Butterfly competition 2012

A butterfly (at any stage of development) can be counted if it is:
* in your yard (or your community garden plot or some such)
* photographed in situ
* identified (definitely or tentatively)
* different (the count is for species, not individuals)

Post the photo, scientific and common names, date and location of sighting.

(Credit to SqueakyChu for starting this!)

Feel free to question or tweak the rules...

Butterfly identification:
http://www.gardenswithwings.com/what-butterflies-can-i-attract.html
http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?guide=Butterflies
http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabambc/construct-group-page.asp?gr=All

Moth identification:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/21675

Caterpillar identification:
http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?guide=Caterpillars

SqueakyChu’s wildlife spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkmvurL-ogUmdHZtLTVtcExINXFQZ2pmSmU...

@fuzzi's first entry (July 27, 2012, outside my workplace):

Pandora Sphinx moth (Eumorpha pandorus)


Another view, same moth

@fuzzi's second entry (July 28, 2012, my backyard):

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)


Another view:

@fuzzi's third entry (July 29, 2012, my backyard):

Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)

@fuzzi's fourth entry (July 29, 2012, my backyard):

Sleepy Orange (Eurema nicippe)


Oh, this is too cool...I identified a prolific weed that grows all over my yard as Partridge Pea, and it turns out that Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fascicalata) is the host plant for the Sleepy Orange butterfly!

#1
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
14 July 2012 (and most days since) on butterfly bush in my back yard

#2
Nessus Sphinx Moth (Amphion floridensis)
25 July 2012 on butterfly bush in my back yard

#3
Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
26 July 2012 (and several times since) on milkweed in my back yard


Monarch caterpillar
1 August 2012 on milkweed in my back yard

#4
Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta)
26 July 2012 on Chinese forget-me-not in my back yard.

#5
Red Spotted Purple Admiral (Limenitis arthemis)
27 July 2012 (and a few times since) on butterfly bush in my back yard

#6
Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)
27 July 2012 (and a few times since) on butterfly bush and vicinity in my back yard


Variegated Fritillary caterpillar
28 July 2012 on violet in my side yard (and often since on violets in my back yard)

#7
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae)
27 July 2012 (and numerous times since) on mock strawberry and pretty much everywhere else in my back yard

#8
Silver Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
28 July 2012 (and a couple times since) on Joe Pye weed in my back yard

#9
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
30 July 2012 (and several times since) on butterfly bush in my back yard

#10
Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas)
30 July 2012 on catchfly and vicinity in my back yard

#11
Little Glassywing Skipper (Pompeius verna) (ID uncertain)
31 July 2012 on sunflower in my back yard

#12
Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) female
1 August 2012 on anise in my back yard


Black Swallowtail caterpillar
11 August 2012 on anise in my back yard

#13
Red-Banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops)
2 August 2012 (and the next day too) on butterfly bush and milkweed in my back yard

My little cabbage butterfly (Pieris rapae). We have dozens of them around. Haven't seen anything else lately except dragonflies. And mosquitoes, blast them.

Oh, do mosquitoes count? :D

Here's me...bringing up the rear. Those cabbage whites won't let me photograph them! :)

SqueakyChu's Butterfly #1


Silver spotted skipper on a purple coneflower

SqueakyChu's Butterfly # 2


Pearl crescent - Phyciodes tharos - on a day lily leaf (not a native plant)

SqueakyChu's Butterfly #3


Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - Papilio glaucus on Joe Pye weed

SqueakyChu's Butterfly # 4


Zabulon skipper - Poanes zabulon - on grass

I'm actually still at only 4 butterflies because I never got a picture of the spicebush swallowtail that was in my garden. I'll try to go after a cabbage butterfly tomorrow. :)

Oh, wait! Somewhere I have a picture of a summer azure. I have to go look for it!

I've been fiddling with my camera tonight because the settings have been off. I think what happened was that I accidentally set my camera for manual without knowing it, thereby ruining all the pictures I took at a bridal shower today. Oh, well. At least now I know more about the camera that I've had for several years!

I love looking at all the butterfly picture son this thread. What fun!

SqueakyChu's Butterfly #5


Summer azure - Celastrina neglecta - on lovage

21: Those cabbage whites won't let me photograph them!
Mine was a fluke. I've been trying for days to get a better photo and it / they won't stay put.

SqueakyChu's Butterfly or Moth #6

Looper Moth (species unidentified) on grass

Help me identify this moth! It was on my lawn on May 12, 2012, so it won't count for this competition (unless it comes back!).

I love the great big eyes on these moths and butterflies! This one looks like a gray ghost. :)

American Snout?

I don't think so. The American Snout seems much more colorful.

I think it's some kind of looper moth.

Looper Moth Photo, Picture

Common Name: Looper Moth
Order Name: Lepidoptera
Family Name: Noctuidae

Look at Acronicta americana: http://dendroica.blogspot.com/2011/06/some-june-moths.html

> 32

The shape is wrong, and the eyes are in the wrong place.

