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Post by joachim on Jan 24, 2021 16:16:36 GMT -8
I collected these butterflies in California. There were so many of them, next to a field. I have never seen so many butterflies in a place. can anybody tell me what species they are?
Thanks Joachim
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mikeh
Full Member
Posts: 207
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Post by mikeh on Jan 24, 2021 18:06:24 GMT -8
Seem to be Colias eurytheme
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Post by bobw on Jan 25, 2021 1:30:58 GMT -8
They certainly are C. eurytheme, and I guess the field you found so many in was an alfalfa field.
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Jan 25, 2021 5:08:55 GMT -8
Central Kentucky is considered the Horse Capital of the world. Churchill Downs, Keenland Race Track and the world famous "Horse Park". Alfalfa was the fodder of choice.
I would scatter Red Clover Seeds in various places (Which is a "No No" in Kentucky.) as well as Alfalfa. Colias eurytheme were abundant. Red Clover was another Host Plant for Colias eurytheme.
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Post by joachim on Jan 25, 2021 6:05:16 GMT -8
Hello,
thanks, good to know. The alfalfa is also seen here in Germany but in not so great areas, just occaionally.
nice butterfly anyway.
Joachim
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Post by bobw on Jan 25, 2021 6:12:36 GMT -8
If you hang around an alfalfa field (or lucerne as we call it in English) in Europe, there's a good chance you'll find Colias croceus, and if you're in the right areas, C. hyale or C. erate, not to mention lots of blues.
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Post by rwhitman on Mar 28, 2021 11:57:21 GMT -8
I once drove by an alfalfa field in California and there were so many Colias eurythemes flying around that my car started to over-heat from the radiator being plugged up by the hundreds of them impinged on it.
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Post by livingplanet3 on Mar 28, 2021 12:25:03 GMT -8
I once drove by an alfalfa field in California and there were so many Colias eurythemes flying around that my car started to over-heat from the radiator being plugged up by the hundreds of them impinged on it. I recall a similar incident in South TX decades ago, but with Phoebis sennae. A migratory group, maybe? |
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Post by rwhitman on Mar 28, 2021 13:38:58 GMT -8
I don't think so. I was told a long time ago that the local name for this species was "alfalfas". They probably foraged in the fields prior to harvest and I ran into a post emergence swarm. There were seeming millions of them. When I got away from the alfalfa fields, I got away from the butterflies.
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Post by livingplanet3 on Mar 28, 2021 14:31:40 GMT -8
I don't think so. I was told a long time ago that the local name for this species was "alfalfas". They probably foraged in the fields prior to harvest and I ran into a post emergence swarm. There were seeming millions of them. When I got away from the alfalfa fields, I got away from the butterflies. Oh - my migratory group comment was referring to P. sennae, which migrate between Mexico and the US. I've not heard of C. eurytheme migrating. Indeed, alfalfa is a major larval host plant of C. eurytheme. |
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