National Butterfly Center, 10/16/25

Over five hours spent at the National Butterfly Center turned up 48 species.  Despite hot dry conditions, crucita is starting to bloom and butterfly numbers have really increased compared to five days ago.  This Red-crescent Scrub-Hairstreak is the first I've seen this year.

It's been a good fall for Brown-banded Skippers.

It's always a good sign when the Giant Whites are blowing up from Mexico.

My first Ocola Skipper for the fall.

Saw a couple of Lantana Scrub-Hairstreaks.

There were hundreds of Queens on the crucita.

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And even a few Soldiers.

I liked this Red-bordered Metalmark.

I can't tell who she is eating.

Here's today's list of 48 species.

• Pipevine Swallowtail 1
• Giant Swallowtail 2
• Giant White 1
• Southern Dogface 25
• Cloudless Sulphur 4
• Large Orange Sulphur 50
• Lyside Sulphur 10
• Little Yellow 5
• Gray Hairstreak 10
• Red-crescent Scrub-Hairstreak 1
• Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak 3
• Lantana Scrub-Hairstreak 2
• Ceraunus Blue 30
• American Snout 80
• Gulf Fritillary 15
• Mexican Fritillary 3
• Bordered Patch 25
• Elada Checkerspot 1
• Phaon Crescent 25
• Red Admiral 1
• Common Buckeye 1
• White Peacock 3
• Mexican Bluewing 2
• Tropical Leafwing 3
• Empress Leilia 2
• Tawny Emperor 60
• Queen 300
• Soldier 5
• White-striped Longtail 2
• Sickle-winged Skipper 5
• Brown-banded Skipper 1
• White-patched Skipper 8
• Mournful Duskywing 1
• White Checkered-Skipper 10
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper 5
• Laviana White-Skipper 20
• Clouded Skipper 60
• Double-dotted Skipper 1
• Southern Skipperling 5
• Fiery Skipper 30
• Whirlabout 6
• Southern Broken-Dash 3
• Sachem 5
• Common Mellana 5
• Celia's Roadside-Skipper 15
• Eufala Skipper 20
• Ocola Skipper 2
• Mexican Crescent 1

Mexican Crescent at NBC, 10/12/25

A weak cool front came through and dropped the morning low to below 70 for the first time since spring.  With clear sky and lower humidity I decided to check out the National Butterfly Center.  Turned out to be a good choice.  Butterfly of the day goes to this worn Mexican Crescent.  I've been checking the Phaons lately as we were invaded by Mexican Crescents last year in October.  Previously they had been extremely rare.

The esperanza was suddenly filled with Doube-dotted Skippers.

A big Brazilian Skipper zoomed in for a sip.

A big dark skipper burried itself in an esperanza flower.  What the hell is this?

Could it be a Guava Skipper?  Can they show a tail?  It zoomed out and did not reappear so I went to the Mexican Orchid and sure enough there was a Guava Skipper.  And yes it has a bit of a stub stail on the hind wings.

Between the Tropical Milkweeds Gregg's Mistflower and Crucita there were well over 200 Queens.

It was a good day for White-patched Skippers.

It's been a while since we've had a Hackerberry Emperor.

A Giant White hit the Mexican Olives.

My first Monarch of the fall.

Last butterfluy of the day was this very fresh Texas Powdered-Skipper.

38 species on the day without any south wind.  The crucita is getting ready to pop.  Good times ahead!

• Pipevine Swallowtail 1
• Giant Swallowtail 6
• Gray Hairstreak 2
• Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak 1
• Ceraunus Blue 12
• Fatal Metalmark 2
• American Snout 10
• Bordered Patch 6
• Phaon Crescent 20
• Painted Lady 1
• White Peacock 2
• Mexican Bluewing 1
• Tropical Leafwing 6
• Hackberry Emperor 2
• Empress Leilia 3
• Tawny Emperor 12
• Monarch 1
• Queen 200
• Guava Skipper 1
• White-striped Longtail 2
• Dorantes Longtail 1
• Brown Longtail 1
• Texas Powdered-Skipper 1
• Sickle-winged Skipper 3
• White-patched Skipper 5
• White Checkered-Skipper 5
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper 15
• Laviana White-Skipper 10
• Clouded Skipper 20
• Double-dotted Skipper 6
• Southern Skipperling 3
• Fiery Skipper 15
• Southern Broken-Dash 1
• Common Mellana 2
• Celia's Roadside-Skipper 8
• Eufala Skipper 12
• Brazilian Skipper 1
• Mexican Crescent 1

White Scrub-Hairstreak at Progreso Lakes, 12/2/22

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.

