Cross Country Again

[Mark Walker]

Day 5 of a grueling trek from Vermont to California via a large Ryder truck
w/ car trailer (and 12 year old son).  
Actually, Christian and I are having a great time.  It's good to spend some
time with him pre-teen (who am I kidding, they're teenagers by 7 or 8).
We're in Albuquerque now, just in time for all of the balloons.  We left
Vermont just prior to the current stormy weather, but the morning
temperatures were already below freezing.  There were still a few C.
philodice (Clouded Sulpher) and P. rapae (Cabbage White) flying about
northern New England, but that was about it.  On the way to Buffalo, N.Y., I
started to see an occasional Monarch.  By the time we got to (no, not
Woodstock) Indiana, the Monarchs were common.  Of course, the Alfalfa or
Orange Sulpher (C. eurytheme) has been common all along our route.  In
Missouri the Monarchs were quite numerous.  A few a minute could be seen,
usually flying high above the highway (my windshield only claimed a few).
We also saw Battus philenor (Pipevine Swallowtail) and Papilio polyxenes
(Eastern Black Swallowtail), and an occasional Nymphalis antiopa (Mourning
Cloak).  We took a break from driving in Oklahoma, and went for a walk in
some woods.  Nathalis iole (Dainty Sulpher) and C. eurytheme dominated (in
the hundreds), with D. gilippus making a reliable appearance.  Cercyonis
pegala (Common Wood Nymph) were common, though weary, and we also saw
Limenitis [Basilarchia] archippus (Viceroy), Euptoieta claudia (Variegated
Fritillary) and Vanessa atalanta (Red Admiral).  We netted a single Eurema
lisa (Little Yellow) and chased a skipper to no avail.

Once in the Texas panhandle, we started running into Libytheana carinenta
(American Snout), although nowhere near the numbers I saw in Laredo a couple
of weeks ago.  The Monarch slowly gave way to the Queen, the Variegated
Fritillary has increased it's presence, but the dominating butterfly has
been Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady).  We also saw Eurema nicippe (Sleepy
Orange),  Brephidium exile (Western Pygmy Blue), and Phyciodes (mylitta?).

We'll be heading south tomorrow.  Should be a good day for insects (aren't
they all?).

Mark Walker.