Despite a week long cold spell it's been a pretty good fall butterfly season in the Rio Grande Valley. Visiting Linda Cooper topped 120 species for November including the rare Dusted Spurwing at the National Butterfly Center. Here at Progreso Lakes things have been a little more subdued. We finally had a good south wind ahead of a cold front that brought several Mexican Yellows.
And a Giant White,
These two species along with Florida White often seem to be a harbinger of good butterflies from Mexico. But it got cool again and nothing else showed up till today. It was foggy, humid and mostly cloudy so I wasn't expecting much. It was nice to get a Boisduval's Yellow. It's been around for a couple of days.
The recent cold front also brought in a few birds. So I was sitting on the back porch this afternoon watching a flock of mostly Yellow-rumped Warblers when a funky little hairstreak landed on the Tunera ulmifolia. I fired a quick shot at a strongly patterned hairstreak.
I was hoping it was something good and then it flew. I was up and after it before I got to look at the photo. Then it landed on the Mexican Coral Bean. I fired a few more shots and then thought "Gee. what if it's only a winter Clytie Ministreak?" So I looked at the back of the camera and saw black eyes and realized I had the first White Scrub-Hairstreak for our yard, butterfly #147.
Last Monday I visited the National Butterfly Center and got to see several of my old butterflying friends who were visiting for the Texas Butterfly Festival and Thanksgiving.. We didn't see a whole lot but it was fun to visit. Before I left I though I would make a final round of the baitlogs. Along the way a butterfly landed and looked black and white striped. It looked exactly like the Whitened Blueings I have seen in the past in Panama.
My was was racing as this would be a first US record. But it repositioned itself and morphed into the expected Mexican Bluewing. I was not surprised.
Warm weather is forecast for the next week. I bet some good shows.
