FOTY Butterflies today

Clay Taylor ctaylor at att.net
Tue Jun 3 16:17:42 EDT 2008


That's the shortcut for First Of The Year.   ;-)   All FOTYs will be in BOLD CAPS.

I returned from a weeklong trio to Austria, and today's delightful weather got me out in mid-day to Wapowog WMA in East Hampton and Machimoodus SP in Moodus (yeah, I know, it's in East Haddam).

Home in Moodus -
RED-SPOTTED PURPLE - 1
Peck's Skipper - 3
Tawny-edged Skipper - 2
Pearl Crescent - 2

Wapowog -
Tiger Swallowtail
Spicebush Swallowtail
Pearl Crescent - 5
Eastern Tailed-Blue - 2
Little Wood-Satyr (over one hundred)
SILVER-SPOTTED SKIPPER - 1
Wild Indigo Duskywing - 6+
Juvenal's Duskywing - 1 (late!)
DUSTED SKIPPER - 4 (at least)
PEPPER-AND-SALT SKIPPER - 1
I didn't have as good a look as I wanted, but the size, color and actions all pointed to hegon, and the brief look I had of it perched (couldn't see the underwings except when it flitted away) did nothing to change my mind.   That is another first for me at Wapowog.   I wish I could have found it again - it was at the end of the Upper field, within 30 feet of the SSK, Dusted, and WIDW that were patrolling the area and chasing everything in sight.

Machimoodus SP -
Tiger Swallowtail
Black Swallowtail
Spicebush Swallowtail
Clouded Sulphur
Orange Sulphur
Pearl Crescent - 30+
Eastern Tailed-Blue - 3
Baltimore Checkerspot caterpillars - 20+
Question Mark - 1
Red-spotted Purple - 1
Little Wood-Satyr - 40+
Common Ringlet - 100+
Northern Cloudywing - 20+ (in all parts of the park)
EUROPEAN SKIPPER - 1
Peck's Skipper - 100+
Tawny-edged Skipper - 15
LONG DASH - 1
DELAWARE - 1
Hobomok Skipper - 5

Most of the best skipper action was in the upper field by the old entrance to the park, mostly because it was out of the wind more than the pond areas.   the newbies were all seen there.   Had I known I was at 18 species, I would have stayed there to find another two.

Bird action at MSP was highlighted by a singing duel between the two male Orchard Orioles at the Upper Pond, and a Raven carrying food towards Mt. Tom while being harassed by an Eastern Kingbird.   Anybody want to help me look for the nest this weekend?

Clay Taylor
Moodus, CT
ctaylor at att.net 
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