Birdingonthe.NetRecent Postings from
> Home > Mail |
White-breasted Mesite,©BirdQuest |
|
9 Dec winterizing Butterfly Bush [Harry Pavulaan ] 19 Nov Bronx butterfly & book RFI [Tom Fiore ] 14 Nov Monarch [Robert Dirig ] 13 Nov Lecture - Gardening with Native Plants Boosts Biodiversity ["Marielle Anzelone" ] 12 Nov Alfalfa Butterfly [John Hanyak ] 7 Nov RE: Cass Park, Ithaca, NY [Gary Stell ] 7 Nov Cass Park, Ithaca, NY ["Bill Evans" ] 05 Nov November Butterflies - Ulster County ["Steve M. Chorvas" ] 04 Nov Late Butterflies [John Hanyak ] 1 Nov Friday Broome County ["Robert Grosek" ] 17 Oct Bronze Copper 10-17-2008 ["Robert Grosek" ] 16 Oct Finger Lakes Butterflies [Robert Dirig ] 15 Oct Binghamton NY ["Robert Grosek" ] 15 Oct Recent Moths on LI, NY [Hugh McGuinness ] 14 Oct late skippers [Robert Dirig ] 10 Oct Eastern -tailed Blue ["asiootusloe" ] 9 Oct Re: late butterflies ["Bill Oehlke" ] 9 Oct Re: late butterflies [Steven Daniel ] 09 Oct late butterflies [Ernest Williams ] 25 Sep Triphosa haesitata [Hugh McGuinness ] 25 Sep Triphosa haesitata [Hugh McGuinness ] 23 Sep Tioga County Sphingidae larvae pictoral checklist ["oehlkew" ] 17 Sep Binghamton Butterflies 09-17-08 ["Robert Grosek" ] 17 Sep Fall Butterflies [Robert Dirig ] 15 Sep Re: Sep 14 Butterflies [Ernest Williams ] 07 Sep Cloudless Sulphur before TS Hanna this morning ["peregrina_g" ] 5 Sep Ocola Skipper, N.Y. City [Tom Fiore ] 5 Sep Rock cabin road and Montezuma [Steven Daniel ] 2 Sep Two Fritillaries ["Robert Grosek" ] 2 Sep Callopistria floridensis [Hugh McGuinness ] 02 Sep Giant Swallowtail/s and otehr species ["asiootusloe" ] 01 Sep Giant Swallowtail - Albany County ["barredowl9" ] 31 Aug Giant Swallowtail ["Robert Grosek" ] 28 Aug Giant Swallowtail, Cayuga County [] 27 Aug Giants and cats [Steven Daniel ] 27 Aug Re: Common Buckeye ["grosbeak AT clarityconnect.com" ] 27 Aug Re: Common Buckeye [] 27 Aug Re: Common Buckeye [Ernest Williams ] 27 Aug RE: Common Buckeye ["grosbeak AT clarityconnect.com" ] 27 Aug Common Buckeye [Robert Dirig ] 24 Aug Tawny Emperor ["asiootusloe" ] 24 Aug Giant Swtl - Broome Co. 8/24/08 ["Colleen / spider99" ] 21 Aug Re: More Giant Swallowtails ["Jay McGowan" ] 20 Aug Rensselaer Co. - Sunday 8/17 ["William Ruscher Jr." ] 20 Aug Giant Swallowtails in Listowel, ON ["Glenn" ] 20 Aug Fw: 2 Giant Swallowtail Eggs, Listowel [Glenn Richardson ] 19 Aug Re: Another Ulster Giant Swallowtail [Henry Halama ] 18 Aug More Giant Swallowtails [Robert Dirig ] 18 Aug Re: Cayuga Co. Giant Swallowtail [Von Merm ] 17 Aug the current Giant Swallowtail incursion [Tom Fiore ] 17 Aug Re: Cayuga Co. Giant Swallowtail ["grosbeak AT clarityconnect.com" ] 17 Aug Re: Cayuga Co. Giant Swallowtail ["Jim D'Angelo" ] Subject: winterizing Butterfly Bush From: Harry Pavulaan <harrypav AT hotmail.com> Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2008 12:25:10 +0000 Colleen: Yikes, mulch only 6" from the base?!? This is vastly insufficient to cover the roots, that often grow outward just below the ground surface for several feet in snakelike fashion. You sure he didn't mean to mulch 6" DEEP at the base? Down here in northern Virginia, I cover an area outward at least 2' with a layer of at least 3" of