Stop Please (P. m-album on Nov 2?)

[John Shuey]

In the spirit of saying something interesting on the list, here is something that doesn’t seem believable – even though I believe it.   I was out all day today looking at oak barrens and prairie restorations in NW Indiana.  Three of us were looking at an agricultural ditch that we will fill to restore hydrology to an adjacent preserve, when a hairstreak flew over head at about 8 feet, and headed toward a stand of black oaks.  All I could see is that it was large, and seemingly dark grey from below.  Paul Labus who was off to the side, saw it and asked “what the ^&*^* was that blue hairstreak”!?  (Paul has lots of tropical experience in Belize and Brazil – so knows what blue hairstreaks look like).  All it could have been was a white-m hairstreak.  

 

So what was a rare hairstreak doing out on November 2nd in an oak barrens 40 miles south of Chicago?????  This is a pretty rare bug in the Midwest – one that I’ve only seen once previously in Indiana over 15 years in the state.  Three species of oak are in the barrens – black, white and pin – so plenty of potential hosts are there.

 

The only other butterflies we saw were a few buckeyes still hanging on.  It was about 60 F and sunny – and tonight will be the first hard frost of the year.  Buck moths flew in this area a few weeks ago.  Like I said – doesn’t seem right.

 

Weird.

John

 

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________________________________

John A Shuey
Director of Conservation Science

jshuey at tnc.org <mailto:jshuey at tnc.org> 

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