Black Hairstreak at National Butterfly Center, 12/21/15

I took it easy this morning, thinking about where I might go today.  Chris Balboni had a pretty good report from Yturria Brush.  Or maybe I'll stay home and watch football.  It was warm and yesterday had a good south wind so I decided to just go over to the National Butterfly Center.  As I passed the front garden I noticed a Mallow Scrub Hairstreak and though maybe it'll be a good hairstreak day.

I checked in. and proceeded to the sunken garden.  Lantana Scrub-Hairstreaks continue.

I was disappointed to see little on the brush holly that was blooming so heavily just a couple of days ago.  They bloom out fast.  So I checked the blooming fiddlewoods and got a Dusky-blue Groundstreak.

It was getting close to luch time so I started to wander back to the visitor's center and noticed Chris Balboni and Ryan Shaw looking at the litte brush holly.  I yelled "What you got?"  Ryan shouted "Some weird hairstreak."  

I ran over and recognized it immediately.  Black Hairstreak!  I had been waiting for this Mexican visitor since I missed the last one ten years ago.  It just sat there feeding on the few brush holly flowers that were left on the plant.  I guess I had missed it just a few minutes earlier.  What a cool hairstreak.  The photos in the book didn't do it justice.  RGV lifer #230.

After lunch I found a Great Purple Hairstreak up high in the chomonque.

And then I found a Clytie Ministreak in a nearby fiddlewood.  This one is a beauty.

Finally John Rosford found my seventh hairstreak for the day, Marius Haistreak.  I missed common Gray and Silver-banded Hairstreaks. 

He also got me a lifer hemipteran which I haven't IDed yet.

Mimosa Skipper is uncommon at the NBC but easier to find at Santa Ana and Resaca de la Palma where the host Black Mimosa is more common.

Some visitng birders from my old stomping grounds at New Mexico State were happy to see a Red Rim.

There have been several reports of Mexican Silverspot in the Valley lately and people wanted to see one.  Jon McIntyre found this one today by the corky-steed passionvine where they have oviposited in the past.

Wow!  What a good day!  A big fresh Malachite wished me "Adios" as I left.

No cold weather in the forecast.  Dry and 80's.  More good stuff on the way.

Pale-spotted Leafwing at Progreso Lakes, 12/4/22

I was away most of the day and didn't get home till after 3:30.  It was mostly cloudy and I didn't expect to see much as I made rounds of the yard.  But some sun popped out and made for a very good hour of butterflies.  First thing I saw was the continuing (or a different) Mexican Silverspot.  It was clinging to the flame vine exposed to the southerly winds.

Then there was the usual as of late Boisduval's Yellow.

Then I checked the bait station.  I could see a leafwing..... with a dark medial arch on the forewing and what looked like back lit spots!  Wow!  Pale-spotted Leafwing!  Yard butterfly species #148 and one I thought I might have to wait a while for.

On the otherside a big chunk of missing hind wing expose a dark reddish brown upper surface of a female.  Not the blue I was hoping for but maybe she found some of our Crotons and laid a few eggs.

   

Finally a small silvery hairstreak proved to be a Red-crescent Scrub-Hairstreak.  I tried to turn it into a Red-lined but I don't think so.

Warm, humid, windy weather is in the forecast so stay tuned.

National Butterfly Center, 12/21/21

A beautiful sunny day after a brief cold spell brought our the butterflies at the National Butterfly Center today.  Best was this sharp Isabella Heliconian.  It's been a few years since I've seen one though several have been reported this fall.

The afternoon started with a male Pavon's Emperor up front in the fiddlewood.  There have been several around lately.

Still a Mexican Silverspot where I saw one a few days ago.  From the underside they are quite similar to Gulf Fritillaries but note the bold black bars beneath the costa.

I have never seen so many Purple-washed Skippers.  Had at least a half dozen today.

Potrillo Skippers are being found after a long absence.

Found another Mazans Scallopwing.  They are normally very uncommon here.

Finished the afternoon with this bright Two-barred Flasher.

Here's the list of 55 species seen in three hours.

• Checkered White 1
• Orange Sulphur 1
• Cloudless Sulphur 1
• Orange-barred Sulphur 1
• Large Orange Sulphur 2
• Lyside Sulphur 1
• Little Yellow 5
• Sleepy Orange 1
• Gray Hairstreak 3
• Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak 5
• Lantana Scrub-Hairstreak 1
• Dusky-blue Groundstreak 4
• Clytie Ministreak 1
• Cassius Blue 3
• Reakirt's Blue 2
• Fatal Metalmark 1
• American Snout 1
• Gulf Fritillary 2
• Mexican Silverspot 1
• Julia Heliconian 1
• Isabella's Heliconian 1
• Zebra Heliconian 6
• Bordered Patch 1
• Texan Crescent 5
• Pale-banded Crescent 1
• Vesta Crescent 1
• Phaon Crescent 5
• American Lady 1
• Painted Lady 1
• Red Admiral 5
• White Peacock 3
• Mexican Bluewing 3
• Pavon Emperor 1
• Carolina Satyr 3
• Monarch 2
• Queen 50
• Soldier 1
• Long-tailed Skipper 1
• Dorantes Longtail 6
• Brown Longtail 6
• Two-barred Flasher 1
• Potrillo Skipper 1
• Mazans Scallopwing 1
• White Checkered-Skipper 5
• Laviana White-Skipper 8
• Clouded Skipper 20
• Double-dotted Skipper 1
• Southern Skipperling 3
• Fiery Skipper 6
• Whirlabout 8
• Sachem 1
• Common Mellana 1
• Eufala Skipper 8
• Ocola Skipper 2
• Purple-washed Skipper 6