mulch. Some of my butterfly bushes have produced only two or three main roots, spreading out several feet in rather haphazard directions. These are always a few inches below the surface but that might just be due to local soil conditions. In any event, if you mulch out only 6" from the base, you certainly aren't providing much protection. As for cutting back, if the bushes die back from the cold at your latitude, cutting them back half way will only leave you with dead, cracked trunks next year. The rule was to cut them down to 18" in areas experiencing very cold winters. Why 18", I don't know, especially when you hear people in the northern tier say that their butterfly bushes die right down to the ground in winter. My guess is that, the higher you pile mulch around the base of the trunks, the more of the trunk that will survive. Of course, you could always wrap them up too with burlap and plastic and even shovel snow over them to give them added insulation from excessive cold. Good luck! Harry > winterizing Butterfly Bush> Posted by: "Colleen / spider99" spider99 AT stny.rr.com spider13732> Date: Fri Nov 14, 2008 9:50 am ((PST))> > I have had trouble in the past with keeping a Butterfly Bush alive overwinter (several years ago), so I recently consulted with Steve of Tioga Gardens (Owego NY) and here is what he had to say:> > Cut the bush half of the way back.> Mulch 6" from the base (I assume 6" radius all the way around)> This keeps the roots alive, even if the top may die.> The bush will grow back from the bottom, if one keeps the roots alive.> In the Spring, pull back the mulch about 1-2".> > I plan do to the same with some of my Spicebush that were moved from pots into the ground this Fall as they are too big to overwinter in the garage this year. I have smaller ones that will be used on the screened porch next year for caterpillars.> > Colleen Wolpert> Apalachin, NY > Tioga Co.> > WAG MORE! Bark less!> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Bronx butterfly & book RFI From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2 AT earthlink.net> Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:08:31 -0500 An Orange Sulphur was flying in the Bronx, N.Y. City - Monday, November 18th. Have any others seen the following book, and if so, was it useful for that region? "Butterflies and Moths of Costa Rica" (Spanish-English) by Isidro Chac�n & Jos� Montero, published by InBio (Costa Rica), 2007, 624 pages, illustrated with nearly 2,000 full-color photos of 1,170 species, and black and white drawings on morphological aspects. ISBN: 978-9968-927-23-9 see: http://www.inbio.ac.cr/EN/compras/carrito/detalle_producto.phtml? 406 Happy Thanksgiving, Tom Fiore, Manhattan _________Subject: Monarch From: Robert Dirig <red2 AT cornell.edu> Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:56:00 -0500 14 November 2008
Hello Everyone,
A lone Monarch was nectaring at Dandelions (that most excellent
late-autumn nectar source!) on a lawn at Ithaca, Tompkins Co., NY,
this afternoon, in company with Alfalfa/Orange Sulphurs and Clouded
Sulphurs, under clear skies and warm (60-degree F.) temperatures. My
previous late date in Ithaca for a Monarch is 11 November 1970.
