unidentified butterfly

Michael Gochfeld gochfeld at eohsi.rutgers.edu
Thu May 11 17:00:32 EDT 2000


I agree with the way Chris and John have provided clues that the
Philadelphia Mystery Story does not star wyandot. However, I had the
same impression about Checkered Skipper that John voiced about Grizzled
Skipper, namely that it is a tiny grayish, mothlike blur, and even when
I know that it is what I am looking for where I am looking for it, it
has to perch before I can identify it.  Therefore.  Moreover, at least
in NJ, I would never have thought of P.communis as being brownish.  It
is grayish to blu-ish. So my suggestion still is a Crescent---after all
one of the commonest yard butterflies at this season. 

MIKE GOCHFELD
===========================================================
John Shuey wrote:
> 
> Piecing clues together to say that this UFO is not Pyrgus centaurea wyandot:
> 
> > "Chris J. Durden" wrote:
> >
> > > My first thought was *Pyrgus (Scelothrix) "centaureae" wyandot* - the
> > > WYANDOT GRIZZLED SKIPPER. Do you have any of its foodplant - the
> > > yellow-flowered strawberry-like *Waldsteinia fragarioides*. This species
> > > can be locally common in midwest Maryland, northern New Jersey, and on Long
> > > Island, in spring.
> > > .......Chris Durden
> >
> > Chris,
> > I have what I think is wild strawberry with yellow flowers on my lawn--forgot to
> > mention that in my first post.  I can't seem to find the Wyandot Grizzled
> > Skipper in my Audobon Field Guide.
> >
> >
> 
> Clue 1 - most eastern populations (with the exception of Michigan) are not
> associated with wild strawberry - but the similar appearing Dwarf Cinquefoil ,
> Potentilla canadensis.
> 
> Clue 2.  Pyrgus wyandot is very rare in the east, and is not a yard butterfly
> (Unless your yard is surrounded by natural barrens habitats maybe).
> 
> >
> > > >>  In Philadelphia on Sun., May 7 at very approximately 2PM , I saw a
> > > >>  little (maybe 1-11/2" wingspan) butterfly on my lawn.  It was brownish
> > > >>  and whitish (maybe some other color, too) with a kind of checkered
> > > >>  pattern.  I couldn't get a very close look at it.  Every time I tried to
> > > >>  lean near it, it went fluttering through the grass and also landed it
> > > >>  some wet dirt (puddling?).  I had just watered some of my plants.
> 
> Clue 3 - and this is a big one - no one who has ever seen P. wyandot in flight would
> say that it "fluttered through the grass".  Wyandot in flight is a complete blur,
> wings are almost invisible, and it move so fast that its hard to follow visually for
> more than a few seconds.
> 
> --
> John Shuey


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