[borealowl47]

Originally Posted by MichelleOhio

Not sure if this is the place for my question, but I didn't really see a better one.

I would like to collect a couple Monarch cats for the kids to watch change into butterflies. Is it too late in Ohio to do this for the year? I'm in the Dayton area.

I don't know about Dayton but here further north still seeing Monarchs and lots of milkweed plants but no caterpillars.But have not been looking closely.
Check out all the milkweed plants around your area see if you find any.They lay eggs right into August.

[gergrd]

I've seen multiples of each of these butterflies at points in northern Virginia in the past week: Tiger Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail, Common Buckeye, Monarch, Cabbage White, Orange Sulphur, Eastern-tailed Blue, Red-banded Hairstreak, Common Buckeye, Monarch, Pearl Crescent, Silver-spotted Skipper, Wild Indigo Duskywing, Sachem, Peck's and Dun Skippers. Monarchs have just started to show up in this area in numbers, I'd only seen one this year before last week. I've also seen several Hummingbird Clearwing moths in the last week - not a butterfly, but a beautiful member of the Lepidoptera family which I'd never seen before this year.

[gergrd]

I've reviewed my recent photos and found several more species I'd seen in the last week: Pipevine Swallowtail, Great Spangled Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Silvery Checkerspot, Common Wood-Nymph, Juvenal's Duskywing, Zabulon, Little Glassywing & Tawny-edged Skippers. I don't regularly record the butterfly species I see when I am out unless I'm on an organized count, but I'm somewhat surprised at the number of butterfly species (25) I'd encountered this week - I would have guessed half that number.

[borealowl47]

Originally Posted by gergrd

I've also seen several Hummingbird Clearwing moths in the last week - not a butterfly, but a beautiful member of the Lepidoptera family which I'd never seen before this year.

Googled images of these moths and wouldn't you know it last Wednesday one caught my eye,even though I did not know what this striking insect was.Also in this extensive thistle patch along a seldom used railway track were lots of Viceroys,Monarchs,a Mourning Cloak,Eyed Browns with some smoky forms,Silvery Checkerspots,a Black Swallowtail and never seen before Dorcas Copper.

[borealowl47]

Some butterflies from last year,

[gergrd]

I was out yesterday and added Mourning Cloak and Hackberry Emperor to my list for the year. Odd to see a Mourning Cloak so late in the year - I normally encounter these as one of the first butterflies of spring. Many Common Buckeyes and various Skippers were also out, as well as a few Cabbage Whites, Monarchs and a Clouded Sulphur. Multiple Hummingbird Clearwing and Snowberry Clearwing moths were nectaring, plus I photographed a new clearwing moth species which I have not yet identified. I've posted a photo of the Hackberry Emperor in my gallery here:

http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/sho...3/ppuser/81425

[borealowl47]

Just started a blog recording all my buttterfly sighting and especially the videos I was fortunate to catch of these lovely insects!

http://manitobabutterflies.blogspot.ca/

[Reuven_M]

4 eastern commas have been my only butterflies so far this year, but with the ridiculously warm temperatures I expect many more this week.

[borealowl47]

Saw 25 Mourning Cloaks,2 Commas and 1 Milbert's Tortoiseshell this afternoon.
Check out my blog for some videos.

[Bird_Bill]

Been seeing wind blown tiger swallowtails here at 38` 38' north for last three days.
Milkweed (common & swamp) is close to a foot (30cm) tall and about ready to open.

[borealowl47]

In the last week saw lots of Mourning Cloaks,1 Compton Tortoiseshell,a few Milbert's Tortoiseshells and many Commas.Which I am having difficultly identifying!

Mourning Cloak

Compton's Tortoiseshell

Eastern Comma?