Best to all,
Bob Dirig
Ithaca
--
Subject: Lecture - Gardening with Native Plants Boosts BiodiversityFrom: "Marielle Anzelone" <beachplum AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:37:08 -0500 Free Lecture in NYC - Gardening with Native Plants Boosts Biodiversity of Bugs and Birds In Douglas Tallamy's recently published book, *Bringing Nature Home*, he notes that studies show a one-to-one correspondence between habitat destruction and species loss. Thus gardeners can help slow the rate of extinction by planting natives in their yards. For example blueberry shrubs (*Vaccinium* species) support 288 species of moths and butterflies! Caterpillars and other insects, in turn, are the *sole* food source of nestlings for 96% of North American bird species. Dr. Tallamy will be speaking at the Torrey Botanical Society's lecture series on on Tuesday, December 2nd at 6:30 PM. The lecture, free and open to all, will be held at The New York Botanical Garden in Bronx, NY. The talk is titled " Gardening for Life" and will discuss the important ecological role of native plants and how we can each create more biodiversity in our own gardens. For more information, visit http://www.torreybotanical.org/lecture.html Marielle Anzelone Botanist & Native Plant Landscape Designer Drosera T 646.244.9397 E marielle AT drosera-x.com W http://www.drosera-x.com Founder NYC Wildflower Week May 3-9, 2009 Torrey Botanical Society http://www.nycwildflowerweek.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Alfalfa Butterfly From: John Hanyak <jhanyak AT twcny.rr.com> Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:14:08 -0500 Hello everyone: One Alfalfa butterfly seen today in the Town of Camillus, Onondaga County. Temp 45�. Best, John Hanyak Marcellus, NY jhanyak AT twcny.rr.comSubject: RE: Cass Park, Ithaca, NY From: Gary Stell <gd_stell AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2008 19:34:48 -0500 Just to add to this I still have a green Monarch chrysalis hanging on the side of my house since 20 September. Gary Stell Auburn, NY To: NYSButterflies AT yahoogroups.comFrom: wrevans AT clarityconnect.comDate: Fri, 7 Nov 2008 13:20:20 -0500Subject: [NYSButterflies] Cass Park, Ithaca, NY With the warm weather today (Fri), I made a trip out to Cass Park, Ithaca, NY at lunchtime to see what was flying. There are enough dandelions still in bloom at this location to keep a sizeable population of sulphurs and cabbage whites alive. I was delighted also to find a Monarch (a day before my latest date for this species in Ithaca).Mostly cloudly, 65 F, light winds:1 - monarch (very fresh looking female; flying from dandelion to dandelion in a weak manner)100+ - cabbage whites/both sulphurs4 - celery looper mothsBill EDanby, NY[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] _________________________________________________________________ Get 5 GB of storage with Windows Live Hotmail. http://windowslive.com/Explore/Hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_5gb_112008 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Cass Park, Ithaca, NY From: "Bill Evans" <wrevans AT clarityconnect.com> Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2008 13:20:20 -0500 With the warm weather today (Fri), I made a trip out to Cass Park, Ithaca, NY at lunchtime to see what was flying. There are enough dandelions still in bloom at this location to keep a sizeable population of sulphurs and cabbage whites alive. I was delighted also to find a Monarch (a day before my latest date for this species in Ithaca). Mostly cloudly, 65 F, light winds: 1 - monarch (very fresh looking female; flying from dandelion to dandelion in a weak manner) 100+ - cabbage whites/both sulphurs 4 - celery looper moths Bill E Danby, NY [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: November Butterflies - Ulster County From: "Steve M. Chorvas" <schorvas AT verizon.net> Date: Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:24:52 -0500 Tuesday, 04 November 2008 Dave Elliott Road, Town of Saugerties, Northern Ulster County Henry Halama and I visited the major (wide) north-south powerline on Dave Elliott Road in the Town of Saugerties, at the very northern fringe of Ulster County, to see what butterflies were still flying. We were very pleased to observe ~21 adult butterflies of seven species in addition to two middle instar Viceroy caterpillars actively feeding on green sapling aspen leaves, still devoid of their winter hibernacula. Temperatures topped out in the mid 60's with hazy sunshine and calm winds. Cabbage White - 3 Clouded Sulphur - 2 Orange Sulphur - 8 Question Mark - 1 Eastern Comma - ~5 Mourning Cloak - 1 (same location, and apparently same individual observed and photographed on several previous occasions this fall) Lady species - 1 (very late date for this locality) Also, an interesting natural history observation concerning Cabbage Whites. Numerous Cabbage White caterpillars typically wonder from my garden beds each fall to pupate for the winter in various locations around the yard, including under a garage door overhang. This past Friday, 31 October, I observed two just-emerged adults (one male, one female) still clinging immediately adjacent to their now empty chrysalis. This is the latest date I have ever recorded a butterfly eclosion. Seven additional pupas remain intact under the overhang. Steve M. Chorvas Saugerties, NY [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Late