Clover Looper moth:
http://www.pbase.com/markb249/image/123565221

American Snout? Love the name! Like a dragon from Harry Potter :)

> 33

The problem with the looper moths is that they all look very much alike. There seem to be a gazillion of them!

I was running all over my yard after church today, but the pictures I got were of the same Sleepy Orange butterflies, I think:


Sleepy Orange


Sleepy Orange #2


Addendum: #5! This is a Large Orange Sulfur (Phoebis agarithe)

I could have stayed cool inside, as I found a couple of moths flitting around the house today:


Not sure what this one is, but he was up near the ceiling and it was very difficult to get a clear picture!
Addendum: FOUND IT! It is the pickleworm moth (diaphania nitidalis) #7!


White moth (not pink, that's the reflection of my blouse!)

Addendum: I believe this is a Virginia Tiger moth (Spilosoma virginica)...That's #6!

I give up with the skippers (and with trying to focus my camera!). All the skppers look alike to me. I can't get the camera to focus on them clearly enough to tell them apart.
I need some bigger butterflies. :'C

Good site to help with identification:

http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/identification_tools

I was just on that site. It doesn't work well with me because it's too big and works too slowly to be of much use to me. I think I'll need to break down and get a field guide.

Here's a used guide for $3.49: http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=8263238052&searchurl=kn%3DB...

I need to look at these books in person as some I like better than others.

I never knew there were so many species of butterflies and moths, especially those that I can find in my own county here in Maryland!

Neither did I.

FWIW, I saw a Yellow Swallowtail yesterday, but was not able to get a photo, aarrgh!

I went outside in the drizzle after a storm passed through this evening, and got a photo of a moth seeking shelter under a leaf. A little brown thing. Doubt I'll be able to identify it.

37: Congrats on moth IDs!

Thanks, qebo. I did a lot of online research in order to ID my little friends.

I found a little brown moth in the house, but I think it was injured, as he kept his wings tightly closed. I have no clue what he was.

I have no clue what he was.

LOL!!

#14
Zabulon Skipper (Poanes zabulon) or Hobomok Skipper (Poanes hobomok) male
6 August 2012 on potted plants on my deck

#15
Question Mark ((Polygonia interrogationis)
6 August 2012 on butterfly bush in my back yard

> 47

Katherine, I had a butterfly that looked the same and thought it was a fiery skipper. Can you investigate it further?

Good news! There was a monarch on my swamp milkweed this afternoon. I captured by photo but have no time to post it now.

*all smiles*

49: The wing pattern of female Fiery Skipper and male Zabulon Skipper look essentially the same to my uneducated eye. From maps of range (which I’m getting from Kauffman’s Field Guide to Butterflies of North America, Fiery Skipper is common in the very southern coastal US, less common further north, and just barely gets into the southern fringes of PA. Zabulon Skipper is common in the eastern US as far north as the southern half of PA. So I’m going by probability. We got our photos at different angles, so it’s difficult to compare point by point. Skippers are not cooperative.

Good news! There was a monarch on my swamp milkweed this afternoon.
Excellent!!!

Nothing this afternoon, it's thundering and a storm is approaching.

However, from yesterday, a mystery:



Any idea? He moved so quickly I was unable to get a decent picture.

>51 fuzzi:

No idea whatsoever!

By the way, I don't want to post the picture of my monarch. I hope to see him here later this week and get a better picture! My pictures came out too fuzzy.

> 50

I think you're right about the "fiery" skipper actually being a Zabulon skipper. Hey! What do I know? They all look alike to me! :)

I think my mystery butterfly in (51) may be a Confused Cloudywing (Thorybes confusis).

Look at how some of these specimens have that two tone look on the wings:

http://www.duke.edu/~jspippen/butterflies/scloudywing.htm

51: Duskywing?
52: I hope he's a she. :-)

You two are both amazing entymologists!!

55: One of us is wrong. :-) Probably me.

> 54

52: I hope he's a she. :-)

I have no idea. How can I tell? I still have the (fuzzy) pictures).

ETA: I just learned how. "He" was definitely a "she". I could tell by the lack of two prominent black spots on the hind wings. Now I have to hope she'll come back and lay some eggs. :)

By the way, my swamp milkweed flower stems are all covered with aphids. There are also ants that I suppose are present to "milk" the aphids. Is all this activity okay?

This reminds of me of when I was young. I always loved insects and had a terrific insect collection (until my mother threw the whole thing out!). The parents of neighborhood kids were upset that I was encouraging their chlildren to start insect collections as well.

57: http://www.monarchwatch.org/biology/sexing.htm

My recent visitor is a he, though obviously a she must've dropped by at some point.

I think @qebo is right, after looking at the pictures.

May I add this to my count?

Horace's Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) (#8?)

59: May I add this to my count?
I say yes. I've added two skippers that I'm not sure about.

Woo, I'm up to EIGHT!

:dancing:

(55) You two are both amazing entymologists!!

Naw...but thanks.

Squeaky, I was taught at an early age to enjoy watching birds, and I'm applying it to butterflies...you look for certain things, like spots on the wings, different antennae, colorful legs, etc.

