Mestra 25
• Queen 1
• White-striped Longtail 1
• Brown Longtail 2
• Potrillo Skipper 1
• Texas Powdered-Skipper 1
• Sickle-winged Skipper 6
• White Checkered-Skipper 1
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper 1
• Laviana White-Skipper 30
• Clouded Skipper 2
• Whirlabout 1
• Celia's Roadside-Skipper 3

Progreso Lakes yard, 8/31/20

We haven't had any rain for four weeks but hot southerly wind blew up some new butterflies today here at Progreso Lakes.  I saw this Orange-barred Sulphur for only a few seconds.  

This Florida White is first I've seen since Spring.

I caught a glimpse of our fourth Ornythion Swallowtail of the summer and latter found it perched in our brush patch out of the wind.

The much more common Western Giant Swallowtail is superficially similar and also brighter yellow.

Here's one of two White-striped Longtails.

I wonder if any of our Sickle-winged Skippers are laying eggs on our Colima.

This Common Mellana has been hanging around for about a week and picks a fight with every butterfly it sees.

This is only the third Mexican Bluewing I have seen in our yard.  It acted like it was laying eggs on our Vasey's Adelia.

It's been quite a while since we've had a Turk's-Cap White-Skipper.

There's a good chance of rain next wekend but it's gonna be tripple digits till then. 

• Ornythion Swallowtail 1
• Western Tiger Swallowtail 2
• Florida White 1
• Cloudless Sulphur 6
• Orange-barred Sulphur 1
• Large Orange Sulphur 10
• Lyside Sulphur 1
• Little Yellow 1
• Cassius Blue 6
• American Snout 50
• Bordered Patch 2
• White Peacock 2
• Mexican Bluewing 1
• Common Mestra 1
• Tropical Leafwing 1
• Tawny Emperor 6
• Monarch 6
• White-striped Longtail 2
• Brown Longtail 1
• Sickle-winged Skipper 2
• White-patched Skipper 1
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper 1
• Laviana White-Skipper 10
• Turk's-cap White-Skipper 1
• Clouded Skipper 5
• Whirlabout 4
• Common Mellana 1
• Celia's Roadside-Skipper 1

Ruddy Daggerwing at Progreso Lakes, 7/28/20

As I spent the morning cleaning up after Hurrican Hanna, I kept noticing a large orange butterfly flapping and gliding overhead.  Finally I saw it dart into our big rubber tree where I was able to get a few shots.  It was only the second Ruddy Daggerwing we've ever had in the yard.  My brush hollies are sure to bloom after the eight inches of rain we received so I'm expecting them to attract more daggerwings.

A worn but still colorful Guava Skipper graced the other side of the yard.

Yesterday I released my fourth Polydamas Swallowtail of the summer.  Two were ovipositing on the big Dutchman's Pipe.

And speaking of ovipositing, this Sickle-winged Skipper left a few eggs on one of the colimas.

Still plenty of Queens and Soldiers around.

The rain from Hurricane Hanna is only going to bring us more butterflies this summer.  I have some ideas about what may be next but if I say it, it won't come true.

Progreso Lakes yard, 6/17/20

It's been a slow dry spring but we've gotten a little rain lately and some different butterflies have been showing up.  Still happy to have a Boisduval's Yellow.  When they first showed up last November, I never dreamed
 they would become regular in our yard.

This Tropical Leafwing was ovipositing on Low Croton.  It's been a while since we've had one.

Bordered Patch has been pretty rare lately.

As has Sickle-winged Skipper.

But the Double-dotted Skippers seem to usually be around.  There were at least four today.

Our button bush is blooming nicely but the only take today was this Giant Swallowtail.

This White Peacock may have come from out Ruelia.  I've seen their caterpillars on them in the past.

I'm hoping we get more rain in the coming weeks.  If it doesn't get too hot it could be a good butterfly summer.

Xami Hairstreak at Progreso Lakes, 12/21/18

It's been kind of a slow fall for butterflies and I've been doing more birding so the blog has been neglected a bit.  But this morning I was out in our Progreso Lakes yard checking out the birds when I peered into our flame vine as I usually do when I pass it.  And there was this little green hairstreak.  At first I just got a glimpse of only green and started thinking about greenstreaks but a better look revealed the white "M" of the Xami Hairstreak.  Yowzer!  There's been a few around the Valley lately so I was not shocked but darn!  What a good butterfly!  And #111 for the yard.

Mike and Ginny came over before doing the Estero walk and Mike found this Mazan's Scallopwing.  Only the third time for our yard.

Here's a Guava Skipper in action.

Lots of Sickle-winged Skippers this fall.  This is the first butterfly I have ever seen nectar on a pigeon berry.

Nice sunny weather in the forecast so maybe some other good stuff will show up.

Hermit Skipper at Progreso Lakes, 9/14/17

Wow!  What a day!  It was a bit windy this morning so I decided to work in our butterfly garden and enjoy the breeze before the heat turned on.  After two hours of digging up grass along the edges, I decided I was about worn out and would check out the butterflies.  Not much happening in the garden so I checked out our very productive Purple Duranta.  A Pipevine Swallowtail played in the wind and then I saw something white with dark edges.  Female Florida White!  Yard butterfly #74.

I had a difficult time with the Florida White as it played in the wind and refused to stay put.  And then suddenly this big brown spreadwing skipper lands right in front of me.  I knew what it was since everyone seemed to be posting photos of Hermit Skippers on Face Book lately.  A species I had chased several times and failed to see, Hermit Skipper was one of my nemesis species.  This was RGV butterfly #208 for me.

Another Yellow Angled-Sulphur was a sharp male.

I saw two Painted Ladies today.

Meanwhile the butterfly garden on the other side of the yard was picking up with two White-patched Skippers.

And a Mimosa Skipper.  With the river nearby and ditches with the thorny pink mimosa, I bet I will see more of these guys in the future.

And a Sickle-winged Skipper.

And then another Florida White,this one a little scruffier than the other but more cooperative.

Finished the day with thirty species.

• Pipevine Swallowtail 1
• Giant Swallowtail 1
• Florida White 2
• Yellow Angled-Sulphur 1
• Cloudless Sulphur 5
• Large Orange Sulphur 2
• Lyside Sulphur 1
• Little Yellow 4
• Mimosa Yellow 1
• Western Pygmy-Blue 1
• Ceraunus Blue 3
• American Snout 2
• Gulf Fritillary 1
• Painted Lady 2
• White Peacock 1
• Brown Longtail 2
• Mimosa Skipper 1
• Sickle-winged Skipper 1
• Hermit Skipper 1
• White-patched Skipper 2
• Mournful Duskywing 1
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper 6
• Laviana White-Skipper 2
• Fawn-spotted Skipper 1
• Clouded Skipper 4
• Southern Skipperling 1
• Fiery Skipper 1
• Southern Broken-Dash 1
• Celia's Roadside-Skipper 1
• Eufala Skipper 1