Butterflies From: John Hanyak <jhanyak AT twcny.rr.com> Date: Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:14:27 -0500 Greetings: Although we have had 4-5" of snow already this fall, I saw the following butterflies today at Marcellus Park, Town of Marcellus, Onondaga County: Clouded Sulphur 10~ Orange Sulphur 4 Temps in the low 60's. John Hanyak Marcellus, NY jhanyak AT twcny.rr.comSubject: Friday Broome County From: "Robert Grosek" <bluewing AT stny.rr.com> Date: Sat, 1 Nov 2008 09:14:15 -0400 In Broome County on Friday I spotted the following species: Cabbage White Clouded Sulphur Orange Sulphur Temperatures were in the mid to high 60 degrees. - Robert Grosek Binghamton, New York [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Bronze Copper 10-17-2008 From: "Robert Grosek" <bluewing AT stny.rr.com> Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:10:05 -0400 I spotted another Bronze Copper at Boland Pond in Binghamton this afternoon. The temperature was about 54 degrees. I have never seen a copper fly so late in the season in our area. Clouded and Orange Sulphurs were also flying, as well as several Yellow-legged (Autumn) Meadowhawk dragonflies. - Bob Grosek Binghamton, New York Everything in Nature tells a different story to all eyes that see and to all ears that hear. R.G. Ingersoll [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Finger Lakes Butterflies From: Robert Dirig <red2 AT cornell.edu> Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:54:15 -0400 Hello Everyone,
Taking advantage of yesterday's wonderful weather, I visited
Rock Cabin Road in Schuyler Co., NY (15 Oct. 2008) late in the
afternoon. Few butterflies were about (the site is very dry), but
the Bronze Coppers were a nice addition to the autumn records:
Cabbage White: most worn, nectaring at sparse flowers: Daisy
Fleabane, Heath Aster, Wild Basil, Spotted Knapweed. 2 mated pairs,
4:40 p.m.
Clouded Sulphur: One very fresh male, bright pink fringes, dark HWs
beneath (dark autumn form), puddling.
Alfalfa/Orange Sulphur: One female, flying.
Bronze Copper: Three females, one fresh, one slightly worn, one very
worn, all nectaring at Heath Aster near the edge of Queen Catharine
Marsh. Very exciting to see them this late, echoing a few earlier
records from October at this site.
Best to all,
Bob Dirig
Ithaca, NY
--
Subject: Binghamton NYFrom: "Robert Grosek" <bluewing AT stny.rr.com> Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:36:36 -0400 10/15/08 Boland Pond Binghamton NY Cabbage White Clouded Sulphur Bronze Copper Monarch - Bob Grosek Binghamton, New York Everything in Nature tells a different story to all eyes that see and to all ears that hear. R.G. Ingersoll [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Recent Moths on LI, NY From: Hugh McGuinness <hmcguinness AT ross.org> Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:45:53 -0400 Hello Fellow Leppers, Earlier this year I had planned to make weekly reports on my continuing moth monitoring here on Long Island, NY, however, two sampling sites this summer kept me overly occupied. Now that the season is winding down and I finally have time to review this year's work, I thought I would start to post a recap of the season (in random order) in order to maintain discussion on these lists during the quiet non-lepping months when they might generate some interesting and productive commentary. Earlier this year I moved from my house on Long Pond in Sag Harbor (deciduous woods on the edge of a large pond) to the piney woods near Northwest Creek in East Hampton. The mothing is not nearly so good in this new setting, but there have been a few nice surprises. The most recent of these was the appearance of two Xylotype capax on 29 September at the blacklight. A third individual appeared on 9 October. I have encountered this species only once before in the Dwarf Pine Plains of Westhampton, and I had assumed incorrectly it was a scrub oak feeder. Its host is actually Vaccinium. So this species is yet another example of a moth that occupies only a small portion of its host plant range. I wonder if anyone has written a general theory or a review of why moths have more restricted ranges than their host plants. I can imagine any number of ecological reasons for this phenomenon, but I wonder if it has been addressed in the literature. There is a congener, X. arcadia, that also occurs on Long Island. Forbes considered the two merely forms of the same species based on the apparent appearance of intermediates where the ranges overlapped. I have encountered arcadia only once on Long Island, at Napeague, and it has a considerably earlier flight season (early September), which would tend to support the hypothesis of separate species. I do not have a large enough sample size to comment on intermediate types, but I would be curious to know who split these species since Forbes' publication and their reasons for doing so. Hugh Hugh McGuinness The Ross School 18 Goodfriend Drive East Hampton, NY 11937 hmcguinness AT ross.orgSubject: late skippers From: Robert Dirig <red2 AT cornell.edu> Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:12:40 -0400 Hello Everyone,
Two late skipper records from the east edge of the Cornell
campus at Ithaca, Tompkins Co., NY, 14 Oct. 2008:
Erynnis baptisiae, male, with one forewing tip torn, but
otherwise quite fresh, nectaring at single orange marigolds in a
garden.
