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The Poweshiek Skipper Project |
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Lake Hawthorne ©Rayford
Ratcliff
Introduction Information about the butterfly
O.
poweshiek, Legacy butterfly Legacy
of Chief Poweshiek
H.W. Parker's writings Von Blixum's Heroic Experiment
Iowa's
biological diversity
The Poweshiek Skipper Project Goals
of the project
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Butterfly Forecast for Central Iowa October 1, 2011 to end of year. October is here. We are in for some spectacular
colors from the trees, and also from the prairie flowers and grasses.. At the same time, the moving bits of color,
the butterflies that we have become used to will disappear. We always note the first butterfly that we see each year. We seldom note the last. And since the days are getting shorter, we may only be home when the day turns cool and the butterflies are no longer on the wing. There will be fairly good diversity up until the first hard frost. After that, fewer species will remain. There still should be orange sulfurs, like the butterfly shown to the left, and clouded sulfurs. We may still see cabbage whites. Pearly crescents will continue to fly for a while, but will be in sort of a tattered, ragged shape. We may continue to see the occasional monarch, buckeye, painted lady, or red admiral as they journey south. However, the bulk of the migration seems to have passed, and what we see will be the occasional straggler. Butterflies that over-winter as adults--mourning cloak, eastern commas, question marks, and the tortoiseshells may show up, particularly at sap-leaking wounds to the bark of trees. Most have found the little crevices in bark or inside hollow trees where they will spend the winter, so they will not be seen now. Some Peck's skippers can be common. The two skippers shown to the right are one-way migrants, and are not often seen until late in the year. The skipper that is smaller and on the left of the photo is a fiery skipper. The larger skipper is a sachem. Both are found late into the season. The last butterfly might be seen in the middle of October or in the last part of November. It all depends on the weather. We know what's coming and we couldn't stop it if we wanted to. But winter is a part of the seasonal nature of Iowa, and it too will pass. Somewhere now a mourning cloak is squeezing into a small gap in the bark of a tree--maybe a dead elm, or maybe something else. It will slow down its body processes. It will look to the world like it is dead. But in late February or early March heat will reach its hiding spot, and the butterfly will slowly warm up. It will crawl out and position its wings to take in the warmth of the sun. There may still be snow on the ground when it first takes flight. You will see that butterfly. Your heart will be glad, because it is a sign of pleasant things to come. You will report it to the Iowa Insects List Serve. The rest of us will be jealous, but we will see our first butterflies within a few weeks and be happy too. Until that time, Harlan Ratcliff |
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September 11-30, 2011 Butterfly season is almost over. It
will come again, but there will be a long winter between this season and
the next. So watch closely and enjoy it while you can. For a while, there will still be relatively high butterfly diversity and numbers. Then the weather will change. We will either get a hard frost or several days worth of rainy, cold weather which will knock most of the butterflies down. Hopefully, the hard frost will not happen tonight. You may see a number of different butterflies over the next few days. You may see gray hairstreaks, such as the one shown to the right (no, the photograph is not sideways--the butterfly and flower are shown in the positions they were in.) Viceroys and red spotted purples may be present for a few more days. Eastern tailed blues will be common, and will be gone once the weather changes. You will probably see monarchs--some days in numbers greater than you have been seeing. Soon the monarchs will migrate south and you will see them no more. Other migratory butterflies may show up for a few days in large numbers, then just as suddenly disappear. Included in this group are red admirals, painted ladies, and common buckeyes (shown below and to the left).
A number of butterflies continue to mate and lay eggs as long as the weather lets them survive, and will be around until the end of the season. These include the clouded and orange sulfurs, pearly crescents, cabbage whites, Peck's skipper, the fiery skipper, and the sachem. You may see other insects this late in the year that look or fly like butterflies. There is a grasshopper that is fairly common which has dark wings with a creamy-colored edge. It is quite common. I have almost overlooked a couple of mourning cloaks because initially I confused them with this grasshopper. In addition, there are day-flying moths that can easily be confused for skippers or other butterflies. All too soon summer will be over. Autumn in Iowa is nice, especially October. Winter can be nice, too, at least initially. But I always find myself going through a bit of a butterfly withdrawal. So if you see a chance, head outside. You don't have time to wait. Chores can be done another day--butterflies don't wait for us. Harlan Ratcliff |
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September 1-15, 2011
Eastern tailed-blues, such as the male shown to the right are somewhat common now. You can find them almost everywhere in Iowa, but you have to look close because they are really small. A slightly larger butterfly that has a similar look, at least when flying, is the gray hairstreak. These butterflies become more common late in the summer and early in the fall, although they are seldom as common as the eastern tailed-blue. Many of the larger butterflies are still around--eastern tiger swallowtails, black swallowtails, great spangled fritillary, and possibly giant swallowtails. Most will be ragged-looking when you see them however. Those butterflies can have more than one brood per year, but the adults you see now will likely be several weeks old. Eastern commas and northern pearly-eyes are quite common in shady areas, and can often be seen shortly before night, sunning themselves high up in the trees. You might also see red admirals in similar situations.
