Erato Heliconian at NBC, 7/20/14

Lately I haven't got out much as I've been undergoing some chemotherapy for a precancerous skin condition that has left my face looking as if I had contracted smallpox. But I had promised to help out with the NABA butterfly count today so I ran over to the National Butterfly Center hoping to see the Red Rim and White Scrub-Hairstreak that were seen yesterday. They were both seen today, but not by me. But I saw enough other interesting stuff to make for one heck of a day. Leading the way was this very cooperative Erato Heliconian that spent several hours just hanging around. It gets my vote for "most tropical looking butterfly." This is the first I've seen north of the border.

Several of the Erato's more common cousin, the Zebra Heliconian, fluttered in the shady understory.

And another slightly more distant cousin, the Julia Heliconian, was ovipositing on the Corky-stemmed Passionvine.

After seeing a female Silver Emperor a few weeks ago, a colorful male showed up today. Too bad someone had bitten a chunk out of his wings.

The first good bug of the day was this Potrillo Skipper that hung around for just a few seconds.

And then there was my first Malachite of the summer.

Yesterday I saw my first Soldier of the summer in our yard. There were at least ten of them today at the NBC. It seems strange how these things show up all at once.

I almost forgot about seeing my first Banded Peacock of the year.

So just as I was leaving after enjoying a really good day, Mike Rickard catches me to tell me that John and Audrey have a White-crescent Longtail in their yard over in Retama Village. We raced the two miles over there and find the gang (Dot, Bill, Robin and Troy included) leisurely enjoying a lifer butterfly. It was one for me also.

Here's my list from the NBC.

Pipevine Swallowtail 1
Giant Swallowtail 3
Cloudless Sulphur 1
Large Orange Sulphur 3
Lyside Sulphur 10
Little Yellow 3
Gray Hairstreak 2
Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak 2
Ceraunus Blue 1
Reakirt's Blue 2
Fatal Metalmark 1
Rounded Metalmark 1
Gulf Fritillary 3
Julia Heliconian 1
Zebra Heliconian 4
Crimson Patch 6
Elada Crescent 2
Texan Crescent 2
Vesta Crescent 2
Phaon Crescent 20
Pearl Crescent 1
White Peacock 1
Banded Peacock 1
Malachite 1
Tropical Leafwing 1
Empress Leilia 1
Tawny Emperor 35
Silver Emperor 1
Queen 80
Soldier 10
Brown Longtail 5
Potrillo Skipper 1
Sickle-winged Skipper 1
White Checkered-Skipper 15
Tropical Checkered-Skipper 3
Desert Checkered-Skipper 1
Laviana White-Skipper 6
Clouded Skipper 15
Southern Skipperling 1
Fiery Skipper 1
Whirlabout 3
Southern Broken-Dash 6
Eufala Skipper 5