Pyrgus communis, fresh male, nectaring at Trifolium repens on a lawn.
Best,
Bob Dirig
--
Subject: Eastern -tailed BlueFrom: "asiootusloe" <mmh3 AT cornell.edu> Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:17:19 -0000 Hi all, On the way back from lunch, along the parking lot of CLO, I found a very tattered, but still all markings intact Eastern-tailed blue flying out of some grass and basking on an exposed stem of a plant. Meena Ithaca NYSubject: Re: late butterflies From: "Bill Oehlke" <oehlkew AT islandtelecom.com> Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2008 10:19:27 -0300 Hi Steven, Are you still documenting Catocala sightings somewhere?? Bill Oehlke 155 Peardon Road Montague PEI C0A1R0 CANADA From: Steven Daniel Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2008 9:53 AM To: NYSButterflies AT yahoogroups.com Cc: Carol Southby Subject: Re: [NYSButterflies] late butterflies The next several days look good for more sightings of late butterflies. In the Rochester area I had on October 7, Crescent Trail, Town of Perinton, Monroe Cty Orange sulphur Eastern comma Mourning cloak October 2, Auburn Trail, Town of Victor, Ontario Cty Orange and clouded sulphurs Red admiral (very fresh) Steven Daniel Pittsford, NY On Oct 9, 2008, at 8:31 AM, Ernest Williams wrote: > Late butterflies seen October 8 in Oneida Co. (central NY): > > 1 monarch > 1 mourning cloak > 1 cabbage white > 6 Colias (all looked like philodice, though in the previous few days > I've seen eurytheme). > > The mourning cloak was basking, and all the others were nectaring. > > Ernest Williams > Clinton, NY > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Re: late butterflies From: Steven Daniel <sdaniel1 AT rochester.rr.com> Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2008 08:53:25 -0400 The next several days look good for more sightings of late butterflies. In the Rochester area I had on October 7, Crescent Trail, Town of Perinton, Monroe Cty Orange sulphur Eastern comma Mourning cloak October 2, Auburn Trail, Town of Victor, Ontario Cty Orange and clouded sulphurs Red admiral (very fresh) Steven Daniel Pittsford, NY On Oct 9, 2008, at 8:31 AM, Ernest Williams wrote: > Late butterflies seen October 8 in Oneida Co. (central NY): > > 1 monarch > 1 mourning cloak > 1 cabbage white > 6 Colias (all looked like philodice, though in the previous few days > I've seen eurytheme). > > The mourning cloak was basking, and all the others were nectaring. > > Ernest Williams > Clinton, NY > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: late butterflies From: Ernest Williams <ewilliam AT hamilton.edu> Date: Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:31:49 -0400 Late butterflies seen October 8 in Oneida Co. (central NY): 1 monarch 1 mourning cloak 1 cabbage white 6 Colias (all looked like philodice, though in the previous few days I've seen eurytheme). The mourning cloak was basking, and all the others were nectaring. Ernest Williams Clinton, NYSubject: Triphosa haesitata From: Hugh McGuinness <hmcguinness AT ross.org> Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:06:21 -0400 Last night I was doing a little research on Triphosa haeistata when I discovered that Wagner has never found it CT, Schweitzer hasn't collected it in NJ, I certainly have never collected it on LI and