leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Apr 18, 2019 15:23:41 GMT -8
I got out yesterday and today for the first time in 2019 with a net in my hand. I visited the Kleber WMA in Owen County, Kentucky. I collected Everes comyntas, Celastrina ladon lucia, Glaucopsyche lygdamus lygdamus, Incisalia henrici henrici, Mitoura gryneus gryneus, Phyciodes tharos, Polygonia comma, Polygonia interrogationis, Vannessa atalanta, Papailio glaucus, Battus philenor, Colias eurytheme, Colias philodice, Peiris rapaea, Falcapica midea, Artogeia rapae, Artogeia virginiensis and lots of small day flying moths including Dysgonia smithii. I also collected some gorgeous spring forms of Colias eurytheme. I have attached photographs of a pair. The female is stunning. It was a good day to be in the field.    Rain coming in tonight. No sun until Sunday. Will not get into the field again until Monday/Tueday. |
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Post by Paul K on Apr 18, 2019 17:27:28 GMT -8
What about A.midea ? Did you see some ?
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Apr 19, 2019 5:06:05 GMT -8
Yes, Anthocharis midea was rather common, mostly males.
I have never collected or seen Anthocharis midea north of central Ohio. It is a common spring species here in Kentucky.
I spread everything I collected on Wednesday. The Colias were stunning.
The weather forecast for the next several days is cold and wet. No freezing temperatures are anticipated. Monday and Tuesday of next week are looking very good. I may venture into Southern Indiana next week, especially Perry County.
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Apr 19, 2019 5:07:25 GMT -8
I forgot to mention, Anthocharis midea flies in my yard. It is a common spring species in Central Kentucky.
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Post by Paul K on Apr 19, 2019 12:21:49 GMT -8
Nothing yet flies in southern Ontario ( 19 April ), didn’t see a single butterfly.
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Post by jhyatt on Apr 19, 2019 14:22:37 GMT -8
I had reserved today (Friday Apr. 19) for my annual spring butterfly collecting day.
It rained 3 5/8 inches.
'Nuff said.
Gloomily,
John
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Post by boghaunter1 on Apr 19, 2019 17:44:12 GMT -8
Actually nice warmer weather up here in NE Saskatchewan the last 2 weeks. Today 19 April, was the warmest day so far this spring... A balmy +18.6 C (66 F). All the snow has melted in open areas... still snow on back country roads & deep banks blown into treelines bisecting fields. I nearly got stuck a few times slogging through water & wet areas in fields with my side-by-side... Kinda fun though... mudding/mucking about!
Have only seen 3 spp. of winter hibernator butterflies through to today... 1st a female Compton's Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis vaualbum j-album) a few days ago; 2nd, a Milbert's Tortoiseshell (N. m. milberti) yesterday & finally 3 Mourning Cloaks (N. antiopa) today. No true spring emergents yet... the earliest "spring" butterfly I have ever collected here was a pretty little male Spring Azure (Calastrina ladon lucia) on 21 April about 15 years ago... flitting about wet mud beside melting snow banks!
The 3 earliest spp. of true spring butterflies to appear here are all Pieridae... either of these 3 spp. can be the 1st to appear.... Mustard White - spring fm. with nice black veined ventral hindwings (Pieris o. oleracea), Cabbage White (P. rapae) & the spring fm. of the Checkered White (Pontia o. occidentals).
Set out a B.L. trap (with Leroy's 40w Quantum bulb) last night... temp. got down to only +3 C (37.4 F)... still trapped about a dozen specimens (3-4 spp.) of common, early spring/late, last fall, hibernator moths. So happy spring is finally here after one of the coldest winters ever!
Wishing everyone a great collecting season...
John K.
