Nebraska Lepidoptera: A Guide to Nebraska Butterflies and Moths
Information about Nebraska's diverse butterfly and moth fauna
Nebraska Pollinator Week is June 22-28. To recognize pollinators importance to the world as we know it a number of fun activities and training opportunities have been scheduled during the month of June. Check them all out at
https://www.nebraskapollinatorweek.org/
Thanks in advance for your support!!
Neil
Today is day 2 of strong winds from the south. I went back behind the garage (sheltered from the wind) to see how things were going in the butterfly garden. To my dismay I found a rabbit had eaten of my fledgling Leadplant and Illinois Bundleflower plants down to the ground. As I sat there and fumed and thought dark thoughts and plotted my revenge I noticed there was quite a bit of butterfly activity on the Walker’s Low Catmint (Nepeta racemosa). So temporarily dropping my dark thoughts I wandered out to take a look. There were two blues on the mint. The first was the expected Eastern-tailed Blue but the second was a Reakirt’s Blue (Echinargus isola). Then a big fresh skipper flew in which turned out to be a Sachem (Atalopedes campestris) male. Both species are found in Nebraska on a regular basis but neither can overwinter here. So they repopulate (and likely breed in) the state annually from regions to our south.
Reakirts Blue – Echinargus isola
This little blue butterfly is found statewide but the frequency with which it is encountered varies greatly from year to year. They are probably under-reported as they may be passed over as being Eastern-tailed Blues. Larvae feed on a wide variety of common legumes including vetches, clovers and alfalfa. Adults have been found from mid May to mid October.
Sachem – Atalopedes campestris
This southern species is a regular visitor to the state where by the end of summer it is often abundant. The species is indistinctly marked ventrally (on the underside) but males are easily identified by the large black stigma on the dorsal (upper) forewing (top wing). Larvae feed on a wide variety of grasses. There are records for the skipper from early May to late November.
So while still plotting revenge on the rabbit (yes, I should have protected the plants) I was somewhat placated by finding a couple more “Big Year” butterflies, the species count for which now stands at 48.
You may have noticed Millers (aka Army Cutworm Moths – Euxoa auxillaris) in every nook and cranny lately. They are on a migration to higher elevations in Colorado and Wyoming where they will spend the summer before returning in the fall. But did you know that they are bear food? Scientists have determined that Grizzly Bears in the Yellowstone region may eat up to 40,000 a day. I was in a butterfly gardening class last spring and we got to talking about this and one participant wondered how did they come up with that number. Someone else quipped up “Some PhD sent one of his grad students up to count!” So anyway here is a link to a video of grizzlies feasting on moths.
Chris Helzer sent me a skipper picture Wednesday which he had correctly ided as Peck’s Skipper (Polites peckius). He’d taken the pic at a Nature Conservancy tract south of Alda and he commented that they were not uncommon there. As I had not yet sighted that skipper this year and it was only an hour’s drive away (not bad for Nebraska) I decided to go check it out on Saturday. With the forecast being for temps in the mid to upper 90’s and a 30 mph “breeze” I thought it prudent to get an early start to beat the heat. I arrived at the tract about 9:30 am. The weather forecast was spot on (temps around 80 with the called for “breeze”) except there was a stubborn overcast. The grass was still wet and the butterflies were just getting up. They were a little slow to go to nectar but as Chris had predicted Peck’s Skippers were not hard to find. I stayed at the TNC tract for about an hour and sighted a Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta, also new for my year) in an adjacent tree row. With some time on my hands I decided to explore several Game and Parks areas I’d never been to (Loch Linda and Martin’s Reach SWMAs) and found Least Skippers (Ancyloxypha numitor) at both of those sites, 2020 firsts for me as well. Martin’s Reach was interesting with a couple of backwaters and wet areas. Definitely on my go back to list.
It was kind of a funky day with the clouds, wind and temps. About 2 pm the clouds began to clear and the temps began their creep into the low 90’s. With the relentless wind the butterflies were reluctant to fly and nearly impossible to ID when they did. So with three new species for the day I headed for home. All told I sighted 11 species – Silver Spotted, Least, Tawny-edged and Peck’s Skippers, a Black Swallowtail, Cabbage Butterfly, Alfalfa Butterfly, Eastern-tailed Blue, Summer Azure, Painted Lady and Monarch. Earlier in the week a couple of Question Marks (Polygonia interrogationis) visited our yard in Elm Creek which was new for us as well. So the four new species (Peck’s and Least Skippers, Summer Azure and Question Mark), brings my year to date total to 46. Three are highlighted below with the Question Mark having been covered in the May 8 post.