Glaser and his compatriots did not find it in about a billion trap- hours in MD. From the text in Forbes and in Covell there is nothing to indicate that it might be uncommon or missing from a large section of the Atlantic seaboard. So I'm wondering two things: 1. Where is it common (or at least present regularly)? and 2. Does anyone know anything about the biology of this species (especially something that would explain its apparent absence)? Thanks, Hugh Hugh McGuinness The Ross School 18 Goodfriend Drive East Hampton, NY 11937 hmcguinness AT ross.org ------------------------------------------------------------ For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit: http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepslSubject: Triphosa haesitata From: Hugh McGuinness <hmcguinness AT ross.org> Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:06:21 -0400 Last night I was doing a little research on Triphosa haeistata when I discovered that Wagner has never found it CT, Schweitzer hasn't collected it in NJ, I certainly have never collected it on LI and Glaser and his compatriots did not find it in about a billion trap- hours in MD. From the text in Forbes and in Covell there is nothing to indicate that it might be uncommon or missing from a large section of the Atlantic seaboard. So I'm wondering two things: 1. Where is it common (or at least present regularly)? and 2. Does anyone know anything about the biology of this species (especially something that would explain its apparent absence)? Thanks, Hugh Hugh McGuinness The Ross School 18 Goodfriend Drive East Hampton, NY 11937 hmcguinness AT ross.orgSubject: Tioga County Sphingidae larvae pictoral checklist From: "oehlkew" <oehlkew AT islandtelecom.com> Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:31:42 -0000 I have created a Tioga County pictoral checklist for Sphingidae larvae, honouring Colleen Wolpert's recent find and images of the Hermit Sphinx. Page is at http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/nyTiogasphlar.htm Bill OehlkeSubject: Binghamton Butterflies 09-17-08 From: "Robert Grosek" <bluewing AT stny.rr.com> Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:11:08 -0400 Butterfly species noted at Boland Pond in Binghamton: Cabbage White Orange Sulphur Clouded Sulphur Bronze Copper Eastern Tailed-Blue Question Mark Pearl Crescent Viceroy Monarch - Bob Grosek Binghamton, New York Everything in Nature tells a different story to all eyes that see and to all ears that hear. R.G. Ingersoll [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Fall Butterflies From: Robert Dirig <red2 AT cornell.edu> Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:30:30 -0400 Hello Everyone,
A half-hour stroll through fields at the edge of the Cornell
University campus (Ithaca, Tompkins Co., NY, 17 Sept. 2008) in clear,
bright sunshine and 70s temperatures resulted in sightings of these
butterflies:
Cabbage White: 3-4
Clouded Sulphur: 5, including a white female
Alfalfa/Orange Sulphurs: 4
Pearl Crescent: 1
Great Spangled Fritillary: 1 female in pretty good shape for such a
late record, basking along the edge of a forest,
Least Skipper: 1 fresh male
Viceroy: 1 beat-up, faded male
Wild Indigo Duskywings: 2-3 males
Eastern Tailed Blue: 1 male
Common Checkered Skipper: 1, feeding at dog droppings.
