Spring at National Butterfly Center, 3/5/26

Spring has sprung!  It is windy, dry and dusty in the Ruio Grande Valley of south Texas and trees are leafing out best then can despite the continuing drought.  The wind is screaming out of the south and the air is full of dust and pollen.  I'm itching all over, inside and out!  New arrivals today at the National Butterfly Center included this Florida White.  I think it's my first for the year.

Spreadwing skippers were abundant today.  Here's the first Sickle-winged Skipper I've seen in a while.

The four most common long-tailed Skippers popped in: Long-tailed Skipper (minus tails), Dorantes Longtail, White-striped Longtail and Brown Longtail.

And some of the little exotic spread-winged skippers:  Caballo Skipper, Common Streaky Skipper and Turk's-Cap White-Skipper.

Plenty of grass skippers too.  At least a half dozen Double-dotted skippers today.

Souther Broken-Dash has been numerous lately.

Here's a pair of cavorting Whirlabouts.

Finally got a Western Giant-Swallowtail.  Big butterflies ave been hard to come by,

An Elada Checkerspot was new but at the species' usual spot by the restrooms.  I am guessing this one hatched locally.  It's fun to speculate who is local and who blew in with the wind.

So I ran the Big Board species total up to 77 which is pretty good for five days into March.  Possible rain on the way!

• Giant Swallowtail 1
• Florida White 1
• Checkered White 1
• Southern Dogface 2
• Large Orange Sulphur 5
• Lyside Sulphur 3
• Little Yellow 5
• Mimosa Yellow 2
• Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak 1
• Dusky-blue Groundstreak 1
• Cassius Blue 2
• Ceraunus Blue 1
• Reakirt's Blue 1
• American Snout 12
• Gulf Fritillary 1
• Mexican Fritillary 1
• Bordered Patch 1
• Elada Checkerspot 1
• Texan Crescent 8
• Pale-banded Crescent 6
• Red Admiral 1
• Band-celled Sister 1
• Mexican Bluewing 1
• Common Mestra 3
• Tropical Leafwing 3
• Tawny Emperor 1
• Queen 1
• White-striped Longtail 2
• Long-tailed Skipper 1
• Dorantes Longtail 1
• Brown Longtail 1
• Coyote Cloudywing 1
• Potrillo Skipper 1
• Sickle-winged Skipper 1
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper 10
• Desert Checkered-Skipper 1
• Laviana White-Skipper 6
• Turk's-cap White-Skipper 1
• Common Streaky-Skipper 1
• Julia's Skipper 1
• Fawn-spotted Skipper 1
• Clouded Skipper 6
• Double-dotted Skipper 6
• Southern Skipperling 2
• Fiery Skipper 2
• Whirlabout 4
• Southern Broken-Dash 6
• Sachem 2
• Common Mellana 2
• Mexican Crescent 2

Santa Ana NWR, 5/30/23

With all the recent rain I thought a trip to Santa Ana NWR was in order.  Trails were muddy so I walked the tour road to the cemetery.  Things are pretty lush but not a lot was blooming except at the cemetery where I found this Potrillo Skipper.  I had seen them there in the past but a check of my records found my last one was 5/31/15.  Almost the same date eight years ago.

Nearby was this Texas Powdered Skipper.  I found my lifer at Santa ana years ago.

A group of 25 Laviana White-Skippers were sucking at the moist soil.

Along with a Mimosa Yellow.

Checking the piles of animal scat can always be productive.  Here's a Sickle-winged Skipper and a Texan Crescent.

Here's today's list of 31 species.  Gotta get back over there in a couple of weeks.