I've been happy with my butterfly book (see msg 50). It organizes the butterflies into families, photos of upper & lower wings / male & female on one side of the page, map of range on the other side, paragraph mentioning distinguishing features and larval host plants. I can page through quickly to get the general type, eliminate a bunch because the region is wrong, google images of the few remaining to see variations.

Okay, now you've really done it.

I ordered two butterfly books and it's ALL YOUR FAULT!

Butterflies of North America (Kaufman Focus Guides) by Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman

and

Field Guide to the Butterflies of North America, East of the Great Plains (Peterson Field Guides) by Alexander B. Klots

Now where am I going to get that $11.57 from??? ;)

I need to go to B&N anyway to get my son a birthday gift. I guess you just might find me browsing in the butterfly field guide section of B&N as well!

Online and used helps my budget!

Saw another moth in the house, and tried to take pictures. They came out rather blurry. Then while I was in the other room, I heard a loud THWAP...my dh swatted the moth, and the dog ate it. Oh well...

Addendum: I think I identified the moth through the pictures and direct observation!

Maple Looper Moth (Parallelia bistriaris)

(will post photos tomorrow)

ADDENDUM #2: here are the photos


Noted the length of the antennae, legs and overall shape and color by this picture. Also note the whitish 'fringe' at the bottom of the wings

Now....


See the striped sort of pattern on its wings?

Based upon these photos and my observation, I have deduced that this is, indeed, a Maple Looper Moth!

From the web:


Waddayathink, huh? Huh? Huh? :D

I heard a loud THWAP...my dh swatted the moth, and the dog ate it.

LOL! That doesn't help any.

It does make it harder to identify...

Have your dog x-rayed! ;)

There was a young lady of Nyde
Who ate a green apple and died
The apple fermented
Inside the lamented
And made cider insider inside!

-unknown author

SqueakyChu's Butterfly # 7


Monarch (female)

I don't usually post blurry pictures, but I'm getting way behind in this contest! :D

What's the score now? Should we keep the score in each picture post?

These were taken in my garden in northern BC in early June, of a Hummingbird Moth, (also called Common Clearwing or Clearwing Sphinx), Hemaris thysbe, on my apple tree:

Great pictures!

I spent some hours out on the deck today watching the painted ladies flit between the buddleia, the lemon tree, and the passion flower vines. They lay their eggs on the latter, so probably like them best. I can't get any of them to stay still long enough for a picture. Also a big lemon and black striped butterfly was hanging around as well.

Painted Lady

Gorgeous pictures, NStar and ronincats!

Do we want to take this serious enough to use tickers? That might be kind of fun.

Also, I would suggest we give extra credit for those who can identify their butterfly as male or female. Waddayathink? :)

I've been keeping count with each post. I like the idea of tickers, but a ticker with each post is too cluttered, and a single ticker way down in the thread will get lost. Maybe next year we should each claim a post at the top of the thread and embed a ticker.

76: Also, I would suggest we give extra credit for those who can identify their butterfly as male or female.
I want extra credit for caterpillars too!

73: Oh, what great wings!
74: Butterflies are uncooperative that way. Into their own thing and won't stay still.

Is there an end point to this contest? If so, you can start a new one with tickers and new rules!

It would be fun to do this for other categories of wildlife in gardens, or even types of plants or weeds, keeping the categories narrow enough that we don't get overwhelmed.

You can create your own monthly TIOLI challenge of nature. It's your call, qebo! Just sayin'. :D

ETA: The newest entries (mgs 73, 75) aren't numbered. :(

78: How did this become mine? You started it!

Ooh, a weed competition!

I already do the TIOLI challenges and a weekly CSA newsletter. I simply have no time for more new projects. You can "take it" and run with it or "leave it". No hard feelings either way.

Heh! My nickname at nursing school used to the "The Instigator" and "The Facilitator". Now you know why. :)

P.S. Ever wonder how lyzard got started with leading the "tutored reads"? Guess! :D

P.P.S.: Don't you think I should be on LT's payroll?

As per my brilliant powers of deduction (see post 67), I am adding one more to my count...for a total of 9!

:happyhappyjoyjoy:

80: Don't you think I should be on LT's payroll?
Well that'd open a can of worms... :-) Probably better for you that it's fun though, and you can opt out whenever. Alright, lemme think about this. I think not this year, already too distracted from reading, also it's heading toward fall, but maybe next year.

81: Hmm, looks awfully plausible; I'm sure not going to argue. I may need to devote effort to identifying the two little brown moths that I've managed to photograph this week.

#16
Ailanthus Webworm (Atteva aurea)
10 August 2012 on milkweed in my back yard

Wow, what a striking butterfly, @qebo!

I borrowed a book from the library, Hummingbirds and Butterflies, and I'm really enjoying it. It's a Peterson/Bird Watchers' Digest collaboration, full of information...including about host plants for all the varieties of butterflies.

>83 qebo:: is that a good bug or a destructive one? Looks like a Japanese kimono pattern!