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amanat88
Junior Member
Posts: 25
Country: Canada
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Post by amanat88 on Apr 20, 2019 23:21:39 GMT -8
Haven't seen any butterflies yet here on the west coast of British Columbia. No hibernators, no spring emergents, no nothing.  We've already been enjoying a few weeks of daytime highs in the low to high teens (C) with mostly sunny or cloudy weather. Here in the city I only encounter 6 butterfly species on a regular basis: (in order of frequency): Cabbage White, Western Tiger Swallowtail, an orange & brown skipper species, Painted Lady, Lorquin's Admiral, and Milbert's Tortoiseshell. Then randomly once every few years I might see a Red Admiral, Mourning Cloak, Comma species, or Gray Hairstreak. I used to see Pine White regularly as well, but it seemed to disappear from my immediate area after the city started using BTK to control Gypsy Moth. I have seen three moths so far in 2019: a small greenish-brown Pyralid outside a supermarket two weeks ago, a Pterophorid in a restaurant last week, and a large pale brown Geometrid flying across a busy street today. |
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Post by miguel on Apr 21, 2019 2:11:20 GMT -8
Here in eastern part of Spain now we have the typical february weather but one week ago you could see Papilio machaon,Iphiclides podalirius,Pieris brassicae and rapae, Anthocharis euphenoides,Leptidea sinapis,Glaucopsyche melanops,Nymphalis polychloros...
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on May 1, 2019 8:01:24 GMT -8
I made a Collecting trip to the Pennyrile State Forest area on Monday & Tuesday, 29/30 April. Collecting was excellent.
Swallowtails: Protographium marcellus, Battus philenor, Papilio troilus and Papilio glaucus. I saw several Phoebis sennae. They seemed in hurry and I could not get close enough to one to make a swing. Skippers were in abundance: Amblyscirtes asculapius, A. belli, A. vialis, A. hegon, Erynnis juvenalis, E. brio, E. horatius, Colias eurytheme (males only). Pieris virginiensis, Anthocharis midea, Anaea andria (hibernators), Vanessa virginiensis, Vanessa Atlanta, Phyciodes tharos, Boloria Hermeuptychia sosybius, Cyllopsis gemma, Megisto cymela, and the day flying Sphingid, Hemaris diffinis.
We set out two light traps for moths, Deidamia inscriptum, Actius Luna, Callosamia angulifera, and numerous Zale, Plusinines, Norctuids, notidontida and a few Arctiidae.
The weather was gorgeous. However, it was a long ride home.
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Post by jshuey on May 1, 2019 10:26:21 GMT -8
..., A need Andrea (hybronaters), I had to say it out loud to get it. j |
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on May 1, 2019 10:39:01 GMT -8
I hate that dag gum spell check/auto correct.
I keep turning it off and evidently it has a mind of it's own.
That should fix it. Bonovasitch!!!!
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Post by Paul K on May 2, 2019 5:53:01 GMT -8
Today, May 2 in Toronto we have 6°C ( feels like 3°C ), rain.
We didn’t have sunny day with temps above 10°C yet this year.
Nothing flies here, I have yet to see P.rapae this spring.
No bees, no flies...it feels like late November, early March weather, terrible.
I am official cancelling spring for this year here.
Next week forecast doesn’t look much better : rain and highs about 12-14°C.
Climate change is here, but it looks like the actual ice age is coming here.
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Post by LEPMAN on May 2, 2019 14:06:05 GMT -8
Paul, too bad penguins can’t fly... otherwise you would at least have something flying. It could be worse, you could be stuck with a lot of things to do and no time to go collect. Anyway, I wish you some good weather and some good leps!
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Post by nomihoudai on May 2, 2019 21:20:38 GMT -8
Penguins only exist in the Southern Hemisphere.
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We've already been enjoying a few weeks of daytime highs in the low to high teens (C) with mostly sunny or cloudy weather. Here in the city I only encounter 6 butterfly species on a regular basis: (in order of frequency): Cabbage White, Western Tiger Swallowtail, an orange & brown skipper species, Painted Lady, Lorquin's Admiral, and Milbert's Tortoiseshell. Then randomly once every few years I might see a Red Admiral, Mourning Cloak, Comma species, or Gray Hairstreak. I used to see Pine White regularly as well, but it seemed to disappear from my immediate area after the city started using BTK to control Gypsy Moth. 