• Giant Swallowtail 6
• Great Southern White 1
• Southern Dogface 1
• Large Orange Sulphur 2
• Lyside Sulphur 40
• Little Yellow 3
• Mimosa Yellow 1
• Dusky-blue Groundstreak 1
• Clytie Ministreak 1
• Reakirt's Blue 2
• Red-bordered Metalmark 1
• American Snout 3
• Gulf Fritillary 2
• Variegated Fritillary 1
• Bordered Patch 2
• Texan Crescent 12
• Vesta Crescent 15
• White Peacock 3
• Common Mestra 25
• Queen 1
• White-striped Longtail 1
• Brown Longtail 2
• Potrillo Skipper 1
• Texas Powdered-Skipper 1
• Sickle-winged Skipper 6
• White Checkered-Skipper 1
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper 1
• Laviana White-Skipper 30
• Clouded Skipper 2
• Whirlabout 1
• Celia's Roadside-Skipper 3

Progreso Lakes yard, 8/31/20

We haven't had any rain for four weeks but hot southerly wind blew up some new butterflies today here at Progreso Lakes.  I saw this Orange-barred Sulphur for only a few seconds.  

This Florida White is first I've seen since Spring.

I caught a glimpse of our fourth Ornythion Swallowtail of the summer and latter found it perched in our brush patch out of the wind.

The much more common Western Giant Swallowtail is superficially similar and also brighter yellow.

Here's one of two White-striped Longtails.

I wonder if any of our Sickle-winged Skippers are laying eggs on our Colima.

This Common Mellana has been hanging around for about a week and picks a fight with every butterfly it sees.

This is only the third Mexican Bluewing I have seen in our yard.  It acted like it was laying eggs on our Vasey's Adelia.

It's been quite a while since we've had a Turk's-Cap White-Skipper.

There's a good chance of rain next wekend but it's gonna be tripple digits till then. 

• Ornythion Swallowtail 1
• Western Tiger Swallowtail 2
• Florida White 1
• Cloudless Sulphur 6
• Orange-barred Sulphur 1
• Large Orange Sulphur 10
• Lyside Sulphur 1
• Little Yellow 1
• Cassius Blue 6
• American Snout 50
• Bordered Patch 2
• White Peacock 2
• Mexican Bluewing 1
• Common Mestra 1
• Tropical Leafwing 1
• Tawny Emperor 6
• Monarch 6
• White-striped Longtail 2
• Brown Longtail 1
• Sickle-winged Skipper 2
• White-patched Skipper 1
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper 1
• Laviana White-Skipper 10
• Turk's-cap White-Skipper 1
• Clouded Skipper 5
• Whirlabout 4
• Common Mellana 1
• Celia's Roadside-Skipper 1

Ruddy Daggerwing at Progreso Lakes, 7/28/20

As I spent the morning cleaning up after Hurrican Hanna, I kept noticing a large orange butterfly flapping and gliding overhead.  Finally I saw it dart into our big rubber tree where I was able to get a few shots.  It was only the second Ruddy Daggerwing we've ever had in the yard.  My brush hollies are sure to bloom after the eight inches of rain we received so I'm expecting them to attract more daggerwings.

A worn but still colorful Guava Skipper graced the other side of the yard.

Yesterday I released my fourth Polydamas Swallowtail of the summer.  Two were ovipositing on the big Dutchman's Pipe.

And speaking of ovipositing, this Sickle-winged Skipper left a few eggs on one of the colimas.

Still plenty of Queens and Soldiers around.

The rain from Hurricane Hanna is only going to bring us more butterflies this summer.  I have some ideas about what may be next but if I say it, it won't come true.

Progreso Lakes yard, 6/17/20

It's been a slow dry spring but we've gotten a little rain lately and some different butterflies have been showing up.  Still happy to have a Boisduval's Yellow.  When they first showed up last November, I never dreamed
 they would become regular in our yard.

This Tropical Leafwing was ovipositing on Low Croton.  It's been a while since we've had one.

Bordered Patch has been pretty rare lately.

As has Sickle-winged Skipper.

But the Double-dotted Skippers seem to usually be around.  There were at least four today.

Our button bush is blooming nicely but the only take today was this Giant Swallowtail.

This White Peacock may have come from out Ruelia.  I've seen their caterpillars on them in the past.

I'm hoping we get more rain in the coming weeks.  If it doesn't get too hot it could be a good butterfly summer.