85: Apparently it is just passing through. Its host plants are far to the south. I does have quite an eye-catching pattern. I thought initially it was some sort of beetle, but it wraps its wings around its body.

#17
Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae) female
12 August 2012 on false indigo in my back yard

Still raining/misting here, no butterfly pictures. :(

#18
Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus) male
7 August 2012 on butterfly bush in my back yard

Saw another yellow swallowtail, but again, I did not have my camera handy!

I went outside with the camera, and all I got was mosquito bites...

#19
Chickweed Geometer Haematopis grataria
15 August 2012 on butterfly bush in my back yard

While I am not IN the butterfly competition per se, only having about 4 types in my yard, I did finally get a decent picture of the most populous type, here, on my passion flower vine.



and here is a shot with wings closed on Mexican sage...



and here is one of them hanging out on the butterfly bush.

Beautiful!

:digging out butterfly guide::

Oooh, look at this site: http://www.gardenswithwings.com/identify-butterflies.html

(91) I think that's a Gulf Fritillary (agraulis vanillae)

Two New Entries!


Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius)
(at first I thought this was my friend the Gray Hairstreak, but woo, it wasn't!)


Cabbage White (Pieris rapae)

That's numbers 10 and 11. :)

I know he doesn't 'count', but I'm sharing the picture anyway:


In the bright sunlight I can't always see exactly what I'm photographing, so I only got a 3/4 shot of this dragonfly.

I'm going to try to identify him anyway. :)

It's like a Tiffany lamp with those colours.

It's a Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis), either a female or a young male.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/10598

How do you two get pictures of Skippers? I saw some this afternoon, but could not get close enough to even try to take a picture...

99: From a distance, zoomed in. It's not easy. They skip.

95: Two New Entries!
Yay!
I'm seeing the same ones lately.

My point and shoot digital takes much better macro shots, so that's what I use for the photos I've posted here. Imagine me, camera in outstretched hand, trying to get close shots!

Today I saw two yellow swallowtails in an arial dance, but they were all too quickly out of sight... :whimper:

Can anyone name this little guy?

103: No, but I want one.

I did some googling, and it looks like a Spotted Apatelodes caterpillar - Apatelodes torrefacta.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/4765

http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Apatelodes-torrefacta

(103) Oh, I thought he looked like a Kiwi fruit...

HEY!!!! My copy of Butterflies of North America came, and it looks WONDERFUL! It's the Kaufman guide that was highly recommended.

#20
Yellow Collared Scape moth (Cisseps fulvicollis)
1 August 2012 and several times since on Joe Pye in my back yard

I can't believe the numbers of butterflies and moths you've been getting, Katherine. You have a literal insect zoo!

Re 103, 105 - was looking up some caterpillars I found, and found another possibility for yours, the American Dagger Moth, Acronicta americana

http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Acronicta-americana

Here are two cool caterpillars - the first are all over the place right now, you can't go anywhere without seeing several of them. The second I've only seen one of.



Spotted Tussock Moth, Lophocampa maculata - we've always called them Wooly Bear caterpillars, but apparently there is another different caterpillar with the same common name.



not sure about this one, maybe Garden Tiger Moth, Arctia caja

Top one is identified as a Fuzzy Yellow & Black Caterpillar (Lophocampa maculata).

Bottom one looks like a "Wooly Bear": we used to have those all over when I was a child.

Yep, that's what bug guide says: Wooly bear Caterpillar (Isabella Pyrrharctia)!

Monarch caterpillar on swamp milkweed

I have one, too!

:)

Yay!!!!!!

Well, it's about time! :)

re 111 - the other Wooly Bear Caterpillar (Isabella Pyrrharctia) has both ends black, this didn't.

That's okay, @NorthernStar, they vary depending on the season. Wooly Bear Caterpillars are supposed to be indicators of the severity of the upcoming winter. Sometimes they're almost all black, sometimes they are mostly brown.

While the striped black and brown Woolly bear or Woolly worm caterpillar is the best known, there are actually eight different species of Woolly worms in a variety of colors, from light brown to white & black.

Taday, I will touch on the familiar black and brown Woolly bear.

The colors vary according to the worm’s diet and its age as well as heat and moisture.

Did it grow up in a dry place or a wet area.

All of these play a factor in your Woolly bears.

As Woolly worms go through their instars (shed their skin), their color goes from mostly orange to the typical stripped look that is common in late fall.

Folklore has it that the more black the Woolly bear has on it, the more severe the upcoming winter will be.

As a child my parents told this as if it were a fact.

I think my parents did believe, and many people today still believe this to be true.

But in fact, larvae produced in the same clutch of eggs can vary from mostly red to mostly black, even when reared under the same conditions, and this variability invalidates any actual temperature-related trends that may otherwise be evident.

The banded Woolly bear (also called the Woolly worm in some regions) has three bands.

Two outer black bands and one middle reddish-brown band.

This species is black at both ends with a band of coppery red or rusty red color in the middle.

The adult moth is dull yellow to orange with a robust, furry thorax and small head.

Its wings have sparse black spotting and the proximal segments on its first pair of legs are bright reddish-orange.

