Skippers! (and stuff..)

[Anthony Zemba]

Another awesome report! Thanks, Clay! Keep 'em coming....

>>> "Clay Taylor" <ctaylor at worldnet.att.net> 6/2/2006 10:22 AM >>>
Hi all - 

I have been very remiss in writing this note, but the last week was
heaven for me, as 1) I was home, 2) the weather was great, and 3) the
Skippers are coming out!   Starting with last Thursday, here are my
first-sighting dates for the following species;

5/25 (Thursday) Peck's Skipper, Moodus (home)
5/25 Tawny-edged Skipper, home
5/26 Hobomok Skipper, home
5/27 Horace's Duskywing, Wapowog WMA, East Hampton
5/27 Dusted Skipper, Wapowog WMA
5/28 Indian Skipper, Moodus, New Yard Butterfly!  WooHoo!
5/28 Common Sootywing, home (first one in my yard in a few years)
5/28 Silver-spotted Skipper, Wapowog WMA
5/29 Wild-Indigo Duskywing (ovipositing on baptisia), Wapowog WMA
5/30 Zabulon Skipper, Echo Farm S.P. (I have heard it's now called
Machimoodus S.P., but I'm sticking with Echo until I get it confirmed),
Moodus
5/30 Northern Cloudywing (3), Echo Farm S.P., Moodus

also,
5/27 (2) Azure sp. (very fresh, not a Spring Azure - Dave, possibly a
Summer Azure?  I know nothing about the "other" azures that might be
present in CT), Wapowog WMA
5/31 Black Swallowtail (4; 3 male and 1 female), Echo Farm
(Machimoodus) SP, Moodus

My yard was great all weekend, with Tiger and Spicebush Swallowtails,
Clouded Sulphurs, Red Admiral and Question Mark, Monarch, American Lady,
Juvenal's Duskywing, and of course Peck's, Tawny-edged, Hobomok and Com.
Sootywing all seen on multiple days.  The Indian Skipper was a one-shot
wonder on the big patch of fleabane that I did not mow down in the
middle of the yard.
A Red-spotted Purple was here on Tuesday, the 30th.

Wapowog had the three duskywings (Juvenal's, Horace's, and
Wild-Indigo), as well as a few Dusted Skippers, Tiger and Spicebush
Swallowtails, and Clouded Sulphur.    The Hooded Warbler was calling
across the road, while the regular birds were all singing loudly. 
Apparently, no Cerulean this year.

Echo Farm (Machimoodus?) was truly amazing.   The diversity wasn't
great, but the numbers were as high as I've ever seen in CT for some
species.  There are somewhere between 1000 and 10,000 Baltimore
Checkerspot caterpillars - they are Everywhere!   There won't be an
un-chewed English Plantain left in the place!   The Cloudywings were
just to the right of the main gate, down by the "point of rocks".   
Also present were 50+ Common Ringlet, 300+ Little Wood Satyr, 3 Clouded
Sulphur, 1 Monarch, 100+ Tawny-edged Skippers, 25+ Peck's Skippers, 5
Hobomok and 2 Dusted Skippers.  All that, and I never got past the first
ponds to check out the woods or the overlooks!

Oh yes, I watched a Dusted Skipper oviposit on a blade of grass.   Wags
or Andy - do you want it?   I can dig up the clump for you.

At Echo, the Orchard Orioles were easy to find, and Big Daddy was in
one of the trees by the Upper Pond giving me a ration of abuse (I am
assuming that at least one nest was nearby.)     Also of interest was an
Osprey checking out the ponds.   I don't know if it was just passing
through, or if it is a local making the rounds.    If it's a local, that
would be VERY cool.

Clay Taylor
Moodus, CT
ctaylor at att.net