Hermit Skipper and Caterpillars at Progreso Lakes, 9/28/20

South wind ahead of our second cold front of the fall brought our second ever Hermit Skipper to our Progreso Lkaes yard today.  This has been a good summer for Hermit Skippers with several in the Valley and some as far way as Uvalde County.

Yesterday the butterflies weren't doing too much so I switched to looking for caterpillars.  The one that got me started was this cool Forbe's Silkmoth caterpillar.

In the same Colima I found a Western Giant Swallowtail Caterpillar with more nearby on a smaller Colima.

The Gulf Fritillaries have been busy on our Corky-stemmed Passionvine.

I found this Orange-barred Sulphur ovipositing on a Senna pendula.

But the only caterpillars I could find were Cloudless Sulphurs.

There were even two Cloudless Sulphur Chrysalises.

And the Polydamas Swallowtails ae still at it.

It's rewarding to see my plants being put to good use.

National Butterfly Center, 10/17/17

I've been busy and have not got around to posting about the fun day I had at the National Butterfly Center with the Yukichs from Canada, Mike Rickard, John Rosford, Ken Wilson and Dave Hanson.  My goal was to see the Mercurial Skipper that had been present the two days before.  But alas, it was not meant to be and Mercurial Skipper continues as my nemesis butterfly (along with Emerald Aguna).  But we had a great day, finding some pretty good butterflies for each other.  Best
was my second ever Hermit Skipper.

Ken Wilson found this worn Gold-spotted Aguna.  It just barely had enough filed marks to be identifiable.

This Evan's Skipper wasn't much better.

And this Zilpa Longtail generated some debate.

I should write some more but I'm worn out.  Our list for the day held 65 species of which I saw all but four I think.

• Pipevine Swallowtail 2
• Giant Swallowtail 1
• Florida White 2
• Giant White 1
• Southern Dogface 4
• Yellow Angled-Sulphur 1
• Cloudless Sulphur 2
• Large Orange Sulphur 8
• Lyside Sulphur 20
• Tailed Orange 4
• Little Yellow 5
• Sleepy Orange 3
• Dainty Sulphur 1
• Marius Hairstreak 1
• Gray Hairstreak 12
• Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak 4
• Ceraunus Blue 10
• Red-bordered Metalmark 1
• American Snout 25
• Gulf Fritillary 15
• Julia Heliconian 2
• Zebra Heliconian 1
• Variegated Fritillary 1
• Mexican Fritillary 3
• Bordered Patch 4
• Phaon Crescent 10
• Question Mark 1
• Painted Lady 6
• Common Buckeye 5
• White Peacock 2
• Mexican Bluewing 4
• Common Mestra 1
• Ruddy Daggerwing 2
• Tropical Leafwing 1
• Tawny Emperor 30
• Carolina Satyr 2
• Monarch 6
• Queen 300
• Soldier 10
• Zilpa Longtail 1
• Gold-spotted Aguna 1
• Long-tailed Skipper 1
• Dorantes Longtail 1
• Brown Longtail 10
• Sickle-winged Skipper 1
• Hermit Skipper 1
• Brown-banded Skipper 2
• White-patched Skipper 2
• Mournful Duskywing 1
• Funereal Duskywing 1
• White Checkered-Skipper 15
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper 5
• Laviana White-Skipper 20
• Fawn-spotted Skipper 5
• Clouded Skipper 30
• Southern Skipperling 5
• Fiery Skipper 80
• Whirlabout 15
• Southern Broken-Dash 15
• Sachem 40
• Common Mellana 10
• Celia's Roadside-Skipper 3
• Eufala Skipper 10
• Purple-washed Skipper 2
• Evans' Skipper 1

Hermit Skipper at Progreso Lakes, 9/14/17

Wow!  What a day!  It was a bit windy this morning so I decided to work in our butterfly garden and enjoy the breeze before the heat turned on.  After two hours of digging up grass along the edges, I decided I was about worn out and would check out the butterflies.  Not much happening in the garden so I checked out our very productive Purple Duranta.  A Pipevine Swallowtail played in the wind and then I saw something white with dark edges.  Female Florida White!  Yard butterfly #74.

I had a difficult time with the Florida White as it played in the wind and refused to stay put.  And then suddenly this big brown spreadwing skipper lands right in front of me.  I knew what it was since everyone seemed to be posting photos of Hermit Skippers on Face Book lately.  A species I had chased several times and failed to see, Hermit Skipper was one of my nemesis species.  This was RGV butterfly #208 for me.

Another Yellow Angled-Sulphur was a sharp male.

I saw two Painted Ladies today.

Meanwhile the butterfly garden on the other side of the yard was picking up with two White-patched Skippers.

And a Mimosa Skipper.  With the river nearby and ditches with the thorny pink mimosa, I bet I will see more of these guys in the future.

And a Sickle-winged Skipper.

And then another Florida White,this one a little scruffier than the other but more cooperative.

Finished the day with thirty species.

• Pipevine Swallowtail 1
• Giant Swallowtail 1
• Florida White 2
• Yellow Angled-Sulphur 1
• Cloudless Sulphur 5
• Large Orange Sulphur 2
• Lyside Sulphur 1
• Little Yellow 4
• Mimosa Yellow 1
• Western Pygmy-Blue 1
• Ceraunus Blue 3
• American Snout 2
• Gulf Fritillary 1
• Painted Lady 2
• White Peacock 1
• Brown Longtail 2
• Mimosa Skipper 1
• Sickle-winged Skipper 1
• Hermit Skipper 1
• White-patched Skipper 2
• Mournful Duskywing 1
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper 6
• Laviana White-Skipper 2
• Fawn-spotted Skipper 1
• Clouded Skipper 4
• Southern Skipperling 1
• Fiery Skipper 1
• Southern Broken-Dash 1
• Celia's Roadside-Skipper 1
• Eufala Skipper 1