Least Skipper – (Ancyloxypha numitor) – the little skipper with the big name
This diminutive skipper produces several generations through the summer with adults having been found in Nebraska from late May to late September. Larvae feed on a variety of grasses. The Least Skipper is normally found near wet areas. The flight of adults is weak, but often going through vegetation rather than around or over it. It can be found statewide in appropriate habitats.
Peck’s Skipper – (Polites peckius)
Peck’s Skipper is also found statewide and flies throughout the summer well into September. While it is occasionally found in urban settings it seems to thrive in/near wetlands. One occasion that sticks in my memory is one September when I was looking for the headwaters of the South Loup River in Logan county I stumbled onto a patch of blue verbena in flower upon which hundreds of Peck’s Skippers were feasting. Larvae feed on grasses but I suspect Switchgrass is preferred. It is a smallish skipper and easily identified by the distinct markings on the ventral hindwing.
Summer Azure – (Celastrina neglecta)
It’s been said that one sure way (among many it seems) to start a heated debate was to put two taxonomists and an Azure butterfly in a room. The Azure genus Celastrina has been under constant revision for the 30+ years I’ve paid attention to butterflies. A 1981 North American butterfly checklist listed two species, ladon and ebinia with ladon having eight subspecies. The latest widely available checklist by Pelham in 2012 (http://butterfliesofamerica.com/US-Can-Cat-1-30-2011.htm) lists nine species containing six subspecies. Additional revisions have likely occurred in the interim. I don’t pretend to understand any of it.
I sighted one Azure across a fence bordering the Conservancy property. Being unable to quickly breach the fence for a close look I could only take note of it’s fresh appearance. As any Spring Azure should have shown some wear and tear by this date I lean toward this individual being a Summer Azure. While Summer Azures have been found well into August most Nebraska sightings are from June and early July. The primary larval host plant in our area is thought to be dogwood flowers.
Other recent sightings in the state include Dr. Matthew Brust from Chadron State College reported photographing a mating pair of Indra Swallowtails near Pants Butte Memorial Day weekend (just before my visit to the area) and Jonathan Nikkila followed that up with a picture of a Purplish Copper and Western Pine Elfin on the same flower at Gilbert-Baker SWMA the following weekend. Unfortunately (for me) I saw none of those three on my excursion.
On a June 4 Nebraska and Great Plains Butterflies and Moths Facebook post Joanne Langabee reported seeing 16 butterfly species at Fontanelle Forest including Buckeyes and Dainty Sulphurs. This might be the first Nebraska sightings of these two species in 2020.
Congrats and thanks to Matt, Jonathan and Joanne!!
We’re rolling into butterfly prime time – mid June through mid July where you want to be everywhere at once. Should be a fun ride!
I got an e-mail this morning with a link to the plants they have available to buy. They have a lot of hard to find plants. If you are not a member I would encourage you to join. Happy Shopping!!
They have a Senna (Cassia species) available that will attract the Sleepy Oranges featured in the last post!!
For the upteenth (ok probably about 10th) straight year Sleepy Oranges (Abaeis nicippe) have found their way to my yard. Drawn by the presence of their larval hostplant Wild Senna (Cassia marilandica) they have become annual visitors, arriving each year in late spring from their home range in more southern climes. Not being widely sold, if you have these plants in your yard you’ll likely be the only person in town that does and somehow the butterflies find you. Without wild senna chances are you will never see a Sleepy Orange in Nebraska. So while the plant is a little hard to come by you might look into planting some on your property. Fair warning – while not overly aggressive this plant does spread some by seed. It also grows to over 5′ tall so take that into account as well.
While you would think that once locating plants to lay eggs on that the population would continue to grow throughout the season. I have not found this to be the case. They are fairly common once the first group emerges but each successive generation becomes less numerous until by summer’s end they have often disappeared. Also if you have but one plant and several females find it by the time the caterpillars are done it might not be much to look at. But established plants usually bounce right back. Wild Senna is native to southeast Nebraska.
