Yturria Brush, 2/16/26

Recently Terry Mortier and Corrine McDonald each reported blooming Chomonque and a few butterflies at the Yturria Brush unit of the Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR west of La Joya so I thought it was time to make a visit.  I found the refuge extremely dry with many plants leafless.  A few were trying to sprout spring leaves and Huisachillo was starting to bloom.  As reported the Chomonques were in full bloom though looking ragged.  They had gotten enough rain last summer to pull off one last brave attempt to reproduce despite the dry fall and winter.  Though rather homely, this subtropical composite really attracts the butterflies.  Maybe because it's the only game in town.

Working the trail from the old parking lot by the freeway it didn't take long to find a Skinner's Cloudywing.

Chomonques are good at attracting hairstreaks but all I found were a few Gray Hairstreaks.

My targets for the day were Nysa Roadside-Skipper and Common Streaky Skipper.  I was hopeful when I spied a tiny brown butterfly flying low like a patrolling skipper.  Not my target but still pretty good, Texas Powdered Skipper.

Southern Dogfaces were out.

Then a couple more tiny brown guys.  Got my Nysa Roadside-Skipper!

My original plan was to go to the National Butterfly Center after lunch but things were going good at Yturria so I stayed for another perusal of the trail.  Another small brown skipper was feeding on Chomonque.  My first impression was another Texas Powdered Skipper but this one turned out to be a Caballo (the old name Potrillo is for the Caribbean taxon) Skipper.  First I've seen at Yturria.

Then a tiny black thing.  It's not every day you get a Common Sootywing at eye level.

Texan Crescents were a bit unexpected.

Variegated Fritillary is usually pretty common out in the desert.

It's hard to turn down a White-striped Longtail.

I didn't find the Common Streaky Skipper but still a good three hours with 22 species.

• Black Swallowtail 1
• Southern Dogface 10
• Cloudless Sulphur 1
• Lyside Sulphur 20
• Sleepy Orange 10
• Gray Hairstreak 3
• Reakirt's Blue 5
• American Snout 50
• Texan Crescent 8
• Vesta Crescent 3
• Phaon Crescent 1
• Empress Leilia 5
• Queen 1
• White-striped Longtail 1
• Coyote Cloudywing 1
• Potrillo Skipper 1
• Texas Powdered-Skipper 2
• Funereal Duskywing 1
• Laviana White-Skipper 1
• Common Sootywing 1
• Sachem 1
• Nysa Roadside-Skipper 2

Vicroy's Ministreak at La Puerta Tract, 5/7/25

Monday I was driving out to Salineno and Falcon to look for birds but I got a late start so as I approached Rio Grande City I thought why not check out the La Puerta Tract of the Lower Rio Grande NWR.  Turns out it was lush and birdy.  So yesterday I ran there again but it was less birdy and the sun was out and stuff was flying.  So I switched over to butterflies and bees and had a good morning.  Butterfly of the day was this pebbly little Vicroy's Ministreak, only my third and first self found.

Otherwise butterflies were numerous but with low diversity as has been the case since the freeze and flood.  There was lots of cenizo out there so a Theona Checkerspot was expected.

Best I can tell this is a Theona Checkerspot catepillar.

Lots of Western Giant Swallowtails.

And lots of sulphurs like this Southern Dogface.

This fresh Funereal Duskywing almost looks like a Mournful but not mottled enough on the interior forewing.

Otherwise it was an amazing display of native bees like giant Glorious Protoxea.

And tiny Vireck's Nomad Cuckoo Bee.

Here are both of these rare bees together for a size comparison.

Hoping we can get some more rain to keep this stuff going or they're going to fry in the summer heat.

Our new yard at Progreso Lakes, 11/24/16

For years I've been looking at houses on the resaca at Progreso Lakes south of Weslaco and we finally decided to buy one.  I really wanted to be in the area for the outstanding birding but it looks like butterflies are going to be good also.  The previous owners were enamored by grass so there is little in the way of blooming plants, a situation I hope to rectify in the future.  But there is a nice purple duranta and some bottle brush and these were doing a good job at attracting butterflies.  A real surprise were several Double-dotted Skipper.

An even bigger surprise was to see two of them copulating.

A little more expected were several Red-bordered Pixies.

