BAA #5 - Del Rio, TX

[Mark Walker]

Sunday, May 9

Well, a large storm system moved in over night, with rain and thick cloud
cover.  I decided to sleep in and even go scout out a local church in this
fine town.  When I emerged from church some time after noon, the dark cloud
cover was still in position.  I decided that things were just not going to
improve, so I started heading out of town.  Not a mile down the road, to my
surprise, I began seeing butterflies crossing the highway.

I couldn't help myself, I just had to go for a walk.  I pulled over on the
side of the highway, but when I got out of the car I noticed that it was
very hot and extremely humid.  No reason to be wearing these long pants and
sleeves (which I had changed into in the church parking lot).  So I
basically broke the indecent exposure laws of Texas, and put on some shorts
and a T-shirt with only my car door to hide behind.  I then proceeded to
wander into the bush (which is surprisingly thick in this part of Texas).
Once well beyond the road, I began to see plenty of nectaring sources
distributed in the tall grass, and began seeing butterflies.  The sky was
very dark, and there was little sunlight, but the temperature was in the
90's F.  I had my net, so I zoomed over and captured a Checkerspot.  It was
Thessalia theona (which I would later see by the dozens).  That's when they
hit.  At first one, and then five.  And then two hundred.  I was soon
covered with mosquitoes, which are very hard to swat away when you are doing
something else.  I was getting pummeled by welts, and I knew that these
would accompany me well into the following week.  And all of this just days
after finally getting over a case of poison oak (also butterfly induced -
well, o.k., maybe I only have myself to blame).  Within seconds, I realized
my grave mistake of down dressing.  It was as if these mosquitoes hadn't had
a fresh meal in weeks.

They had a nice one this day.  Later, while going back to the car, I managed
to pick up about a 3 inch spiky thorn which went right through my shoe and
into my foot.  No one said this hobby was easy.

I saw Battus philenor everywhere.  There were Papilio cresphontes, also.  I
saw many Pieridae, most of which I couldn't get any id on (flying very fast,
and not stopping).  There were big ones, small ones, fat ones, tall ones
(but no lady in the middle, nor any spilled wine...).  Orange ones, white
ones, yellow ones (but no brown ones).  I will guess that there may have
been as many as a dozen different species of Pieridae; including Colias
cesonia, Nathalis iole, Kricogonia lyside, and Eurema lisa.  I will have to
go out and try to capture a few of them later this week.  

I also saw many other butterflies, including:

Strymon melinus (Gray Hairstreak)
Leptotes marina (Marine Blue)
Hemiargus isola (Reakirt's Blue)
Calephelis nemesis (Fatal Metalmark)
Agraulis vanillae (Gulf Fritillary)
Euptoieta claudia (Variegated Fritillary)
Thessalia theona (Theona Checkerspot)
Phyciodes texana (Texas Crescentspot)
Phyciodes vesta (Vesta Crescentspot)
Vanessa atalanta (Red Admiral)
Pyrgus communis (Common Checkered Skipper)
Celotes nessus (Common Streaky Skipper)

All were common.  And then I started heading for San Antonio.  As I
mentioned on Saturday, I was amazed by how late the butterrflies were
flying.  The last one visible crossed Interstate 10 well past 8:00 p.m.
With warmer temperatures, these butterflies definitely do not need direct
sunlight.  It affects their behavior, but it doens't preclude them from
flying, feeding, or mating.  Amazing.

Mark Walker.
In Houston, TX