Regal Fritillaries at Ft Indiantown Gap (1 Viewer)

[MikeInPA]

A few miles North of where I live is an 18 thousand acre military training area nestled between 2 mountain ridges. It’s also a haven for wildlife and has a superb Biology Department which oversee’s activities within the range. At this time of year when the Regal’s are on the wing part of the range is open up to tour the main breeding area. Covid stopped the tours for a couple of years but today I’m going back and hope to get some photos. It’s getting up to 94F (34.4C) today so the walk through the fields is going to be brutal. I hope to get some shots of the A10’s if they’re flying today.

Regal Fritillary

Here‘s shots from a few years ago. Butterflies at the Gap



Drat! I got the wrong day. It's next Friday, the 8th.

 

[KenM]

Impressed with the Regal Fritts. Mike!, make our Silver Washed Fritts. almost pedestrian by comparison.
However, I couldn’t resist showing you my favourite Butt. Managed to “find and nail” today, just before a party of noisy school kids trundled by! 👍

 

[MikeInPA]

Impressed with the Regal Fritts. Mike!, make our Silver Washed Fritts. almost pedestrian by comparison.
However, I couldn’t resist showing you my favourite Butt. Managed to “find and nail” today, just before a party of noisy school kids trundled by! 👍

What is that? A White Admiral?
I got a text from my mate one of the biologists who was leading one of the tours today. He said its an excellent butterfly year. They also had Blue Grosbeak, Yellow-breasted Chat and the usual grassland species like Grasshopper Sparrow. I just hope next Friday is good weather.
This time of year I switch from birds to butterflies. I have lots of milkweeds and always have a good number of Monarchs hatch from my yard. New Emerged Monarch

 

[KenM]

Yes, White Admiral.👍

 

[MikeInPA]

OK then, I got the right day today after being a week early. The annual Butterfly Walks have not been run the last two years due to Covid so it was great to see the Regals again. Its the disturbed ground from the tanks, artillery, bombs, missiles within the range that allow the little Arrow-leaved Violet to grow which is the host plant for the Regal Fritillaries to lay their eggs. Because it is an active military firing range the tours are strictly supervised, including absolving the US Government if you pickup a UXO (unexploded ordnance) and loose one or two body parts. As the training facility has been in use for 80 years there's probably quite a bit of it lying around. As it's 18,000 acres the sound of small arms fire this morning was in no way distracting during the tour. A10 tank busters zooming low overhead during previous tours just provide extra photographic opportunities. This year although it was a heavy overcast there were lots of Regals flying. All in all a pretty great couple of hours.

Regal Fritillaries

 

[Owene]

OK then, I got the right day today after being a week early. The annual Butterfly Walks have not been run the last two years due to Covid so it was great to see the Regals again. Its the disturbed ground from the tanks, artillery, bombs, missiles within the range that allow the little Arrow-leaved Violet to grow which is the host plant for the Regal Fritillaries to lay their eggs. Because it is an active military firing range the tours are strictly supervised, including absolving the US Government if you pickup a UXO (unexploded ordnance) and loose one or two body parts. As the training facility has been in use for 80 years there's probably quite a bit of it lying around. As it's 18,000 acres the sound of small arms fire this morning was in no way distracting during the tour. A10 tank busters zooming low overhead during previous tours just provide extra photographic opportunities. This year although it was a heavy overcast there were lots of Regals flying. All in all a pretty great couple of hours.

Regal Fritillaries

View attachment 1456687

Wow. Don’t know anything about American butterflies but that one is a stunner

 

[MikeInPA]

Wow. Don’t know anything about American butterflies but that one is a stunner

Yes it is. This link tells you much more than I can.

Regal Fritillary Fact Sheet.

 

[Owene]

Yes it is. This link tells you much more than I can.

Regal Fritillary Fact Sheet.

Thank you. So rare but it sounds like it’s in good hands