Welcome to all the new viewers. Ideally the World Herald article would have been earlier in the year as it has generated a lot of traffic. As you can see I’m at 99 species for the year so a lot has happened already. June and July are when most of Nebraska’s butterflies that have aContinue reading “Let’s Tag Some Monarchs”
Monthly Archives: July 2020
100 (almost) !!
Last Sunday (July 19) I was out in the yard here at home and noticed a larger than usual whiteish butterfly hanging around our Sennae. After sneaking up on it (if you can imagine that) to get a better view I found it to be an albinic Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae). I suspect it wasContinue reading “100 (almost) !!”
2020 Niobrara Valley Preserve Butterfly Count Results
Due to the Corona virus and other scheduling issues this year’s annual Niobrara Valley Preserve butterfly count was a two day affair by two different teams. On July 11 Jonathan Nikkila and his son Bennett covered a majority of the count. Jen and I followed that up on July 15 covering the remainder of theContinue reading “2020 Niobrara Valley Preserve Butterfly Count Results”
Niobrara Valley Preserve Skipper Hunt
An abbreviated version (minimal participants due to the virus situation) of the annual butterfly count at the Niobrara Valley Preserve was scheduled to be held July 11 with myself, Jen and Jon and Bennett Nikkila set to participate. Long story short Jen and I were unable to make it and Jon and his son BennettContinue reading “Niobrara Valley Preserve Skipper Hunt”
The Niobrara Valley Preserve’s Hybrid Butterflies
There are three members of the genus Limenitis found in Nebraska. They are Red-spotted Purple (L. arthemis astyanax), Viceroy (L. archippus) and Weidemeyer’s Admiral (L. weiedemeyeri). When we first began surveying butterflies at the Niobrara Valley Preserve in Brown, Keya Paha and Cherry counties back in 1986 we found all three to be present there.Continue reading “The Niobrara Valley Preserve’s Hybrid Butterflies”
Awful Tuesday/Awesome Wednesday
Tuesday we embarked on a road trip to northeast Nebraska in search of marsh skippers and coppers where we were joined by our friends Pat and Dianne Miller. We started our search at Wood Duck SWMA in Stanton County where Jim Reiser had found Broad-winged Skippers (Poanes viator) back in 2007. Getting there from theContinue reading “Awful Tuesday/Awesome Wednesday”
Working for Them – 3 Days, 3 Species
Day 1 – Friday July 3rd I decided it was time to cross Little Wood Satyr (Megisto cymela) off my list before they disappeared for the season. Their normal flight period is mid June to early July so there was not much time to spare. They inhabit open woodlands/woodland margins. My spot of last resortContinue reading “Working for Them – 3 Days, 3 Species”
It Takes a Village – Six New Species
Lest anyone be confused the “Big Year” is not a solo effort. That was never more apparent than yesterday (July 1) when Jonathan Nikkila (hooray – you get pictures), my wife Jen and I went to Fontenelle Forest, Kinter’s Ford SWMA, Four Mile Creek SWMA and Table Rock SWMA. We started at Fontenelle Forest whereContinue reading “It Takes a Village – Six New Species”