National Butterfly Center, 3/12/15

After several days of cool rainy weather I ventured out to the National Butterfly Center south of Mission this afternoon.  With all the winter's rain, things are very lush and butterflies were starting to be more active. Chris Tenney found this very sharp Brown-banded Skipper, my first of the year.

I really liked this dark female Sachem.  I don't think I've ever seen one like this before.

Here's another Texas Powdered Skipper.  They seem to be everywhere this spring.

Not many Pierids today with the north wind.  My only Checkered White on the day.

My first Julia's Skipper for the year.

This Phaon Crescent lacks the black spot on the last orange spot on the front wing subterminal row of orange spots.  But it's still a Phaon. 

Since today's post has degenerated to a photo of a Phaon Crescent, it's time to stop.

Santa Ana NWR, 3/22/14

A warm, cloudy afternoon walk down the main tour road at Santa Ana NWR netted 22 species of butterflies.  When I got to the old manager's residence area area I remembered this was the site of my first Texas Powdered-Skipper a couple of years ago.  And right on cue a little brown butterfly does a couple of laps around me and then poses.  Pretty weird.

Here's a strongly patterned female Checkered White.

I got past the start of the Bobcat Trail and started looking for East Mexican White-Skipper.   But the small croton I had found them on last fall was nowhere to be found.  Instead a little blue catches my eye and lands and starts wobbling from side to side.  Another Cyna Blue!

As I approached the Old Cemetery, the tour road was lined with Dakota Vervain.  Most of the butterflies were in this area.  This is a Clouded Skipper.

American Ladies have big eyes.  They also have falcate wingtips.

A tiny dark skipper toyed with me a while before giving itself up as a Celia's Roadside-Skipper.

Several South Texas Satyrs cavorted along the road but were hard to photograph.

There were lots of flowering plants but not much sunshine.  So I'll have to try this walk again in a few days.