Monday, after a weekend visit to Keller State Recreation Area northeast of Ainsworth, Pat and Diane Miller, Jen and I road tripped to Boyd County to check out the local butterfly fauna. We made our way to Hull Lake SWMA, near a highway but still off the beaten path. Butterflies were not abundant but we did find a Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor) patrolling the shoreline which was new to Boyd County. There were several Great Spangled Fritillaries still patrolling the woodland margins that were still in really nice condition. Things were pretty dry there (as they are in much of the state) but the locality is worth a second look next June when most of the single brooded summer species are out. From there we parted ways, each making their own way home.
On their way home the Millers stopped in Boone County at a site along Beaver Creek that they were familiar with for a look see and found a Tawny-edged Skipper (Polites themistocles) which also hadn’t been reported from Boone County. That made me feel guilty as I had traversed across Holt County (which also lacked a record for that butterfly) stopping only once along the Elkhorn River at a park near Atkinson for a late lunch and a quick survey. The later hours and low 90s temps with the wind dissuaded me from stopping at a couple more promising looking sites down the road. If I had and had found P. themistocles there that would have left only Wayne County without a record.
So we continue to chip away at species we know to be everywhere. If you find yourself in any of the counties needing records (see August 6th and 7th posts) and come across any new records send the data to us at nebraskabutterflies@gmail.com. Happy hunting!!