Broad-banded Swallowtail at National Butterfly Center, 6/17/22

Things have been pretty slow at home lately so I made a run over to the National Butterfly Center south of Mission to see what might be about.  They've gotten more rain than we have at Progreso Lakes and butterflies were numerous.  I finished the afternoon with 39 species which is pretty good for June.  While trying to get a photo of the Western Giant Swallowtails in the Mexican orchid bush, I accidentally got an Ornythion Swallowtail.  But a second look at the photo showed an extra spot near the band on the fore wing.  And the band was too wide and too yellow.  It was a male Broad-banded Swallowtail, my third ever.

A short time later an Ornythion Swallowtail popped into the same bush.  Not as rare as a Broad-banded but still my first for the year.

Earlier Mick Rickard found a Giant White in the same bush.

This Curve-winged Metalmark was also a first for the year.

Gee, I'm going to have to spend more time over there.

• Black Swallowtail 1
• Giant Swallowtail 5
• Ornythion Swallowtail 1
• Broad-banded Swallowtail 1
• Checkered White 10
• Giant White 1
• Large Orange Sulphur 8
• Lyside Sulphur 50
• Little Yellow 6
• Gray Hairstreak 3
• Dusky-blue Groundstreak 1
• Cassius Blue 2
• Ceraunus Blue 4
• Reakirt's Blue 8
• Fatal Metalmark 1
• Red-bordered Metalmark 1
• Curve-winged Metalmark 1
• American Snout 500
• Gulf Fritillary 1
• Bordered Patch 6
• Texan Crescent 6
• Pale-banded Crescent 1
• Phaon Crescent 8
• Question Mark 1
• White Peacock 6
• Mexican Bluewing 2
• Tawny Emperor 150
• Queen 60
• Brown Longtail 1
• Sickle-winged Skipper 1
• White Checkered-Skipper 8
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper 20
• Laviana White-Skipper 6
• Clouded Skipper 3
• Southern Skipperling 2
• Whirlabout 2
• Southern Broken-Dash 1
• Common Mellana 2
• Eufala Skipper 1

Variegated Skipper at Progreso Lakes, 1/13/22

Butterflies have been absent at Progreso Lakes the past two cold cloudy days but today the sun popped out and warmed temps to the 70's and the butterflies were back.  A real surprise was this rare Variegated Skipper.  These tiny jewels rarely wander up from Mexico.  It was only my second for the United States and first for our yard, butterfly #139.

After being a rare visitor to our yard for the first five years, Zebra Heliconians have been present daily for the past couple of weeks.  We had four today.

We've also had multiple Giant Whites daily.  Here's three in one shot.  They really like the blooming Dicliptera.

I thought this was an Orange-barred Sulphur when I photographed it.  Then I noticed it lacked any dark orange above so I started hoping it was a first record Apricot Sulphur.  But alas, it was just a big rambunctious Large Oange Sulphur.

Second best butterfly today was our third ever Band-celled Sister.

Last week we got our second ever Marine Blue.  These are much more common farther west.

We also had another Mazans Scallopwing last week.

Here's today's list.

Giant Swallowtail 1

• Giant White 3
• Orange Sulphur 1
• Southern Dogface 1
• Cloudless Sulphur 5
• Large Orange Sulphur 5
• Mexican Yellow 1
• Little Yellow 3
• Gray Hairstreak 1
• Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak 2
• Ceraunus Blue 1
• Reakirt's Blue 2
• Gulf Fritillary 8
• Zebra Heliconian 4
• Variegated Fritillary 1
• Texan Crescent 1
• Phaon Crescent 2
• Red Admiral 2
• White Peacock 2
• Band-celled Sister 1
• Monarch 1
• Queen 3
• Soldier 1
• White-striped Longtail 1
• Long-tailed Skipper 1
• Dorantes Longtail 1
• Brown Longtail 5
• Variegated Skipper 1
• Funereal Duskywing 1
• White Checkered-Skipper 6
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper 20
• Laviana White-Skipper 3
• Julia's Skipper 1
• Clouded Skipper 10
• Double-dotted Skipper 1
• Southern Skipperling 1
• Fiery Skipper 1
• Sachem 1
• Common Mellana 1
• Eufala Skipper 5