4/10/02 sightings North Guilford CT

[Dale Roberts/Bill Yule]

Local sightings;  North Guilford Ct.
      Encouraged by Jeff F's report of a fresh Falcate Orangetip in Meriden I resolved to get out today.  Having coffee on the deck I noticed two or three Cabbage White's in the yard. "A good sign," I thought.  One of the Cabbage Whites looked small, had a different feel to it so I went in, got my net, netted it and now I'm not sure exactly what I've got.  Oh to be sure it is a female of some from of a albino Orange Sulfur (Colias eurytheme).  But which one. The dorsal wings are white, the color of a cabbage white.The dorsal hindwing median spot is unbordered orange. The underwings have the dusty pale lime color and the very small size that I associate with the Spring or late Fall form of Colias philodice (Clouded Sulfur).  Maybe someone out there who is familar with this variety can tell me if this combination of charactars is typical of the white spring form of Orange Sulfur or if hybrid Orange/Clouded Sulfurs have a white form as well?  Any comments would be appreciated.
    Other stuff---
Mourning Cloaks-- 6 or 7
Cabbage white- 4
Orange Sulfur- 1 normal form, 1 white form described above
Azures sp. --  3  (until I figure out the morphological charactars that seperate the different species within the early season Celastrina complex I'll continue to refer to them as Azure sp..
Falcate Orangetip--  5  Surprisingly only one male out of the five and even more suprising were two females at the base of Bluffhead ovipositing on Garlic Mustard!

Anyway that's my story for April 10th and I'm stickin' to it.

                                           Bill Yule
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