The addition of Sleepy Oranges brings the “Big Year” species total to 42.
Monday, June 1 Jen and I left Elm Creek for the Niobrara Valley Preserve located in Brown, Keya Paha and Cherry counties, arriving there about 10:00 am. As promised, the weather was warm, with temps already in the mid 80’s. Mainly we were looking for spring flying Duskywings (Erynnis sp.) whose larvae feed on oak and Northern Cloudywings. Chris Helzer had been to the Preserve the previous week and photographed some Dusted Skippers which the previous year had been found flying together with Northern Cloudywings. As it turned out we were way late for the Duskywings (spring is officially over) and were fortunate to find one Northern Cloudywing which were just emerging. For the day we sighted 15 species, four of which were new for the “Big Year”. They were Northern Cloudywings, Tawny-edged Skippers, Giant Swallowtails and Little Yellows.
We started out on a prairie hillside north of the river where we had found Dusted Skippers/Northern Cloudywings the previous year. The Dusted Skippers were there but no Northern Cloudywings. But there were Dusted and Tawny-edged Skippers and Melissa Blues. We checked a low muddy spot on the road and found Common Sootywings and Roadside Skippers there. After about an hour we moved on to Fairfield Road south of the river which proved to be the hotspot for the day. There we found a Giant Swallowtail, a Northern Cloudywing at a mud puddle and the Little Yellow. We followed the walking trail back east into the trees for a spell but finding little activity we tried a wet seep that we usually find productive. There we found Pearl Crescents and Eastern Tailed Blues. By this time it was 1:00 pm and the temperatures were in the mid 90’s. Not yet acclimated to the summer heat and feeling it we called it a day having found four new species for the year.
Northern Cloudywing – Thorybes pylades
While there has been one August record in Nebraska, Northern Cloudywings generally can be found flying in a single generation peaking in mid-June. Larvae feed on various legumes including Illinois Bundleflower and Round Headed Bush Clover. Adults frequent prairie hillsides and woodland margins.
Tawny-edged Skipper – Polites themistocles
Tawny-edged Skippers are one of our most common skippers, being found statewide and flying in multiple broods from mid-May into late September. It’s larvae feed on various grasses. It can often be found in urban environments.
Giant Swallowtail – Papilio cresphontes
In Nebraska Giant Swallowtails can be found in colonies centered around naturally occurring Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylem americanum, a larval hostplant) or as wide ranging individuals. They can be attracted to your yard by planting rue (Ruta graveolens) or Gas Plant (Dictamnus species) upon which the larvae will also feed. Rarely a year goes by without a female dropping by the rue in my yard. Farther south the larvae can be a pest on citrus crops. Larger larvae resemble bird droppings. At the Niobrara Valley Preserve Prickly Ash is an abundant understory plant and Giant Swallowtails can be found there with some regularity.
Little Yellow – Pyrisitia lisa
Spring winds occasionally blow some southern species into the state and that appears to be the case with this butterfly. It cannot survive Nebraska winters so any Little Yellows found in the state are strays/vagrants. Larvae feed on a variety of legumes so seasonal breeding populations are possible. In Nebraska, most Little Yellow sightings are from the southeastern counties.
So with the addition of four species the “Big Year” list stands at 41.
One note on the Niobrara Valley Preserve – all buildings including the visitor center and restrooms are closed due to the Coronavirus so plan accordingly.
After a week of watching the weather forecast, Monday Jen and I and the dog drove out to Chadron to try to locate as many of the spring flying butterfly species as we could before they vanished. We had been waiting for a couple of good days in succession and the forecast Sunday night was for conditions Tuesday and Wednesday to meet our expectations. We left with some trepidation as we had not visited the area for quite some time and in that interval wildfires in 2006 and 2012 had altered the landscape in large portions of the Pine Ridge substantially.
Tuesday we drove out to Monroe Canyon/Gilbert-Baker SWMA and found the area intact with butterflies awaiting our arrival. After spending several hours there we went a couple of miles east to check out Pants Butte and Sowbelly Canyon. Here the landscape was quite different with the remains of what were once majestic pine forests laying like skeletons across the horizon. But there were butterflies to be found, with most congregating on mud and flowering bushes. All in all it was a great day in the field — sunny, not too windy with temps in the mid 70s. In all we found 24 butterfly species, eight of which are new to my Big Year List. The eight new species were:
Afranius Duskywing (Erynnis afranius)
In Nebraska the Afranius Duskywing has been found in the panhandle counties where it flies in two generations. It’s larvae feed on several wild legumes.
Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon)
The Anise Swallowtail is another species restricted to panhandle counties where larvae feed on Musineon tenuifolium. There is a main spring flight followed by a smaller mid summer from mid June to mid July. We saw one in Sowbelly Canyon and one at Wildcat Hills SRA.
Checkered White (Pontia protodice)
Checkered Whites can be found statewide flying in multiple generations. They were common on Tuesday. I netted several of them to see if they were possibly western whites but they did not appear to be. A post on those two species should be forthcoming.
Arrowhead Blue (Glaucopsyche piasus)
This was the find of the day. One was found on mud (where butterflies often congregate to take in minerals and nutrients they do not get from nectar) in Sowbelly Canyon. The species can be found from late may into June. It has only been recorded from the canyon bottoms of Sioux County where its larvae feed on several legumes. Most years it goes unreported.
Melissa Blue (Plebejus melissa)
Melissa Blues can be found statewide but are more common the farther west you go. They fly in multiple generations, with larvae feeding on legumes including alfalfa on occasion. The subspecies samuelis (The Karner Blue) is found in sporadic colonies from eastern Wisconsin to New York and is endangered. We saw perhaps a half dozen.
Anicia checkerspot (Euphydryas anicia)
Anicia Checkerspots fly in one spring brood in Sioux, Dawes and Box Butte counties where they are occasionally abundant. This day we saw but one taking nectar from a chokecherry blossom. Colin Croft found them in abundance a day earlier near Agate Fossil Beds National Monument.
Ochre Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia ochracea)
This uncommon butterfly flies from late May through June. Its larvae feed on various grasses. Sightings from outside western or northern regions of the state are rare. We sighted one in the Gilbert-Baker camping/picnic area.
Varuna Arctic (Oeneis uhleri varuna)
This cryptically marked butterfly is an eastern prairie extension of a group of butterflies normally associated with higher elevations or colder climates. It flies in a single spring brood and in Nebraska has not been found east of the panhandle counties. It has a habit of landing in grasses where it becomes virtually invisible. We saw perhaps 20 on Tuesday without looking to hard.
Tuesday night we checked the local forecast which called for clouds to move in mid-day Wednesday. So Wednesday morning we left to check out Wildcat Hills SRA south of Scotts Bluff, arriving there about 11:00 am. The plants that were in flower and attracting butterflies in Sioux County were spent and attracting nothing at Wildcat Hills. Noting clouds gathering in the west we headed south to Kimball and west on I-80 to a unique spot a couple miles south of mile marker 1. We got there 5 minutes before the clouds and noted a half dozen blues and a skipper which all skillfully avoided identification and then went dormant when the clouds overtook us. After spending about an hour there waiting for the sun and butterflies to reappear we headed back east. After a quick stop at the I-80 East rest area (just west of Sidney) for an uneventful climb up rattlesnake hill we gave up for the day and headed home. So one awesome day and another not quite as awesome. Such is life.
The eight new species for the year bumps my year to date total to 37. One other note – The Celastrina (spring and summer azures) are in a constant state of revision. Superficially the spring azure in the Pine Ridge has a different appearance than specimens from the eastern part of the state and may at some point be “split” into separate species or subspecies. We did see one of these at Gilbert-Baker.
This trip pretty much wrapped up any last chances for spring flying species, most of which overwinter as pupae or late stage caterpillars. The “summer” flying species (fritillaries, viceroys, red spotted purples, wood nymphs, hairstreaks, and most skippers) flights should begin shortly if they haven’t already in southeastern Nebraska. It should be fun!
After being stuck on 23 species for the year for 12 days due to the cold snap and still stinging from being shut out at the Scotia Chalk Mine I made another trip to Lincoln county to check out Box Elder WMA for third time this year. It took till noon for the morning clouds to clear so I left Elm Creek about 1:00 pm. Upon arriving at Box Elder I checked out the hilltops. Silvery Blues (Glaucopsyche lygadmus) were still flying but in lesser numbers as were Gorgone Checkerspots (Chlosyne gorgone) and Gray Hairstreaks (Strymon melinus) which had been found there on May 6. But new for the year I found several Dusted Skippers (Atrytonopsis hianna), a Common Sootywing (Pholisora catullus) and another skipper which I did not immediately recognize. I was ten miles back down the road before a light came on and I realized it was a Hobomok Skipper (Poanes hobomok). Not having seen one for a while they had kind of fallen off my radar.
