102 species – Season Recap
So I guess with snow and temps in the teens that butterfly season is officially over. Despite late season trips to the North Loup, Niobrara and Republican Rivers I’ve been stuck on 102 species since just before Labor Day. So 102 species it is. That exceeds what I expected thanks in large part to myContinue reading “102 species – Season Recap”
Niobrara Valley Preserve, late summer – no new species but great day anyway
Last September 3 Jen and I met with Chris Helzer and his fellows at the NVP to look for Pawnee Skippers which we found. In addition we found one Lupine Blue and several Horace’s Duskywings. The latter two species had eluded me so far this year so Saturday I made a trip up to theContinue reading “Niobrara Valley Preserve, late summer – no new species but great day anyway”
Fiery Skipper
Monday (Aug 24) afternoon I traveled east to Mahoney State Park where I teamed up with my friend and fellow Lepidoptera enthusiast Jim Reiser and met with a group of charming ladies interested in butterflies. As is the case in most of the state the area needed some rain and it was toasty (mid-upper 90s)Continue reading “Fiery Skipper”
Pawnee and Western Branded Skippers – Big Year Species 100 and 101
This past Saturday (Aug 22) Jonathan Nikkila and I made a late summer trip (an annual for me, Jon’s first) to Ash Hollow State Historical Park at the west end of Lake McConaughy in Garden County to look for skippers and swallowtail larvae. There was a high haze all day which the evening weather saidContinue reading “Pawnee and Western Branded Skippers – Big Year Species 100 and 101”
White-M Hairstreak
Joanne Langabee and her friend Holly have been doing weekly butterfly surveys at Fonenelle Forest and Lauritzen Gardens for a few years now (three and five years respectively). In doing so they have observed the comings and goings of quite a number of species and gotten a handle on when and where a particular speciesContinue reading “White-M Hairstreak”
Woulda/Coulda/Shoulda vol 1
I’ve been describing “Big Year” butterflies as I found them but the lull while waiting for the late summer fliers affords me an opportunity to cover a few things I thought I would find earlier this summer but for a variety of reason’s did not. Strecker’s Giant Skipper – Megathymus streckeri In Nebraska this largeContinue reading “Woulda/Coulda/Shoulda vol 1”
Let’s Tag Some Monarchs
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”
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”
Victoria Springs
I decided to make a day trip to the Victoria Springs area in Custer county to try to knock off two or three species – Acadian Hairstreaks, Silver Bordered Fritillaries and Eyed Browns and scratch my wetlands itch. So after getting a bit of a late start I arrived at the State Recreation Area aboutContinue reading “Victoria Springs”
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