N. Silvery Blue (!) Goshen, CT...

Steve Walter SWalter at nyc.rr.com
Wed Jun 22 19:50:53 EDT 2005


Pictures of the Silvery Blue can be seen at
http://www.hmana.org/steve/silvery.htm .

Steve Walter



-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ctleps-l at lists.yale.edu
[mailto:owner-ctleps-l at lists.yale.edu]On Behalf Of Tom Fiore
Sent: Monday, June 20, 2005 9:25 PM
To: ctleps-l at lists.yale.edu
Subject: N. Silvery Blue (!) Goshen, CT...


Monday, June 20, 2005

On initiative from Steve Walter of Bayside, NY (and with directions
kindly provided by Andy Brand), Kristine Wallstrom, Steve Walter & I
(T.F.) visited the Goshen Wildlife Management Area in Goshen,
Litchfield County today for several hours. We were especially seeking
Bronze Copper, and were happy to see about a half-dozen of those
altogether here, between the three of us spread around the large area
at the site. After a nice walk around the fields & ponds, Bronze
Coppers & other species seen, we were almost ready to pack up & move
on...  I spotted a butterfly in flight I thought might be a good one -
pretty clearly a blue, it had a slightly grayish-brown cast to the
underwings in flight, & a certain style of flight (to my eyes, anyway)
& I said to my two field companions, "check that - & don't let it get
away". I had a net with me - using it only for odonate catch-&-release
on tough ID's. My companions both had digi-cams, & the butterfly
perched cooperatively several times: Female NORTHERN SILVERY BLUE
(Glaucophsyche lygdamus couperi) - in good condition!   We watched (&
Kristine& Steve photographed) for about 10 or 15 minutes, before we let
it get out-of-view.  Hopefully, a gravid female, ready to lay on the
Vicia (Vetch) spp. present there within the very extensive open fields
of the management area. Time will tell... this species has been
recorded once recently in Connecticut (according to David Wagner, a
male was found by Ed Force - in Litchfield Co. -  a few years ago),
with sightings in Massachusetts continuing unabated in recent years.

(Sunday, our group of 3 tried Great Mt. Forest (after obtaining a
required permit in advance from S. Childs) in Norfolk, and saw some
nice species there.)

Goshen W.M.A., Litchfield County
  - MONDAY, June 20, 2005
~ 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Sun & clouds, 60's-70's F., n.-w. breeze.

Black Swallowtail (1)
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (3)
Cabbage White (few)
Orange Sulphur (5+)
Clouded Sulphur (2)
BRONZE COPPER (6)
Summer Azure (2)
SILVERY BLUE (1 - Northern form; female - STATE RECORD, photographed)
Great Spangled Fritillary (2)
Pearl Crescent (10+)
Mourning Cloak (1) (worn)
Red Admiral (1)
American Lady (1)
Red-spotted Purple (2)
Viceroy (1)
Little Wood-Satyr (few)
Common Ringlet (many)
Monarch (2 females ovipositing on Common Milkweed)
Dreamy Duskywing (1 female)
Least Skipper (many)
European Skipper (many)
Peck's Skipper (2)
Tawny-edged Skipper (5+)
Long Dash (many)
Hobomok Skipper (few)

-------------------------------
Sunday, June 19, 2005
9:45 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Great Mt. Forest;
4:30-6 p.m. at Robbins Swamp WMA

Great Mt. Forest & Robbins Swamp WMA,
Norfolk & Canaan, Litchfield Co., CT

Mostly cloudy until mid-p.m.; 50's-60's F.

Black Swallowtail
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Cabbage White
Orange Sulphur
Harvester (3, Great Mt. Forest)
Summer Azure
Atlantis Fritillary (1, Great Mt. Forest - KW only)
Meadow Fritillary (1, Great Mt. Forest)
Pearl Crescent
Baltimore Checkerspot (last-instar larvae, Robbins Swamp)
Mourning Cloak
Milbert's Tortoiseshell (2, fresh, Robbins Swamp WMA)
Red-spotted Purple
White Admiral (1, Great Mt. Forest)
Viceroy
Little Wood-Satyr
Common Ringlet
Silver-spotted Skipper
Least Skipper
European Skipper
Tawny-edged Skipper
Long Dash
Hobomok Skipper
Pepper-and-salt Skipper (1, Great Mt. Forest)

THANKS to Andy Brand, David Wagner, & other Connecticut lepidopterists
for advice & directions.
And many thanks, to friends Steve Walter & Kristine Wallstrom for some
very good days in the field.
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