Ovipositing Mexican Silverspot at Progreso Lakes, 12/10/21

Strong southerly winds ahead of an approaching cold front can mean good butterflies during fall and winter.  Today the prize was a Mexican Silverspot, only the second ever for our Progreso Lakes yard.  I got a few shots of it and hoped it would find one of our passionvines.  Well, she did and laid several eggs.

The other exciting news is that the wind blew in our first Boisduval's Yellow since the hard freeze in February.  Not only have they been missing from our yard but none have been sighted at their ususal location at Resaca de la Palma State Park.  Hope it's a female and she takes an interest in our Senna pedula.

I call Giant and Florida Whites my barometer species.  When they blow in I tend to get some good stuff.  This Giant White was hunkered down in the shade but the black fore wing spot is barely visible through the hind wing.

Another good butterfly today was this Pale-banded Crescent.  They have been hard to find this year.

Today's ovipositing Mexican Silverspot came on the heels of another that I saw yesterday at the National Butterfly Center.

I thought about going back to the NBC today as I figured the wind would blow in some good stuff.  Turns out I missed both Angled and Pale-spotted Leafwings, two Pearly-gray Hairstreaks and a mega Orion Cecropian.  Ugh!!!!  Well I stand by my decision and maybe I can dig out something in the yard tomorrow morning before the cold front hits.

Mexican Silverspot at Progreso Lakes, 11/27/19

Today was forecast to be warm and windy so I thought it would be a good opportunity to get some work done in our yard at Progreso Lakes.  After a couple of hours visiting butterfly watchers showed up and I used that as an excuse to stop working and have some fun.  We quickly discovered the stiff breeze was blowing in some good stuff.  First was this uncooperative Florida White.

A few minutes later a Mexican Yellow fluttered by.  We later found a second but I failed to get a great shot.

While I was trying to get them on the Florida White I caught a glimpse of a pale green sulphur with purple wing tips....Statira Sulphur!

At this point we had to get word out to other visiting lepidophiles who soon arrived only to find the Mexican Yellow but nothing else.  But they went to work and soon turned up this magnificent Mexican Silverspot, yard butterfly #115.  It's a been a few years since I have seen one.

Everyone loved the Guava Skipper as usual.

I don't get many Questionmarks.  Here's an unusual shot.

Then Linda Cooper's sharp eyes found us a Silver-banded Hairstreak.

Though I had not seen a Double-dotted Skipper in weeks, the group wanted one and so they found a couple.

I like Dorantes Longtails.  This one stayed for only a few seconds.

Not a butterfly but a cool day flying moth, this Saucy Beauty was a first for our yard.

So we found 48 species in the yard including some good quality bugs.  Meanwhile Blomfild's Beauties have been found at the National Butterfly Center and at nearby Estero Llano Grande State Park and Estero also had a Chestnut Crescent so things are looking up.

Pipevine Swallowtail 1

• Florida White 1
• Cloudless Sulphur 5
• Large Orange Sulphur 3
• Statira Sulphur 1
• Mexican Yellow 2
• Little Yellow 1
• Mimosa Yellow 2
• Dainty Sulphur 2
• Silver-banded Hairstreak 1
• Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak 2
• Dusky-blue Groundstreak 5
• Ceraunus Blue 2
• Reakirt's Blue 3
• Red-bordered Metalmark 1
• American Snout 1
• Gulf Fritillary 2
• Mexican Silverspot 1
• Texan Crescent 1
• Vesta Crescent 3
• Phaon Crescent 3
• Question Mark 1
• Painted Lady 1
• Red Admiral 1
• White Peacock 2
• Tawny Emperor 1
• Carolina Satyr 2
• Monarch 4
• Queen 10
• Soldier 2
• Guava Skipper 2
• Dorantes Longtail 1
• Brown Longtail 4
• Sickle-winged Skipper 3
• White Checkered-Skipper 4
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper 2
• Laviana White-Skipper 3
• Julia's Skipper 1
• Fawn-spotted Skipper 1
• Clouded Skipper 2
• Double-dotted Skipper 2
• Southern Skipperling 3
• Fiery Skipper 8
• Whirlabout 4
• Southern Broken-Dash 3
• Sachem 2
• Eufala Skipper 2
• Ocola Skipper 2