butterflies
-
Single Swallowtail
Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) female. Missing one of her “swallowtails,” perhaps lost to a bird.On Joe-Pye Weed (genus Eutrochium), that pollinator magnet.
-
Instar Light, Instar Bright
According to the good bug people at Bugguide.net, this is an instar caterpillar of the Grey Hairstreak (Strymon melinus). Here’s the adult, also seen at BBP. The caterpillar was munching away on some Desmodium trifoliatum. There is some variability in the coloring of these caterpillars; this one was pretty much the color of the flowers,…
-
Red-Spotted Purple and Azure
In Sterling Forest State Park, a Red-spotted Purple. Limenitis arthemis has two rather different forms, the other, more northerly, one known as the White Admiral. The “Spring Azure Complex, Celastrina ladon and others,” is how the Kaufman Field Guide refers to these small, widespread, and common butterflies that are azure on the upperside of their…
-
Persephone
While failing to see the rare-for-our-parts Varied Thrush that has been in Prospect Park for a few days, I otherwise noted: two raccoons slowly uncurling high in a tree crotch; one darting chipmunk; a dozen turtles crawled up on shore and rocks of the Pools to warm up after so many water-chilled months; a Red-tailed…
-
Four October Butterflies
On Friday at Fort Tilden, the sun was bright when I got there but a cold front moved in from the northwest as I stood atop the hawk watch platform. These were all seen while the sun was still bright.Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) predominated, still, floating along the coast towards the south. A sulphur, probably Clouded…
-
Pearl Crescent
Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos), on path around Marvin’s Woods.
-
Skipper
One of the numerous small butterfly species called skippers in the family Hesperiidae. Many look quite similar to each other, so I gave this one to the Bugguide crew, and last I checked there was no response. I usually see them skipping about meadows and overgrown lawns; this one was on a butterfly bush in…
-
Lady Parts
Painted Lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui) are all over the city. Yesterday I counted a dozen at one flowery corner in Gowanus, and another dozen around a couple of butterfly bushes in Brooklyn Heights. This species is similar to the American Lady butterfly (Vanessa virginiensis), as you might expect for a genus-mate. Here’s an American Lady…
-
Green-Wood
Walking through the unruly lawns of Green-Wood Cemetery this time of year stirs up grasshoppers, skippers, and moths, who scurry away from your feet in the grass. Sulphurs and Cabbage White butterflies flitter about, sometimes laddering up together in mating flights.An occasional giant butterfly, like this Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes), is seen.Something had nibbled on…
-
Tiger Swallowtail
The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) is the largest butterfly in the northeast (wingspan can reach 5″). I saw my first of the year over the weekend in Massachusetts.This is a male. Females have much more blue on the hindwing. There’s also a dark female form which is more common as you head south.
Backyard and Beyond 