Broad-banded Swallowtail at Progreso Lakes, 6-29-20

The SE wind has really ramped up the past two days and with all the rain down in Mexico for the last month, I've been expecting some good butterflies to blow to the north.  We've already had two Falcate Skippers!  So after being busy in the house this morning, I decided to make rounds of the yard and the first thing I saw was the Polydamas Swallowtail hanging out of the wind below a papaya tree.  I got up close and started taking photos and noticed it had a semicircle of red spots on the under side of the hind wing but lacked the red spots on its body.  Then I got a view a subterminal band of blue spots on the upper side of the hind wing and I was confused.  Female Ornythion?  Time to run inside and check the book.  Even better.......female Broad-banded Swallowtail!  It's been a while since one has been reported in the RGV and I don't even remember ever chasing after one.  Valley lifer #214 and yard butterfly #122.

Here's the Polydamas Swallowtail I saw yesterday.

And a Western Giant Swallowtail just for fun.

I think Broad-banded Swallowtail was much more common in the past.  I'm hoping the female oviposited on some of the members of the family Rutaceae growing in our yard like Texas Torchwood and Colima before the wind carried it away.

Progreso Lakes, 6/27/20

We finally got a couple of inches of rain yesterday and the ground was soft so I spent the morning digging grass and pulling up seedlings in my brush patch.  After lunch I did rounds of the yard looking for butterflies and danged if I didn't find another Falcate Skipper. 

Here's the one from two days ago and it clearly has a chunk missing from the right wing tip.

The other big news is I found copulating Boisduval's Yellows.  I doubt this has been photographed very often and certainly not in Hidalgo County.

And then there was this one.  It seemed the size of an Ocola Skipper but the fore wing seems narrow and juts out quite a bit like a Purple-washed.  I tried to flash it to get an open winged shot but it didn't cooperate.  Best to probably call it Panoquina sp.

Great Southern White

Copulating Soldiers.  Don't ask.  Don't tell.

Mimosa Yellow.

Hot with strong southerly winds is the forecast for next week.  Hope something good blows in.

Falcate Skipper at Progreso Lakes, 6/25/20

This morning during breakfast I was lamenting to Honey about how long it had been since we had picked up a new butterfly for the yard.  I then listed not very rare butterflies that we should get.  Well one of them was Falcate Skipper and danged if I didn't find one in the yard today.  I saw something with white wing stripes high in a fiddlewood and lifted the camera and started firing.  I never got very close and it was gone after a couple of minutes.

The female Polydamas Swallowtail was back at it again.

Last year I saw lots of Polydamas caterpillars but few emerged adults.  I collected this fat cat with the hopes I can hatch it safely and release it.

After lunch I looked out the window and spied this Giant White.

We missed our second chance at rain today.  One more shot in the morning and if nothing happens I guess I will get the hose out and start watering again.  Gotta keep stuff blooming while good butterflies are around.

Progreso Lakes yard, 6/24/20

Most of the rain seems to be going around our yard at Progreso Lakes but were still getting butterflies.  About every day I check the Giant Dutchman's Pipe for Polydamas Swallowtail caterpillars and find none.  Today I noticed an adult female ovipositing and counted 15 cats.  Some were big.  Don't know how I missed them.

New for the yard this year was this tiny Lantana Scrub-Hairstreak.  Bet we start seeing a lot more now.

Our Gulf Fritillaries are also laying egss.  I wonder if this big fresh one hatched in our yard.

Am I crazy or is that a lot of dots?  The correct Seinfeld response is "That's a lot of dots."  Double-dotted Skippers can have variable numbers of spots.  Here's a freak and a more normal one.

Our other yard specialty, Boisduval's Yellow, fluttered about the brush patch today.

Ten Soldiers was a one day high for the yard.

And there were a dozen Queens.

And even a Monarch.  It's been a while.

We have two more shots at some rain and then it gets dry next week.

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.