The moth has a wingspan of around 2-2.5 inches (5-6.3 cm).

http://www.gardening-for-wildlife.com/Gardening_For_Wildlife-Woolly-Bears.html

Question: does anyone have a book they'd recommend for caterpillars? I bought both the Peterson Butterfly guide, and the Kaufman, but neither shows many of the larvae.

I have Caterpillars of Eastern North America. I like that it has great photos of the caterpillars and also includes a small picture of the adult moth or butterfly. The author includes 'remarks' on each species that are fascinating to read and browse through.

117: Thanks! That's one of the books I'd found when I looked on Amazon a couple days ago. Another is Peterson First Guide to Caterpillars of North America, which from its description seems less exhaustive but covers the basics: "This guide describes 120 common species of these fuzzy creatures. All the caterpillars, their adult forms and many of their host plants are illustrated."

Hi @jljames1_79!

Caterpillars of Eastern North America looks like a great book.

I found it new on amazon.com for a good price, and am getting both that one and the one @qebo suggested for about $26.00, new!

I'm excited.

8/22/12 Virginian Tiger Moth larva (Spilosoma virginica)


8/22/12 Drab Prominent Moth larva (Misogada unicolor)


8/22/12 Drab Prominent Moth larva (Misogada unicolor) #2

Top one appears to be a Virginian Tiger Moth larva (Spilosoma virginica)...their color varies, and they are not always white.

Any thoughts on the green one hanging from my mailbox?

@Northernstar, I think I found your caterpillar, and you were right, it was NOT a Wooly Bear:

Garden Tiger Moth or Great Tiger Moth (Arctia caja)

It's half brown, and half black, like your picture.

I've uploaded the pictures of the green caterpillar to http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/.

We'll see what the 'experts' say it is. I have searched and searched on the web with no result.

See post 78 here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/139198#3556573

Thanks fuzzi - that's what I thought it might be. I also tentatively identified the white fuzzy the same as you - Virginian Tiger Moth caterpillar. Sure some lovely fuzzy (and not fuzzy) caterpillars out there!

@NorthernStar, the only downside to identifying it as a Virginian Tiger Moth is that I already have one of those on my competition list. Oh well. :(

However, I submitted the green caterpillar image to http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/, aka "Butterflies and Moths of North America", and this is what the local 'expert' identified it as:

Drab Prominent Moth (Misogada unicolor)

This is what they look like once they change into their adult form:



#12 :)

Fuzzi, I was out on the sallyport last night at work and saw a beautiful yellow, kind-of swallowtail moth, approx 3" in length. I had my sgt. come out and take a pic with his phone (we aren't allowed to have our phones at work), and he will send me the pics later. As soon as he does, I will post them here. I have lived in AL most all my life and have never seen one like it. Can't wait to find out what it is.

#21
Common Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus communis)
24 August 2012 on yellow woodsorrel in my back yard

Well, I saw one new moth, but it flew away as I was getting a chair on which to stand in order to photograph it.

*sigh*

...and my monarch caterpillar disappeared.

:(

I'm having so much fun seeing everyone's butterflies, moths and caterpillars, and also learning so much about them!

fuzzi - funny that such a fluffy-looking moth would have a smooth caterpillar!

@NorthernStar, they really do change completely, don't they?

Latest entry:



Waitaminute...look at the antennae...I think this is a butterfly!

Addendum: I believe this is an Eyed Brown (Satyrodes eurydice), a type of Satyr.

#13 :)

#22
Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)
24 August 2012 on fence in my back yard

Butterfly #8


Peck's skipper

Please someone...see if my identification is correct or if this is merely a variation of the zabulon skipper.

133: I don't think it's Zabulon. I have a couple skippers in need of ID, not sure if they're same as or different from ones I've already counted, so when I gear up the stamina to go through the many pages of brown and orange patterns in my butterfly book, I'll look for yours too...

I'll look up your skipper, can you help me confirm this one?

Tentatively identified as a Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon)



#14

I don't think it's a zabulon skipper either. I'm counting it as a crossline skipper unless I hear to the contrary from someone.

I think you're right on Crossline Skipper: your picture looks almost exactly the same as the female Crossline Skipper in my guide. :)

How about a grasshopper?



Too bad I can't "count" him, he's a real beauty!

Looks to me like both the crossline skipper and the phaon crescent above match images online of those species.

I'm going to live up to my moniker, "fuzzi"...sorry, but the skippers move too quickly for my little point and shoot digital!

Zabulon Skipper - Poanes zabulon



And the other I shot today:
Silver Spotted Skipper - Epargyreus clarus


#15 and #16

Not yet identified:


On tomato plant, possible tomato hornworm?

And finally, from the middle of my perennial garden (warning, don't scroll down if you have arachnophobia!)
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Garden or Writing Spider (Argiope aurantia)

Oh, she's a beauty!

Isn't she? Gorgeous, imho.

BTW, she's not that big, maybe about 2/3s of that photo.

What a great spider!!!

Spiders STAY STILL, so you can photograph them.

