Phoebis sennae migration underway

[Pavulaan at aol.com]

Here's a "heads up" that may interest butterfliers in the northeast:

Several days ago, I received two unconfirmed reports that large numbers of
Phoebis sennae were moving north along the Delaware shore.  Additionally, I
have just received a report for 8/23/98, that a very heavy northward movement
of Phoebis sennae is occurring on the west side of Chesapeake Bay in Cecil
Co., MD.  These were reported to be "everywhere".

Though I have seen several P. sennae in May, here in Fairfax Co., VA., I have
seen none all summer.  However, we have already found two larvae on Senna
plants in our garden last week (8/17-8/18), that pupated by 8/20.  These are
expected to emerge in the next week.  

These reports indicate that the late-season movement that reaches New York
city and the New England coast in September is now underway!  This could
portend to a very good season for P. sennae sightings in the northeast.
Anybody along the way might want to track this movement as it progresses
northward and hopefully report to leps-L or other newsgroup, so the movement
can be documented.

Many of these migrants clearly orginated in the Chesapeake Bay region, but the
big question is, did the main migration originate in eastern North Carolina?
Back in early August, I observed virtually thousands of P. sennae in eastern
North Carolina, along my travel route from the Morehead City area north to
Virginia.  Based on my statistical sample, the actual population easily could
have been in the millions.  Beside two localized movements nearer the coast,
most of these showed no directional movement. 

The ultimate question is: how far north do these critters actually go?  

C' mon folks, does ANYONE have any field reports to post on Leps-L?  

Harry Pavulaan
Herndon, VA.