Best to all,
Bob Dirig
Ithaca, NY
--
Subject: Re: Sep 14 ButterfliesFrom: Ernest Williams <ewilliam AT hamilton.edu> Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:13:39 -0400 In 30 minutes out in the field during yesterday's surprising heat (89 degrees) and humidity (dewpoint was 70), I found more butterfly species than I expected for mid-September – near Clinton, Oneida Co. (central NY): many Cabbage White many Clouded Sulphur many Orange Sulphur 2 Eastern Tailed-Blue 1 Pearl Crescent 1 Question Mark 2 Monarchs 1 Silver-Spotted Skipper Ernest Williams Clinton, NYSubject: Cloudless Sulphur before TS Hanna this morning From: "peregrina_g" <peregrina_g AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:12:49 -0000 This morning some time after nine o'clock a Cloudless Sulphur was seen flying close to a wall parallel to cemetery in Northern Manhattan. A tree which had come down during the night seemed to be a haven for a moth which sported a light caramel tan color and from a distance could make out no markings. This has been a very productive area and season for Black Swallowtail sightings. They were seen Fort Washington Park: 7/18/08,8/18/08,8/25/08,also on this same day at Fort Tryon Park,also on 8/9/08,also Van Cortlandt Park,on8/10/08, 8/31/08 On friday, 8/1/08 at Fort Washington Park and 8/2/08 Spicebush Swallowtail Also on 8/31/08 in Van Cortlandt Park a Red Banded Hairstreak,in poor raggedy condition,and on one Black Alder Tree at the Marsh three areas full of Woolly Aphids,but we saw no Harvesters. Results of Butterfly Survey which involved George Dadone,David Kunstler,Christopher Lyons and myself and comprised the territory of Caumsett State Park and Target Rock Wildlife Area ,here are some highlights,for more official results consult George Dadone. Date:Saturday, July 20th,2008 Gray Hairstreak Common Ringlet(found by David Kunstler) Tawny Edged Skipper Common Sootywing Delaware Skipper Clouded Sulphurs Hickory Hairstreak Red Spotted Purple Variegated Fritillary Spicebush Swallowtail Black Swallowtail Monarch Sachems Eastern Tiger Swallowtails Silver Spotted Skippers Orange Sulphurs Pearl Crescents Common Wood Nymphs Broad Winged Skipper(on a bush on someone's private property) American Lady Painted Lady Eastern Comma Questionmark Wild Indigo Duskywing Eastern Tailed Blue Summer Azure Peck's Skipper Buckeye Yolanda GarciaSubject: Ocola Skipper, N.Y. City From: Tom Fiore <tomfi2 AT earthlink.net> Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 17:40:14 -0400 Friday, 5 September 2008 Hello all, An Ocola Skipper in less than fresh condition was in the Conservatory Garden of Central Park, Manhattan, N.Y. City at about 4 p.m. - seen on several garden flowers (with an abundance of blooms now in the gardens there that are attractive to butterflies) it was rather active, and chased or was chased by other skippers, mainly the almost ubiquitous Sachems in the south (sometimes called English or secret garden). The Conservatory Garden has a main entrance on Fifth Avenue at E. 104 Street and is open 8 p.m. - dusk, daily. In my meanderings I also encountered: Black Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Cabbage White, Orange Sulphur, Red-banded Hairstreak, Gray Hairstreak, Summer Azure, Pearl Crescent, Eastern Comma, American Lady, Silver-spotted Skipper, Sachem (40+, very conservatively), Fiery Skipper (several), Broad-winged Skipper (1) & Common Sootywing in a community garden a short distance from Central Park. I may check one other area that gets some late-day sun, in another nearby park... with a camera in hand, this time! Tom Fiore, Manhattan _________Subject: Rock cabin road and Montezuma From: Steven Daniel <sdaniel1 AT rochester.rr.com> Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 16:49:46 -0400 On Wednesday Kim Hartquist and I made a visit to Rock Cabin Road, near Watkins Glen, almost exactly a year from when I was last there. And the butterflies were very similar to last year's list, and again quite delightful. Best emperor experience I know of in this part of the state, thanks to the unusual abundance of hackberry (and to Bob Dirig for informing us of this great site). Kim, fairly new to butterflying, really enjoyed the many landings upon her pants by the hackberry emperors. In one area there was excellent mud puddling with crescents (10), emperors (5), and 3 very fresh male and one beat up female eastern tailed blue. Here is the list with approximate numbers: Cabbage white: 30+ Clouded sulphur: 20 Orange sulphur: 1 Summer azure : 1 Eastern tailed blue: 5 Hackberry emperor: 18 Pearl crescent: 25 Gray comma: 1 Unid. comma: 1 Monarch: 1 Great spangled fritillary: 2 Silver spotted skipper: 1 Least skipper: 4 We did a stop on the way home at Howland Island near Montezuma and added a viceroy, and very fresh eastern comma. Steven Daniel Pittsford, NY PS. Most of the viceroy caterpillars I wrote about a week or so ago on the Auburn Trail appear to be gone. A few days ago I observed a