I like spiders. :)

138: Too bad I can't "count" him, he's a real beauty!
Next year we can have a thread for other bugs.

Next year we can have a thread for other bugs.

Yes!!

I thought I saw one somewhere here. Or did they mean computer-type bugs?

Two more to add today!

Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor)

At first I thought this was a Fiery Skipper, but the plain wings and the white underparts and the antennae led me to the Least Skipper!

Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)

He did not want to stay still, but Common Buckeye is the only butterfly that matches this image, even though it is blurry.

And now, here's another picture of our Silver Spotted Skipper, but this one is much clearer than the other one I posted:


Two that 'got away' are not yet identified. One was a small white with black markings butterfly, much like a small sulfur or perhaps a skipper, it was very fast (tentatively identified as a Common Checkered-Skipper-Pyrgus communis). The other was a black swallowtail with blue across the bottom of its wings (perhaps a female Black Swallowtail, or a Red Spotted Purple "Admiral"). I hope to capture them with my camera in the near future.

17 & 18 :) Watch out @qebo!

Addendum: I also saw two anoles and one skink, but didn't get a picture of any of them, bummer!

I was out in the garden this morning, and suddenly spotted wings fluttering inside the mostly emptied bag of wood chips I've been mulching the garden with. It was my most common butterfly, and I rushed to let it out. At which point in landed on my index finger and sat there for nearly 30 seconds. Of course, the camera was back in the house. But the spots on the underwing are pure silver.

I found a dead butterfly in the garden yesterday, and so here are the wings--same type. Definitely looks like these are gulf fritillaries, as fuzzi identified above. And while they are attracted by butterfly bush, their host plant is the passion flower vine. Doh!



and the undersides:



The marjoram is blooming and I saw new pair of small butterflies this morning.

I think those remains are of a Gulf Fritillary (agraulis vanillae), as you had posted above in #92. :)

That little brown butterflyl looks like a Skipper. Hmm...

Skippers are to butterfly enthusiasts what warblers are to birders...very similar, very confusing, and a challenge to identify!

150: 17 & 18 :) Watch out qebo!
And you were ready to throw in the towel a couple weeks ago. I better get going on my unidentified skippers and moths.

(151) @ronincats, I think your brown skipper is an Umber Skipper (Poanes melane).

#23
Sachem Skipper (Atalopedes campestris) female (left) and male (right)
21 August 2012 on butterfly bush in my back yard

#24
Peck’s Skipper (Polites peckius) male
24 August 2012 on mountain mint in my back yard

How many species of skippers are there?!

157: My book has 18 pages of skippers that look about the same to me, 4-5 per page. Fortunately many can be eliminated from consideration because they are too far west or south.

(158) @qebo, do you have a Kaufman guide? Mine says to check out the location before trying to identify them. Many skippers from different regions are very similar, and only can be distinguished by where they have been seen.

158: Yes, that's what I meant. I have the Kauffman guide. I scan the map on the left side before I look at the picture on the right side.

So which guide should I get? By the time I get it, though, all the skippers will probably be gone for the season. Maybe I'll wait til the spring and see what insects qebo wants to count! :)

What shall we count this winter?

As a matter of fact, my garden seems pretty dead right now. We still have a hummingbird that visits often, but the rest of the wildlife has seemed to have slowed down quite a bit.

FYI, Mayland has lots of skipper species. :/

I love the Butterflies of North America by Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman, a "Kaufman Focus Guide". It is excellent, and has been a great help to me.

I found mine used, and it almost perfect condition.

Hey! There's one in very good condition on abebooks.com:

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=7475004075&searchurl=an%3DK...

Get it! Get it!!!

Maybe we could identify trees? ;)

> 162

I have to look at field guides in person to see if they're ones I like.

162,164: I have the same guide, which I got through Amazon, but I saw it at Barnes & Noble a few days ago. My only complaint is that the pictures are small, so I get all squinty eyed with skippers and have to look at internet images for confirmation. I doubt any book could do better though and still cover the entire US. There are just too many skippers.

163: That's easy. I lose. I have 0 trees in my yard.

#25
Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)
27 August 2012 on mountain mint in my back yard

That's a cool one!

Butterfly # 4 (see msg #25)


Zabulon skipper (male) - Poanes zabulon on dwarf crested iris

Butterfly #9


Small White - Pieris rapae - on Eastern redbud

He (or she?) obstinately refused to open its wings for further identification!

The only way I'm going to move ahead in this competition is by finding a hundred different species of skippers, it seems! :)

168: Looks like Zabulon male.

Wow, I went to bring the trash can back into the yard from the road, and there were caterpillars all over the back!

First one, from observation and picture I have tentatively identified as a Mottled Prominent moth caterpillar (Macrurocampa marthesia)

It definitely had a forked tail! (#19)

The other one was of several on the side of the can. They were between 1/2" and 3/4" long, black heads, fuzzy white hair, and a double row of black spots down the back. It doesn't show, but between the spots was a greenish line.

