[Leps-l] Zerene cesonia (Southern Dogface) migration in Baja - Bougainvillea

[Hank Brodkin]

For some reason while butterflies don't nectar on Bougainvillea in the U.S., 
it is widely used in West Mexico: Sinaloa, Jalisco, etc.  Perhaps the 
climate has something to do with nectar production??


Hank Brodkin
Carr Canyon, Cochise County, AZ
31°26’59.8”N 110°16’02.8”W
hbrodkin at cox.net
"Butterflies of Arizona - a Photographic Guide"
"Finding Butterflies in Arizona - a Guide to the Best Sites"
http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b222/hbrodkin/
-----Original Message----- 
From: Rick
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2014 6:02 PM
To: 'Michael Gochfeld' ; leps-l at mailman.yale.edu
Cc: Emily Peyton ; 'Joanna Burger' ; ctleps-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Leps-l] Zerene cesonia (Southern Dogface) migration in Baja

Mike & Joanna: None of what you've seen, I think, is unprecedented (except
the Bougainvillea, don't know about that). But it is very interesting.

I can't put hands on the sources right now, but I've seen other fall reports
of fairly high altitude flight, albeit not necessarily over such a flat
terrain. I'll let you know if I can relocate.

On the anomaly of emigration movements both north and south, that can be
seen as dispersal away from 'bread basket' areas in fall. Long-tailed
Skippers, densely populated from summer-long population build-ups in (well,
ok) soy fields, are seen in fall flying both north (reaching New England
occasionally) and also south (down the Florida peninsula). Many mass
migrations begin in the northern Neotropical / semitropical border region,
spreading in many directions and this may apply to the dogfaces, though with
the droughts down there I'm not sure how these numbers accumulated this year
(there you need some local intel).

Most of all, wish I was in La Paza, Baja California sur right now, rather
than at my desk on 23rd Street.

Does this fit at all with your observations?

Hope to see you soon,
Rick


-----Original Message-----
From: leps-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu
[mailto:leps-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Michael Gochfeld
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2014 9:08 AM
To: leps-l at mailman.yale.edu
Cc: Joanna Burger; ctleps-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: [Leps-l] Zerene cesonia (Southern Dogface) migration in Baja

We are in La Paza, Baja California sur, this week.
mI
There are huge numbers of Dogface butterflies. Yesterday we observed that
there was a distinct southward migration. The day before there was evidence
of a high storm mortality with intact and fragments of butterflies dead on
beaches presumably from encounters with the Tropical Storm.

We know that this species migrates northward in the States.

Is there a list member or contact from Baja (or West Mexico) who can advise
whether this is a usual, unusual, pr unique occurrence.

Also the migrants are flying very high, well over 100 m, and indeed some are
passing in binocular range (above naked eye detection). Which seems unusual
for a flatland.

Also we were surprised to find them nectaring on Bougainvillea.



MICHAEL GOCHFELD  AND JOANNA BURGER

_______________________________________________
Leps-l mailing list
Leps-l at mailman.yale.edu
http://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/leps-l


_______________________________________________
Leps-l mailing list
Leps-l at mailman.yale.edu
http://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/leps-l