Tying up loose ends for the 2023 season I’ve found several submissions that I let “fall through the cracks” and did not recognize this past year. First on the list are Lori Tomes’s county records which she found in Saunders County this past year. This past May 3rd she photographed/identified a Gray Comma (Polygonia progne) in Saunders County where it had not been previously reported. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has listed this butterfly as a Tier 2 species in their Nebraska Natural Heritage Program. As it is not common, the Gray Comma has been found in fewer than half of Nebraska’s counties. But it is surprisingly absent from several counties where there should be found and there are observers to identify it (Otoe, Platte, Hall and Scotts Bluff). So, wherever you live go through your photos/records and see if you can help fill in some of those gaps.


Later in the season Lori also reported seeing American Painted Ladies (Vanessa virginiensis) on multiple occasions which according to my maps was a county record. Unfortunately, that was an oversight on my part as Richard A. Leussler had reported it from near Cedar Bluffs in Saunders County over 100 years ago in 1921. Sorry Lori, my bad!!
Another finding brought to my attention was a record of a Snout Butterfly (Libytheana carinenta) from Hamilton County. On July 1 of this year Sarah Bailey photographed one at Lincoln Prairie near the east side of Aurora. This southern stray shows up in Nebraska most years where it likely breeds, the larvae feeding on Hackberry trees. It should eventually be found in all 93 counties but is rarely common with lone individuals most frequently encountered.


Thanks again to Lori and Sarah!!
More 2023 addendum are likely to follow. If you find anything in your records/files you believe to be a county record, please let us know at nebraskabutterflies@gmail.com