I thought it might be the Hickory Tussock Moth larvae (lophocampa caryae), but there were NO spikes anywhere on them:



@qebo has suggested Fall Webworm Moth (Hyphantria cunea) and I think she's nailed it! Woo!

And to think, a couple of months ago, I couldn't tell a hairstreak from a skipper!

Thanks, ladies! :)

(170) The only way I'm going to move ahead in this competition is by finding a hundred different species of skippers, it seems! :)

You can do it!!! Go, @SqueakyChu!

172: Fall Webworm moth (Hyphantria cunea)? It's in Caterpillars (Peterson First Guide).

Thanks, @qebo! (that makes #20)

BTW, that book is on the way.... :)

I have no caterpillars, either.

*sigh*

Butterfly #10


Peck's Skipper - Polites peckius - on Black eyed Susan

I'm going to concede to qebo. This is another view of the butterfly in msg #133.

::singing: "Yes, we have no caterpillars, oh we have no caterpillars today!!!!"

(an attempt at levity)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8ZcfXg6hUw

I'd even go for a silent caterpillar.

180: Somewhere in your yard or vicinity, your caterpillar is silently transforming.

You'll find one, soon. Have some faith! :)

Hint: bend over and look UP through the foliage of your flowers or vegetable plants, the caterpillars are easier to see from that position (if you can manage without falling over).

Or use a mirror.

> 181

My yard or my neighbor's yard.

> 182, 183

That's kind of hard to do at night (when I get home from work). It'll have to wait for the weekend. I guess I could look for moths at night, but I'm too tired at that point.

(185) That's kind of hard to do at night (when I get home from work). It'll have to wait for the weekend. I guess I could look for moths at night, but I'm too tired at that point.

And the neighbors might wonder who was in your yard at night, searching the flowers with a flashlight....

;)

(183) Or use a mirror.

That's a better idea, and would save my back! :)

#26
Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) male
28 August 2012 on ironweed in my back yard

Oh, that's a pretty flower as well as butterfly. I want ironweed!

189: I was doubtful, because it was nondescript and didn't begin blooming until early August, but this turns out to be a good thing; the milkweed and Joe Pye faded soon afterward, and the butterflies still need food.

I still have my threadleaf coreopsis, cardinal plant, blue lobelia, and black eyed susans blooming. I'm going to keep an eye out for other fall-blooming plants to buy.

My purple coneflowers have no petals now. Something ate them down to their centers. :(

I was looking at coreopsis and goldenrod over the weekend, and considering where I could put them. I have blue lobelia but it doesn't seem to be attracting much attention. Oh well. The native plants have vastly exceeded expectations this year, and next year I'll be starting with a mature base instead of from nothing.

Try the goldenrod. I don't have that and want to see what it attracts. The coreopsis is pretty because it blooms over a long period if kept deadheaded.

Doesn't really look like a tomato worm. If it did, it would have a 1/2" horn sticking up out of both ends. Whatever it may be, get some Sevin Dust and kill that booger before he wrecks your tomater crop.

No, can't do that, deke! No poisons!

If need be, I'll pick him off the plants, but only if he gets invasive and overly destructive. My tomato "crop" this year is only three plants in a raised bed planter, and easily monitored. :)

193: I'm experimenting for you? :-) The situation at the moment is that I'm hoping to get my fence replaced soon, so I can't put anything I care about near it. Tempting to get things in pots though, in anticipation of planting in the fall.

I live in an apartment, so I'm somewhat restricted to container gardening - running out of room to put containers. I will prob re-do it to group in pots in order to create more room. hope to get some more butterfly-attracting plants.

That's great, Betty! Have you posted pictures of your 'gardens' yet?

Not yet, fuzzi. More work to be done first.

Ah, but it's good to show the progress, how the gardens are created!

I think it is in @qebo's first gardening thread where you can see how the garden was created from scratch....or was that @SqueakyChu's?

I forgot...oops!

I've been working on mine for 30+ years, but is still looks like I"m starting from scratch!

> 195 -- I'm told that Sevin dust has the same active ingredient as the flea powder we sprinkle on our cats.

I, too, have only three plants this year. I got Mr. Stripey, a Roma, and a Beefsteak. All are doing great. The Roma, especially so. I get the idea we're gonna want to strangle that critter before the season is over. Seems like there's HUNDREDS o' maters on it, flowers all over the crazy thing, an' we harvested the first two fruits a week ago. Personally, I can hardly wait for the Stripeys. They're real big but they haven't started to turn yet, and I've never eaten one in my life. If they're half as good as they look, I'll probably go into conniptions.

deke, I'd love to eat your tomatoes, but alas! Tomatoes do not like me. There is something in the nightshade family of plants that has a tendency to increase inflammation. A few weeks ago my willpower was weak, and I had some 'tater tots'. I paid for it with a week of pain in my foot, which has plantar faciitus, a type of inflammation.

I probably won't grow tomatoes at all next year, but concentrate on the stuff I can eat, like beans. :)

I have a friend who is also sensitive to plants in the nightshade family.They cause her to have arthritis symptoms in the joints of her hands and wrists. It's good for me, though, as she gives me the nightshade veggies (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, potatoes) from her CSA box.

