Yesterday while I was at home waiting for the termite exterminator, the WhatsApp dinged with the news that a Pacific-slope Flycatcher was visible and calling at Quinta Mazatlan. Arg!!!!! Then a bit later I got a text that a Guatemalan Leafwing had just been found at the National Butterfly Center. Arg!!!! That's my most wanted butterfly and there's nothing I can do about it. And to add insult to injury, the exterminator found lots of termites in the attic. Then a cold front blew in and who knows what that will do to the staked out birds and butterflies.
So this morning it was cool and drippy. Quinta Mazatlan was closed and butterflies weren't out so I decided to look for birds at Frontera. I didn't find much but by noon the sky was clearing and temperatures were going up so I made the run over to the National Butterfly Center. Bait was out at the location of yesterday's magical apparition of the Guatemalan Leafwing. People checked the spot off and on all afternoon and the blue bug never showed. But it was still a great day. Phil Kelly put me onto the Spot-celled sister, only the fourth I've ever seen.
Though not as rare as the sister, this very cooperative Pale-spotted Leafwing was the bug of the day for me. I had been thinking about them just a few minutes earlier when I found this one on a bait lot. I could not believe it when it opend up and sunned itself.
I got the word out and everyone at the park came running. It's been a while since we've had one in the Valley. But just a few minutes later Phil goes out and finds a second one. A bit of blue is visible on the nape in the second photo.
A Tropical Leafwing battled the Pale-spotted over a spot on the bait log and then showed off a bit.
It's been a few years since I've seen a Two-barred Flasher. I'm still waiting for one of these in the yard.
The male Pavon Emperor was on the top of the chomonque and did not show well.
Cool sunny weather is forcast for the week and the chomonque is blooming like crazy so maybe some more good butterflies are in store.
- Pipevine Swallowtail 1
- Giant Swallowtail 1
- Great Southern White 2
- Large Orange Sulphur 10
- Little Yellow 2
- Red-crescent Scrub-Hairstreak 1
- Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak 10
- Lantana Scrub-Hairstreak 2
- Dusky-blue Groundstreak 25
- Clytie Ministreak 2
- Cassius Blue 10
- Fatal Metalmark 2
- Red-bordered Pixie 20
- American Snout 5
- Gulf Fritillary 2
- Julia Heliconian 3
- Zebra Heliconian 6
- Variegated Fritillary 1
- Mexican Fritillary 2
- Bordered Patch 2
- Texan Crescent 2
- Phaon Crescent 8
- Question Mark 1
- Red Admiral 1
- White Peacock 5
- Mexican Bluewing 6
- Common Mestra 2
- Tropical Leafwing 5
- Pale-spotted Leafwing 2
- Tawny Emperor 50
- Pavon Emperor 1
- Carolina Satyr 6
- Monarch 1
- Queen 50
- Soldier 5
- White-striped Longtail 1
- Dorantes Longtail 1
- Brown Longtail 6
- Two-barred Flasher 1
- Sickle-winged Skipper 6
- White Checkered-Skipper 6
- Tropical Checkered-Skipper 6
- Laviana White-Skipper 6
- Turk's-cap White-Skipper 1
- Fawn-spotted Skipper 50
- Clouded Skipper 25
- Common Mellana 1
- Eufala Skipper 10
