Sighting Report - 3/17/2002

Robert J. Nuelle, Jr. rnuelle at houston.rr.com
Mon Mar 18 08:45:36 EST 2002


Date:           3/17/2002
State:          Texas
County:       Harris County
City:             Spring
Area:           Cypresswood Neighborhood
Habitat:       Power cut
Time:           12:30 PM ­ 3:30 PM
Who:            Robert J. Nuelle, Jr. - Robert J. Nuelle, III
Weather:    Overcast, humid

----Legend: S ­ Seen; J-Journal Specimen Collected; R ­ Caught & Released

J   -   Monarch - Danaus plexippus ­ 15 ­ most fresh a few worn/pale
J   -   Falcate Orangetip ­ Anthocharis midea ­ 2 Males ­ 2 Females
[Significant drop in observed]
R   -   Falcate Orangetip ­ Anthocharis midea ­ 3 Females ­ 3 Males
J   -   Common Buckeye ­ Junonia coenia ­ 3 collected ­ 10+ seen
J   -   Cloudless Sulphur ­ Phoebius sennae ­ 5 collected 15 seen [still
greenish in color]
J   -   Orange Sulphur ­ Euptoieta claudia ­ 5 collected ­ 20+ seen
S   -   Gulf Fritillary ­ Agraulis vanillae ­ 1 seen [very small ­ 1/2 size
from summer specimens]
J   -   Orange Sulphur ­Euptoieta claudia [white phase] - 1 specimen
collected
J   -   Question Mark ­ Polygonia interrogationalis ­ 5 collected ­ 10 seen
S   -   Tiger Swallowtail ­ Papilio glaucus ­ 30 feet high and booking it
west.
S   -   Pipevine Swallowtail ­ Battus philenor ­ Just missed
S   -   White checked Skipper ­ Pyrgus communis ­ dozens seen ­ very common
J   -   White checked Skipper ­ Pyrgus communis ­ 2 collected
J   -   American Lady ­ Vanessa virginiensis ­ 5 collected ­ dozens seen
J   -   Southern Dogface ­ 1 collected [ID to be verified]
S   -   ³Small Wood Satyr² - the size of a nickel, 3 spots on ventral
surface of wings ­ 100¹s seen
J   -   ³Small Wood Satyr² - the size of a nickel, 3 spots on ventral
surface of wings ­ 5 collected for ID
S   -   Fiery Skipper ­ Hylephila phyleus ­ dozens seen
J   -   Red Admiral ­ Vanessa atalanta ­ 1 collected
C   -   American Snout ­ Libytheana carineta bachmanii ­ off the power cut
in the woods 5 feet.

Observations:

A great day ­ we just made new nets and were testing them out. We increased
the hoop diameter by 50% but the net fabric is too small a mesh ­ a lot of
wind resistance ­ it takes two hands to swing. We will remake new net bags
this week with a more open mesh. The majority of butterflies were
caught/seen on the borders of the cut.

The Anthocharis specimens just magically appear at the fringes of the power
cut, flying low and with no warning.

The Monarchs were very skittish, not nectaring at all just flying ­ looking
for mates. No milkweed seen.

Most of the flowers seen were small white flowers growing in large clumps in
grass. These were attractive to the:
    Wood Satyrs
    Orange Sulphurs
    American Ladies
    Cloudless Sulphurs
    Fiery Skippers
    
Most Buckeyes were seen defending territory of bare ground exposed by a
bulldozer. 

Most of the Question Marks were defending areas with piles of leaves. If
spooked they often flew high into neighboring trees.
-- 
Sincerely,


Robert J. Nuelle, Jr.
Webmaster
The UniverShell Trading Company

webmaster at univershell.com


http://www.univershell.com/home.html      --- Molluscan Natural History Site
http://www.univershell.com/bfly/home.htm  --- Butterfly Natural History Site





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