Otherwise it was just common stuff.  I like this Dorantes Longtail in action.

A pale ray is showing on this grass skipper but otherwise it looks like a worn Julia's Skipper.

Clouded Skipper is highly variable depending on the season.  I like the frosted cold weather form.

Here's a pretty Southern Dogface.

Here's a list from the last couple of days.  Our yard list is up to 29.

• Pipevine Swallowtail 1
• Southern Dogface 1
• Cloudless Sulphur 6
• Large Orange Sulphur 6
• Lyside Sulphur 2
• Little Yellow 1

Cassius Blue  1

• Red-bordered Pixie 3
• American Snout 2
• Gulf Fritillary 1
• Red Admiral  1
• Common Mestra 1
• Tawny Emperor 2
• Carolina Satyr 1
• Monarch  1
• Queen 1
• White-striped Longtail 1
• Dorantes Longtail  1
• Brown Longtail 1
• Laviana White-Skipper 1
• Julia's Skipper 1
• Fawn-spotted Skipper 1
• Clouded Skipper 1
• Double-dotted Skipper  3
• Fiery Skipper 4
• Whirlabout 1
• Common Mellana 1
• Eufala Skipper 2
• Ocola Skipper 1

Falcon State Park, 10/4/15

Honey and I took advantage of a pretty fall day to run up to Falcon State Park to check out the gardens. There were lots of butterflies but not much variety.  This Brazilian Skipper seemed out of place.  Usually I associate them with urban gardens.

Southern Dogfaces have become common lately.  If you keep shooting sometimes good things happen.

I checked several Ocola Skippers hoping for Hecebolus.  The spots say Ocola.

Falcon is the best place in the RGV to find Theona Checkerspots and Coyote Cloudywings.

• Pipevine Swallowtail 3
• Southern Dogface 20
• Large Orange Sulphur 200
• Lyside Sulphur 150
• Little Yellow 1
• Sleepy Orange 2
• Silver-banded Hairstreak 1
• Gray Hairstreak 20
• Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak 2
• Ceraunus Blue 20
• Reakirt's Blue 15
• Fatal Metalmark 1
• American Snout 50
• Gulf Fritillary 1
• Theona Checkerspot 6
• Common Buckeye 1
• Tropical Leafwing 2
• Empress Leilia 1
• Queen 1
• Coyote Cloudywing 6
• Sickle-winged Skipper 1
• Funereal Duskywing 3
• Laviana White-Skipper 1
• Fiery Skipper 4
• Eufala Skipper 1
• Brazilian Skipper 1
• Ocola Skipper 4

National Butterfly Center, 9/29/15

Made a run over to the National Butterfly Center today and finished with a respectable 41 species.  Things are looking good after the recent rains and butterflies should start increasing as we approach October. Here's a Zilpa Longtail.

There was good diversity of grass skippers though not large numbers.  Here's a Common Mellana,

Female Whirlabout.

A tiny southern Skipperling.

How about a colorful Gulf Fritillary?

Southern Dogface.

• Pipevine Swallowtail 3
• Giant Swallowtail 3
• Southern Dogface 10
• Cloudless Sulphur 2
• Large Orange Sulphur 15
• Lyside Sulphur 1
• Tailed Orange 1
• Little Yellow 3
• Silver-banded Hairstreak 1
• Gray Hairstreak 1
• Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak 1
• Ceraunus Blue 2
• Fatal Metalmark 1
• American Snout 1
• Gulf Fritillary 1
• Bordered Patch 2
• Phaon Crescent 10
• Red Admiral 1
• White Peacock 1
• Mexican Bluewing 2
• Tropical Leafwing 2
• Tawny Emperor 40
• Monarch 1
• Queen 130
• Soldier 5
• Zilpa Longtail 1
• Brown-banded Skipper 1
• White-patched Skipper 1
• Funereal Duskywing 1
• Tropical Checkered-Skipper 8
• Laviana White-Skipper 5
• Fawn-spotted Skipper 1
• Clouded Skipper 1
• Southern Skipperling 1
• Fiery Skipper 5
• Whirlabout 3
• Southern Broken-Dash 2
• Sachem 1
• Common Mellana 2
• Celia's Roadside-Skipper 8
• Eufala Skipper 2