On July 6 seven intrepid observers set out on the Niobrara Valley Preserve’s 34th annual butterfly count. Conditions were incredibly dry (perhaps accounting for the lower overall numbers observed) but we were able to record 28 species and 161 individual butterflies. These totals fell roughly in line with averages for the last 10 years (26.8Continue reading “Niobrara Valley Preserve 2022 Butterfly Count”
Tag Archives: Keya Paha County
Two More County Records and a Tier 1 Moth Sighting
Jen Corman contributed two county records – a Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus) from Bassett in Rock County this June 27 and a Queen (Danaus gilippus) from Knox County from back in July (9th) of 2018. The Banded Hairstreak is a NENHP Tier 2 species. And then the Bloomfield Scout Troop improvised a light trap withContinue reading “Two More County Records and a Tier 1 Moth Sighting”
Black Witch – Something You Don’t See Every Day
Late last month I received word of a Black Witch sighting in Keya Paha County. On June 20 Teresa Bammerlin discovered an unexpected visitor at her residence which she found to be a Black Witch (Ascalapha odorata). This large moth is a breeding resident in the southern United States and from there southward to asContinue reading “Black Witch – Something You Don’t See Every Day”
New subspecies described from Nebraska – Lon (Poanes) taxiles albimaculatus
In the latest “Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society” Steve Spomer (recently retired from UNL) has described a new subspecies of the Taxiles Skipper – Lon taxiles albimaculatus. For those of you struggling to keep up with the latest taxonomy Lon has replaced Poanes for some members of the genus, taxiles included. The type locality (seeContinue reading “New subspecies described from Nebraska – Lon (Poanes) taxiles albimaculatus”
Butterflies with Type Localities in Nebraska – Smoky Eyed Brown – Lethe eurydice fumosus (Leussler 1916)
This is another butterfly Richard Leussler (that man again – see Jan 8 post) named, this time as a subspecies. The name he originally gave the butterfly was Satyrodes canthus n. v. fumosus but the genus was later changed to Lethe and the species to eurydice. So the current name is Lethe eurydice fumosus (Leussler,Continue reading “Butterflies with Type Localities in Nebraska – Smoky Eyed Brown – Lethe eurydice fumosus (Leussler 1916)”
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”
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”