small yellow-jacket type wasp kill one and fly away with it. I suspect the other larvae suffered the same fate. Clearly the caterpillars, though pretty cryptic to humans, can be honed in on by their predators.Subject: Two Fritillaries From: "Robert Grosek" <bluewing AT stny.rr.com> Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 17:49:57 -0400 This afternoon in a field off Preston Road, ENE of McDonough, NY in Chenango County, I spotted two good butterflies that I haven't seen in awhile. They were the Silvered-Bordered Fritillaries and the Atlantis Fritillaries! I was fortunate to get decent photographs of the top and undersides of both species. Both fritillaries have distinctive top and underside patterns. In addition to this patterning, at one point the two species were close together and I could see the that Atlantis Fritillary was noticeably larger than the Silver-Bordered Fritillary. - Bob Grosek Binghamton, New York Everything in Nature tells a different story to all eyes that see and to all ears that hear. R.G. Ingersoll [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Callopistria floridensis From: Hugh McGuinness <hmcguinness AT ross.org> Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 14:30:06 -0400 Two nights ago here in East Hampton, NY I found a very fresh Callopistria floridensis at my blacklight. I was very excited that this vagrant might foretell of a northward push of southern vagrants until Dale Schweitzer and William T Forbes suggested that this might be an escape from a greenhouse, where it is somewhat regularly encountered in the North. So I would be interested in hearing of any southern vagrants being spotted this season, especially if one of them is Callopistria floridensis. So far I have seen no indication of a push of southern species onto Long Island. Hugh Hugh McGuinness The Ross School 18 Goodfriend Drive East Hampton, NY 11937 hmcguinness AT ross.orgSubject: Giant Swallowtail/s and otehr species From: "asiootusloe" <mmh3 AT cornell.edu> Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:01:29 -0000 Hello all, Here is my addition to Giant Swallowtail list. Today on Howland Island DEC area of Montezuma Wildlife Complex, I had two sightings of Giant Swallowtails (my first in New York State). It could be that the second one may be the same individual I saw across the river, but little too far for the butterfly to go, but you never know. Other intersting sightings were a Hackeberry Emperor (on Hackberry), Gray Comma, Eastern Comma, several anglewings sp. could not id them. Monarchs, Viceroy, Pearl Crescent, Orange and Clouded Sulphurs, Cabbage Whites etc. Several individuals of Megarhyssa sp (Black ichneumoid with long ovipositors)were also observed basking in the sun. The Gray comma I saw had some strange way of loosing scles. scales of both forewings and some of hind wing were almost rubbed off as if someone did it on purpose. It was a very dark brownish red individual. I took some picutres may be alter I will post one. I was curious to know what could have caused such scale depletion. Cheers meena To add to the numerous sightings around the state this summer, I had a Giant Swallowtail fly though my yard this morning. I had seen one in August 2005 - my first, and to this point only one. I guess they are really making inroads into NY. Larry Alden Meadowdale (between Voorheesville and Altamont)Subject: Giant Swallowtail - Albany County From: "barredowl9" <overlook AT nycap.rr.com> Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:34:47 -0000 To add to the numerous sightings around the state this summer, I had a Giant Swallowtail fly though my yard this morning. I had seen one in August 2005 - my first, and to this point only one. I guess they are really making inroads into NY. Larry Alden Meadowdale (between Voorheesville and Altamont)Subject: Giant Swallowtail From: "Robert Grosek" <bluewing AT stny.rr.com> Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:57:01 -0400 On Saturday I spotted a Giant Swallowtail from the observation tower at the main pool at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. Being so far off the ground, this black butterfly was easy to recognize by its broad central yellow band. - Bob Grosek Binghamton, New York Everything in Nature tells a different story to all eyes that see and to all ears that hear. R.G. Ingersoll [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]Subject: Giant Swallowtail, Cayuga County From: Citheronia AT aol.com Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:17:55 EDT Hi all, Yesterday flying through the Community Bank parking lot in Cato (rt. 370, Cayuga County), I finally got to see what the rest have you have been seeing: a Giant Swallowtail. Very exciting! it's amazing how big they look flying around. Later on at the State Fair I saw a specimen in a collection at one of the exhibits in the 4H building, but no one was around and couldn't see the label. Randy Lyttle North Rose, NY Citheronia AT aol.com |