As always, the Colias sulfurs--orange and clouded sulfurs--will be the most numerous of the butterflies. In fact, most of the white butterflies I see this time of year are one of those two species, although cabbage whites will be in the mix, as well as an occasional checkered white. Pearly crescents and silvery checkerspots are pretty common this time of year, but are often pretty ragged looking. The bull thistles are very tall this year and always attract lots of butterflies. Watch for the silver-spotted skipper working the thistles. I have also seen humming birds and large clearwing sphinx moths such as the snowberry clearwing working the blossoms. Asters, such as the New England aster shown with the monarch will soon be blooming. They are excellent places to see butterflies, and if you like to photograph butterflies you probably could not pick a better location than an aster loaded with butterflies. But the season goes fast, so get out and enjoy it while you can. Butterflies don't show up so much during the winter. Harlan Ratcliff |
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Butterfly Forecast for Central Iowa August 16-31, 2011
Also watch for black swallowtails and giant swallowtails. We are also supposed to have spicebush and pipevine swallowtails in this area, but they are very rare and I don't expect to see any. Zebra swallowtails are found in extreme southwest and extreme southeast Iowa. Red admirals. like the butterfly shown to the right, are especially common and active at all times of the day, but especially at dusk. I have been seeing very high numbers of northern pearly-eyes this year. Hackberry emperors, question marks, eastern commas, and viceroys have been visiting rotten fruit and sap-leaking wounds in trees and shrubs in our yard. This year has been especially good for silvery checkerspots. On typical years I will see a few in our yard and around the prairie, but this year I have seen dozens at a time. Pearly crescents are usually more common. They have been around this year also, but the silvery checkerspots outnumber them.
One of my favorite things is to watch silver-spotted skippers, such as the one on the left, obtaining nectar from thistles. Most butterflies land on top of the flower. Not silver-spotted skippers. They land on the side and stick their proboscis up over the flower to get a drink. This is quite entertaining to watch. Watch for tiny butterflies as well. Eastern tailed-blues have been fairly common in a number of areas. If you keep a close eye on red clover or other similar flowers you will see some small skippers. Peck's skipper and tawny edge skippers are common now. Fiery skippers and sachems will become very common as the summer progresses. As always, sulfurs and whites predominate. Clouded and orange sulfurs are quite common, and white forms of those butterflies are probably the most common of the white butterflies now. However, if you watch closely you can probably see the cabbage white and the checkered white as well. Although they are usually rare here, watch for a large yellow butterfly with no black markings on the upper surface of its wings. That would be the male cloudless sulfur. The female is also spectacular, but it has a narrow dark margin on its upper wing surfaces. Cloudless sulfurs are larger than all but the largest orange sulfurs and have more of a tendency to fly high into the trees. Many years August will bring high numbers of little yellows to the state. Although I have seen a few, the numbers have been pretty low this year compared to others. Summer has a tendency to fly by before you know it. Butterflies are a fleeting phenomenon in Iowa. You won't see the numbers you see now at any other time of the year. So get out and enjoy them now. Soon they will be gone. Harlan Ratcliff |
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August 1-15, 2011
Scientists have studied the phenomenon of mud puddling, when butterflies seem to congregate on wet ground. They have found that most of the butterflies located at the puddles are males. It is thought that the males drink fluids from the ground and are able to concentrate mineral salts which they transfer to the females during mating. Many species of butterflies participate in mud puddling, and can often be seen in large groups when doing this behavior. In the photo above and to
the left, two little yellows can be seen in the front. The rest are
either orange or clouded sulfurs or possibly hybrids. The individual
that is flying would most likely be a clouded sulfur, and the butterfly
that is farthest to the ground shows the slight orange color to the wings,
so would be an orange sulfur. However, they can be quite difficult
to tell apart in the wild. Watch white colored butterflies closely this time of year. There are lots of the white forms of clouded and orange sulfurs--these will have a dark margin on the outside of the upper surface, and the edges of the wings are rounded. Cabbage sulfurs will have a single or double spot in about the middle of the wing, and the edges of the wings are pointed. The rarer (for here) checkered white, shown to the right, has rounded wings and a few spots. This is a male--the females have more dark markings. Checkered whites are never common here but can often be found in the late summer and fall. Large butterflies will continue to be seen in August. Eastern tiger swallowtails, black swallowtails, and giant swallowtails will be seen getting nectar from the large flowers--purple cone flowers, wild bergamot, and thistles. Great spangled fritillaries, monarchs, viceroys, and red-spotted purples are among the common large butterflies. Our two most common blue butterflies are the summer azure and the eastern tailed-blue. Both are quite abundant now, but the summer azure numbers will taper off, while eastern tailed blues will remain through most of the summer. Although they are quite small, they can be told apart in the field quite easily. Summer azures