After doing some bee stuff for a couple of days I was back at the National Butterfly Center yesterday to get the June list going. The new June Big Board was at 37 species for the month when I arrived and was at 60 when I finished so it was a pretty good day. A little Common Sootywing out front got me off to a good start.
After signing in, I went out the back door to the garden and quickly found a striking fresh guava Skipper.
And then I found another ministreak but this one had a black eye and was missing some red spots. Gray Ministreak! There were two of them. We had one just a month ago. Hairstreak #7 for the day.
I put the Gray Ministreak on the Dischord alert and Stephanie came running after a bit. It was a lifer for her. She's usually too busy running the NBC to get to chase butterflies. And while we were standing there by the frostweed this big stonking Clench's Greensteak magically appeared. It was also a lifer for Stephanie. I think we're up to at least eight of them in the last month.
Eight species of hairstreaks in June is pretty incredible. I wanted more but got sidetracked by this Banded Cucumber Beetle.
Then a brief look at a Lantana Scrub-Hairstreak. #9 for the day and all before lunch!.
After luch I thought there was a good possiblity for Silver-banded Hairstreak or Red-lined Scrub-Hairstreak in the balloon vine but it was not to be. Red-bordered and Curve-winged Metalmarks were nice.
After lunch it gets hot fast and the humidity was stifling. So I was done for the day. Along with the nine hairstreaks I saw four species of blues whitch makes for a total of 13 Lycaenids! I think that's my all time high.
Amazing 54 species!
- Giant Swallowtail 5
- Checkered White 20
- Great Southern White 6
- Large Orange Sulphur 6
- Lyside Sulphur +s
- Little Yellow 5
- Mimosa Yellow 1
- Dainty Sulphur 3
- Marius Hairstreak 1
- Clench's Greenstreak 1
- Gray Hairstreak 5
- Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak 8
- Lantana Scrub-Hairstreak 1
- Ruddy Hairstreak 1
- Dusky-blue Groundstreak 1
- Clytie Ministreak 3
- Gray Ministreak 2
- Western Pygmy-Blue 1
- Cassius Blue 5
- Ceraunus Blue 6
- Reakirt's Blue 1
- Red-bordered Metalmark 1
- Curve-winged Metalmark 3
- American Snout 2
- Gulf Fritillary 8
- Mexican Fritillary 3
- Bordered Patch 10
- Texan Crescent 20
- Pale-banded Crescent 10
- Phaon Crescent 8
- Red Admiral 1
- White Peacock 6
- Mexican Bluewing 5
- Tropical Leafwing 1
- Tawny Emperor 12
- Queen 12
- Soldier 6
- Guava Skipper 1
- Brown Longtail 6
- White Checkered-Skipper 4
- Tropical Checkered-Skipper 10
- Desert Checkered-Skipper 1
- Laviana White-Skipper 5
- Common Sootywing 1
- Clouded Skipper 20
- Double-dotted Skipper 6
- Southern Skipperling 2
- Fiery Skipper 2
- Whirlabout 8
- Southern Broken-Dash 15
- Celia's Roadside-Skipper 12
- Eufala Skipper 8
- Purple-washed Skipper 1
- Mexican Crescent 15