[Reuven_M]

A couple new species this weekend - cabbage white and red admiral

[Reuven_M]

Strong, warm south winds have brought stupendous numbers of red admirals along with a few other species into the great lakes region. I saw over 100 today in limited time in less than ideal habitat. I came up with a extremely rough estimate of around 10 million red admirals in the province right now!
Also:
Question Mark, Eastern Comma, American Lady, Mourning Cloak, Cabbage White

[borealowl47]

Originally Posted by Reuven_M

Strong, warm south winds have brought stupendous numbers of red admirals along with a few other species into the great lakes region. I saw over 100 today in limited time in less than ideal habitat. I came up with a extremely rough estimate of around 10 million red admirals in the province right now!
Also:
Question Mark, Eastern Comma, American Lady, Mourning Cloak, Cabbage White

What an amazing number!Personally have not seen one this year but the weather looks favorable this weekend with south winds and higher temperatures.Hope a few fly this way!Did go birding today and unexpectedly saw a Mourning Cloak and my first Cabbage White of the year.The temperature was only 1`c ,sunny with north winds.And just learned about a new site for recording butterflies in Canada EButterfly

[Reuven_M]

Originally Posted by borealowl47

What an amazing number!Personally have not seen one this year but the weather looks favorable this weekend with south winds and higher temperatures.Hope a few fly this way!Did go birding today and unexpectedly saw a Mourning Cloak and my first Cabbage White of the year.The temperature was only 1`c ,sunny with north winds.And just learned about a new site for recording butterflies in Canada EButterfly

Yup, I'm putting my sightings there now.

[borealowl47]

http://www.mvtimes.com/marthas-viney...e.php?id=10410

Here in central North America not the same species,Mourning Cloaks and Milbert's Tortoiseshells seem plentiful?

[Canadian Lady]

Originally Posted by borealowl47

EButterfly

Originally Posted by Reuven_M

Yup, I'm putting my sightings there now.

I've been putting my sightings there as well.

March and April sightings:

Cabbage White - lots
Eastern Comma x 1
Mourning Cloak x 5

Red Admiral - one day, 150+ at local park. People in other cities were sighting 1,000+. Wow!

A couple of people in Toronto have already been sighting Monarch butterflies.

[Bird_Bill]

What started as a trickle of monarchs about 2 weeks ago, has turned into a flood. Should be well distributed across mid-north america. This weeks dry, southerly flow ought to push them along nicely. Viceroys, tiger & black swallowtails abundant. General area of confluence of mississippi & missouri rivers. Pic taken 1,May. Barrage of hail storms from texas through here this past weekend may have added a few tatters.

[borealowl47]

Did not take me long to find butterflies yesterday at my patch.They were in one area and I stayed there for a while filming them.New for the year were 5 Red Admirals and one Northern Spring Azure.Also saw twenty-two Mourning Cloaks and one Gray Comma.As I was walking the area noticed a trail camera.Wonder what the person is getting on it?

[borealowl47]

A friend has been seeing some nice butterflies in southwestern Manitoba including a Harvester and Eastern Pine Elfins.Here's a link to some photographs.
http://manitobabutterflies.webs.com/apps/photos/

[Canadian Lady]

Today at local Lake Aquitaine, 11:15am-12:15pm ...

Cabbage White x 50+
Eastern Comma x 5+
Monarch x 2
Red Admiral x 200+
Question Mark x 2

[Bird_Bill]

Pic is "astyanax" Red-spotted Purple... (Limenitis arthemis astyanax) taken Thur (4,May)
At confluence of Mississippi and Missouri rivers (literally, 20 meters east, snorkel is needed)

Our Tailed Blues are becoming scarce allready. oodles of various sulphurs, admirals.
Havent confirmed yet, maybe Varigated Fritillary. Never enough time or daylight.

[Andy Hurley]

I visited sunny Florida in January this year and I photographed these butterflies and moths.
Could you please confirm or correct my attempts at identification.

Part 1
1 Brazilian Skipper
2 Cassius Blue
3 Cloudless Sulphur
4 Common Buckeye
5 Edwards Wasp Moth catepillar

Many thanks,

[Andy Hurley]

Part 2
6 Florida White
7 Great Southern White
8 Gulf Fritillary
9 Julia
10 Little Sulphur

[Andy Hurley]

Part 3
11 Long tailed Skipper
12 Mangrove Buckeye
13 Miami Blue
14 Monarch
15 Queen