Dusted Skippers are mixed grass prairie specialists. They fly in one generation a year from mid May through mid June. I always look for them in “shaggy” looking prairies which usually have lots of little bluestem, a bunchgrass which is also one of the larval hostplants. Adults take nectar from narrow leaved puccoon and locoweed among others. In the absence of good pics here is a link to some better ones: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Atrytonopsis-hianna. Our subspecies turneri has fewer and less defined markings than the nominate subspecies illustrated there.
Hobomok Skippers are an elusive bunch in Nebraska which is on the western fringe of their range. I do not know of a good location to reliably locate them. When you come across them they are never common, usually just an individual or two. I had not seen one in over 10 years so was very happy to see this one which was also a Lincoln county record. They fly in a single brood with most sightings in the mid May to mid June time frame. Larvae feed on various grasses.
Common Sootywings main flight is from late May-early June after which they occur sporadically into early September. They prefer open ground so are most often found on/along roads. Larvae feed on various weeds including Lambsquarters and Amaranths. The species is common statewide.
I also stopped back at Jeffry Canyon WMA on the way home where I’d seen something when we were there on May 6 that tweaked my interest. After poking around the internet I’d decided it was an eastern wood rat (aka pack rat) nest called a “midden”. I’d never seen one before so I hiked back up to the base of the tower to get a picture. Most interesting component of the nest was the prickly pear cactus “leaves”. I made sure to keep my car keys in my pocket!!
Also saw a few neat butterflies at Jeffry Canyon WMA including a Juniper Hairstreak and Goatweed Leafwing, both of which I’d seen earlier in the year but still neat to see.
So now is a good time to see these three species, the Dusted Skipper in mixed grass prairies, The Hobomok Skipper which could turn up anywhere and the Common Sootywing which will probably be found along rural roads. Happy Hunting!!
On Sunday May 17 Jen and I headed north to the Scotia Chalk Mine/Happy Jack Peak to meet our friends Pat and Diane Miller and Jon Nikkila to search for Fulvia Checkerspots (see May 6 entry) and any oak feeding Duskywings (see May 10 entry). The Chalk Mine is located in Howard county a couple of miles southeast of Scotia on NE Highway 11. The weather was marginal when we left – mostly cloudy, temps in the low 60s and a chilling breeze from the northwest. But the forecast called for clearing skies so being optimistic we departed and hoped for the best. We all arrived at the Chalk Mine about 1:00 pm and began the arduous (more so for some than others) climb to the “Peak”. After about 45 minutes the sun did begin to break through from time to time and the butterflies began to stir. I mostly stuck to the hilltop where I thought Fulvia Checkerspots might make an appearance while the rest of the crew worked the south and east faces of the hill. Oaks are are found on the lower portions of the hill while the top half of the hill is a higher quality native prairie. I had once seen a Duskywing at this location but had not been able to get close enough to make an id. So Sunday Jen and Jon had the same experience – a probable sighting but no id. So the group found five butterfly species that afternoon – Gorgone Checkerspots (Chlosyne gorgone), sulfers (Colias sp.) and Painted Ladies (Vanessa carduii), Red Admirals (Vanessa atalanta) and the unidentified Duskywing (Erynnis sp.)
After the clouds closed back in Jon headed home but with a good bird sighting/photograph (Bay-breasted Warbler I believe). He seemed pretty excited about it. As we came up with no new butterfly species for the year the rest of us comforted ourselves with a pizza from the Pizza Palace in Burwell. Not a bad consolation prize if I do say so myself.
So we all got some good exercise and fresh air. I’ll be looking forward to revisiting this site later under better conditions.
A local association has assumed ownership of the property and it was very well kept. There was evidence of cedar removal and the grounds were neat and clean. I’d recommend a visit if you’ve never been there. The mine is supposed to be open from Memorial Day to Labor Day but with the virus who knows. Here is a link to their website https://visitnebraska.com/scotia/happy-jack-peak-and-chalk-mine.
