Last sightings for the year.

Martin Bailey cmbb at sk.sympatico.ca
Mon Oct 15 17:59:03 EDT 2001


LAST SIGHTINGS of BUTTERFLIES in 2001
 between latitude 49.5 degrees  and 49.0 degrees north and longitude 103.5
west.
   Martin Bailey and John Whitell.

This area of the Great Plains of North America used to be classified as
short grass prairie. An ecological zone characterized by drought resistant
plants.

As a generalization,   most  butterflies were found near Canada Thistle
(Cirsium arvense), Western Dock (Rumex occidentalis), and Alfalfa (Medicago
sativa).  These plants  thrive in disturbed soil.  And they  would be seen
as we  traveled on dirt and gravel roads paralleled by plant covered ditches
searching for butterflies.

All butterflies on the following list would have been noted on least two
different occasions from April to October.

Oct. 11  Variegated Fritillary
   Red Admiral
Oct. 9   Clouded Sulphur
Oct. 8   Orange Sulphur
Oct. 6   Mourning Cloak
Oct. 4    Milbert's Tortoiseshell
Sep. 30  Common Checkered Skipper
   Checkered White
   Melissa Blue
   Cabbage White
   Painted Lady
Sep. 21  Western White
   Pearl Crescent
   Purplish Copper
Sep. 17  Monarch
Sep. 16  Plains Skipper
   Meadow Fritillary
Sep. 15  Bronze Copper
Sep.    6  Viceroy
Aug. 26  Aphrodite Fritillary
Aug. 25  Wood Nymph
Aug. 12  Great Spangled Fritillary
Aug.  1  Satyr Comma
July 24  Tawny-edged Skipper
July 17  White Admiral
July 7   Common Ringlet
July 4   Silvery Blue


While there were very few sightings of Satyr Comma and Meadow Fritillary,
Cabbage, Western and Checkered White were seen in more than one location in
the thousands as was Orange Sulphur. And  Painted Lady occurred in  broad
fronts on at least two occasions that probably extended for over  hundreds
of  miles in width.

Possible observational errors would be confusions in distinguishing female
Pontia protodice from female P. occidentalis and assuming Colias eurytheme
when C. philodice was actually seen.




 
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