First real spring sighting in Maryland!

Anne Kilmer viceroy at gate.net
Sat Feb 28 05:40:02 EST 1998



Pavulaan wrote:

> Today, while on a lunchtime walk, I spotted my season's first non-hibernating
> butterfly in the Washington D.C. suburbs: Vanessa virginiensis (American
> Painted Lady or American Lady), Silver Spring, MD., 2/28/98, in a curbside
> herb garden.  A delightfully early record, beating out even the first Cabbage
> White or Spring Azure of the season!   Either the critter hibernated locally,
> due to the mild winter, or it has been so mild down south, that it migrated
> north, earlier than normal, possibly even hibernating further north than
> usual.
>

or it could be a release from a classroom-reared batch of butterflies. Folks don't
seem to care what kind of weather the poor little guys will be released into; My
granddaughter's class let theirs go in November, in Maryland.

> What this will do to our butterflies, is a good guess.  But at the current
> rate, many of the usual early species should be on the wing within a week.  If
> the Vanessa virginiensis is any indicator, this could be an interesting year
> for migrants, in the northeast.  Unless, of course, Winter finally does make a
> token appearance in the next few weeks.
> Harry Pavulaan
> Herndon, VA.


Always a possibility. Was in in '94 that you got two feet of snow or so on March
21?

Warm and sunny here. We had lovely weather for the butterfly party Saturday,
followed by tornadoes to the north of us; just high winds here. Cold on Sunday,
but warm all week. Zebra longwings are drifting around, and plenty of sulfurs.
Haven't seen a monarch in ages.
Anne Kilmer
South Florida



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