Spring in New England

[Mark Walker]

O.K., I've been delayed from posting, and spring actually arrived here a
couple of weeks ago.  In fact, after hearing reports of butterfly sightings
here in Vermont (it's amazing how many people you can initiate when you
share your passion with them - barbers, farmers, truck drivers...), I
actually had my first this season about two weeks ago.  The first was
Nymphalis antiopa - you can't miss them, and can easily identify them while
driving (I know it's not much of a practice in safe driving, but you see the
reaction is quite involuntary).  I then started to see an occasional Pieris
rapae.  Yesterday, although cooler with a high of around 62 degrees F, I
spent my lunch hour watching and saw a single lone specimen each of:

Polygonia comma,
Callophrys [Incisalia] augustinus, and
(Harry, take note) a very nice spring female Celastrina ladon
(with the dark marginal spots on the HW below).

Quite pleasant, considering the fact that there is still little in terms of
groundcover.

On Tuesday, April 21, I was down on Cape Cod, MA, where I ran into an
explosion of Callophrys [Incisalia] augustinus.  It's amazing how many times
I've stumbled onto an unanticipated mass emergence.  Those are the times
when you just have to find a log to sit on and spend a few quiet minutes
just taking it all in (butterflies and bumblebees).  Other species sighted
on Cape Cod:

Colias philodice (3)
Pieris rapae (2)
Vanessa virginiensis (4)
Erynnis juvenalis (1)
Erynnis icelus (1)
Celastrina ladon (4)
Nymphalis antiopa (1)

It's shaping up to be a great season.  No snow on the horizon, and the Green
Mountains are golden.

Enjoy!

Mark Walker
Castleton, VT