These (if this works) are the pics of the moth I saw on the sallyport at work last Friday (8/24). It is sitting on a 4"wide x 8" long wall block.

BTW, these were taken about 2 am, which actually made it on Saturday.

This is what I found:

Luna moth (Actias luna)

Woo! Betty has one!

Cool!

"luna" fits, since I saw it in the middle of the night. It was remarkably beautiful! And so big, too.

Butterfly #11


Red-Spotted Purple Admiral - Limenitis arthemis astyanax on a chokecherry leaf

Help me identify this swallowtail - even though his "tail" is pretty much gone. :( He was on the leaves of my chokecherry tree in the "wild" part of my garden.

210: Looks like red spotted purple admiral.

I don't think this is a swallowtail, but possibly a Red-Spotted Purple, a Limenitis arthemis!!!

Look at the spots on the front of the wings, and the back of the wings. No swallowtail has those in the same areas, and the pattern on the edge of the wings is distinctive.

I think I'm going to give up identifying butterlies. I'll just post pictures and all of you out there can identify them for me. You're much better at it than I am.

I'm stoked! I never had an admiral before. I hope it was a female and laid eggs there! :)

Oooh! This is interesting.

Red spotted purple admirals do live in Maryland. Caterpillar hosts for this species include some things in my garden: wild cherry (I have choke cherry, which is where the butterfly perched) and tulip poplar.

This is truly amazing! All butterflies used to look alike to me. Justlike birds - before I started watching them more carefully.

I am totally amazed!!

Maybe what I think was a choke cherry is really a black cherry - Prunus serotina, the host tree for the spotted red purple admiral?

You can see the picture of the leaf above.

213: That's because we have a BOOK!
I've seen red spotted purple admiral in my yard a few times, but I don't have any host plants for it.

I have a book, too, but its picture was not in there. How many books can I have?!

I've seen red spotted purple admiral in my yard a few times, but I don't have any host plants for it.

Heh! I guess your next native plant will be a host plant for the red spotted purple admiral! :)

I'm glad that all of you are getting a kick out of this because my family and friends think I'm nuts running around with my camera and posting every five minutes to my pinterest board and...well, you know! :)

I must have been a librarian and a park naturalist in previous lives. :)

217: How many books can I have?!
You are on LibraryThing! There are no restrictions on number of books!

I guess your next native plant will be a host plant for the red spotted purple admiral!
It wants a tree. I cannot give it a tree. :-(

my family and friends think I'm nuts running around with my camera and posting every five minutes to my pinterest board
When I replace my 6' solid fence with a 3' picket fence, the neighbors will see me contorting myself around and under plants with a camera and mirror...

> 219

You are on LibraryThing! There are no restrictions on number of books

LOL!

Oh. :)

> 219

When I replace my 6' solid fence with a 3' picket fence

Is that what you plan on doing? I love picket fences!

221: Yeah. The previous owner had large dogs and I suppose needed a barrier. I want a little more interaction with the outside world. Also the fence blocks the sun. Not sure when this will happen. I'm waiting for a $ estimate.

(217) I have a book, too, but its picture was not in there.

Then you either have the wrong book, or need another book...

...not all guides are created equal. Get the best you can afford.

BTW, I spent quite a long time going back and forth in my book, but none of the swallowtails seemed to match. My discovery of your butterfly's "identity" took a bit of work!

I thought it was a swallowtail that lost its tail. Ha!

Yeah. My insect guide is pretty old. I'll have to take some time to look for a new one, but I have no time now.

Butterflies of North America: http://www.librarything.com/work/176281/book/89032387

:)

I'll look at some butterfly books in the store, but maybe not for this season. I think the book I ultimately choose will have more to do with what the next competition will be. :)

Butterfly trivia

Without looking up the answer, guess which country in South America has the most species of butterflies in the world!

Here we go....number twenty-one!!!

The hornworm on my tomato plant is NOT a Tomato Hornworm, but a Tobacco Hornworm. The difference? The Tomato Hornworm has 8 white 'v's down its sides and the Tobacco Hornworm has 7 white diagonal lines down its sides.

Count 'em!


Tobacco Hornworm (Manduca sexta)

Here is what the adult should look like:



Should I let the worm continue to munch on my tomato plant?

Answer to Trivia: Brazil?

I think this might be #22, but I need your help. As you can see, I had a hard time getting close to this one, but I think there are enough clues to help identify it:







Hmm?

Addendum: it looks as if this is another Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon)...I was hoping it might be a Pearl Crescent, but the top view fits Phaon better, oh well...

And now for something completely different:



He/she is an Anole.

> 229

Brazil?

No.

Brazil is #2.

> 231

Nice!

Identify this:
http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/34608/moth+that+looks+like+a+poodle+has+inte...
http://karlshuker.blogspot.com/2012/08/mystery-of-venezuelan-poodle-moth-have.ht...

I'm exhausted from catching up with over 100 posts here. And bug-eyed.

Go to the new thread....