Busy Black Swallowtail
After seeing many Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) butterflies and little else on the wing for much of the spring, they have dropped off in number as others increase. What have your observations been? I have been surprised at how (relatively) few Eastern Tiger Swallowtails have been in the air except for a week or two in May. The harsh and historically cold winter likely changed the lepidoptera landscape for us more than usual. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreCabbage White
Here we have the Cabbage White or Small White (Pieris rapae) butterfly feeding on a clover. While they are an introduced species and abundant, sometimes a pest to the crops they are named after, they still do have a beauty on a late spring day among the green and rapidly diversifying colors.
Read MoreNovember Orange Sulphurs
This photo is from the summer in the gardens of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History in Jamestown, New York, but in the past week I have seen several more of these Orange Sulphurs (Colias eurytheme) thanks to the balmy conditions. Have you seen any of them? Or spotted other butterfly species? The weather has been unseasonably warm, especially in regard to high temperatures, and was once again today. I am afraid to say those of you who have enjoyed it will be disappointed soon as temperatures will crash back to normal and below-normal for mid-November shortly. Scott Kruitbosch...
Read MoreMonarch Migration Report from the Finger Lakes
Last week my husband and I took a trip to the Finger Lakes for a fun adventure to a new area we hadn’t explored much before. While we were there, we happily came across lots of different wildlife species, including several butterflies. While hiking into the fields (hills I should say!) owned by the bed and breakfast we were staying at, we came across about a half dozen or so monarch butterflies nectaring and resting. We also saw a few here and there flying through Watkins Glen State Park and near the International speedway as well, catching updrafts from winds blowing through the gorge...
Read MoreMonarchs massing in migration
This past weekend I visited a prime spot for Monarch butterfly migration: the coastal grasslands of Stratford Point in Stratford, Connecticut. Even four or six years ago one could expect to find hundreds of Monarchs at the site during the peak migratory period. The last couple of years have seen a dramatic collapse in their numbers in many parts of North America. As one of the most visible and widely known environmental disasters of the 21st century the plight of the species has been a subject of discussion for the masses. Thankfully I was able to see a decent mass of Monarchs at this...
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