have a light blue upper wing surface and tend to fly up into the trees. Eastern tailed-blues have a darker blue or a gray upper wing surface, and tend to stay on vegetation close to the ground. Red admirals will continue to be quite common. If you find prairie areas, you will see lots of pearly crescents. You should also look for the less common gorgone checkerspot. Silvery checkerspots will be common in wooded areas. Skippers have not been particularly abundant recently, but their numbers will likely increase soon. Look for the silver-spotted skipper, least skipper, Delaware skipper, and Peck's skippers to be common. Nature is putting on a really good show right now. There are all kinds of insects out there--even the small ones can be quite spectacular. There is a great web site called bugguide, where you can find photographs of insects found in the U.S. and Canada. Check it out. You can even post a photograph of something you can't identify and an expert will look at it and possibly identify it for you. I have just attended the "bugguide gathering" event in Ames and met insect enthusiasts from all over the country. The event was well organized and I think everyone had a good time. So get out in the weeds. Watch for butterflies. If you haven't done it before, take a picture of an insect and post it to bugguide. Instructions can be found at that site. I think you will enjoy doing it. Harlan Ratcliff |
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July16-31, 2011 The tipping point of the summer is
over. Days are now getting shorter. Fortunately, the numbers
and diversity of butterflies that you are likely to encounter will
continue to increase for a few more weeks. There are a number of butterflies which have a one-way migration into Iowa. There is no evidence that they can survive most winters here, and there is no evidence that they migrate south. Among those butterflies are the American snout, the little yellow, the cloudless and dainty sulfurs, the fiery skipper, and a number of others. These butterflies can show huge variations in numbers from year to year. Little yellows in particular can have hundreds in a particular area in one year and none in another. In Iowa American snouts, such as the butterfly shown to the right, typically show up in low numbers late in the summer. They never seem to reach high numbers here. In the South though, particularly in Texas, snouts can reach very high numbers, forming swarms that clog car radiators. They never lose their charm from overpopulation here, fortunately. This one was on a partridge pea plant, and was obtaining nectar from the extrafloral nectaries, such as can be seen in the bottom center of the photo. Another group of butterflies are truly migratory--that is, they migrate into Iowa in the spring and summer and other individuals migrate out in the fall. This group includes the well-known monarch, as well as the red admiral, painted lady, and common buckeye. These butterflies will become more and more common as the summer proceeds, and will sometimes be seen migrating late in the fall.
Clouded and orange sulfurs continue to be quite common. Pearly crescents will be common all across Iowa. The similar but slightly larger silver checkerspot can also be found all over, but is more common in the wooded areas. You may see some of the more common large butterflies become increasingly ragged and battered over the summer. We have an individual great-spangled fritillary which visits our flower garden each night. Its wings are frayed and split, but it keeps coming around. Eastern tiger swallowtails and black swallowtails can often be individually recognized as they age over the rapidly changing summer days. Common wood nymphs and northern pearly-eyes should continue to be common. They are large and can be seen flying but often disappear when they land in the middle of tall weeds. The eastern tailed-blue, which is often the most common butterfly in Iowa seems to be reduced in numbers this year. Of course they may show up in greater numbers later in the summer. To my knowledge, the Poweshiek skipper has not been seen in Iowa this year once again. I know some people have looked for it, but I don't think we have had a lot of intense surveying for it this year. It was seen in two locations in Wisconsin though. A meeting was held in Winnipeg on March 24 and 25th of this year regarding the conservation of the Poweshiek skipper. Minutes from that meeting can be found here. (Warning: 2.5 MB PDF file) Get out and enjoy the butterflies while you can. Summer will soon be gone. Harlan Ratcliff |
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July 1-15, 2011
This is a great time to look for rare butterflies. The Poweshiek skipper, if it can be found in Iowa at all, will be found during this time period. In fact, I will go out at least one day during the next couple of weeks hoping to find it. Maybe I will get lucky this year. Other rare butterflies that might be found this time of year include the hickory, banded, Edwards, striped, and Acadian hairstreaks. All are fairly habitat specific, but look for them on the flowers of some of the milkweed species--butterfly milkweed, especially. Baltimore checkerspots are found in only a few fen areas in Iowa. Look for them now. A number of the grass skippers are mostly found in a three or four week period between the middle of June and the middle of July. These include some of the rare prairie obligate skippers as well as some of the more common ones. So far this year has been pretty good for many of the grass skippers that are not seen every year, so it might be good for the prairie obligates as well. July is a great month for butterfly friendly flowers as well. Many of the milkweeds are spectacular at attracting butterflies--butterfly milkweed, swamp milkweed, showy milkweed, and common milkweed. Pale purple coneflower and purple coneflower are great as well. Not only do these flowers attract the butterflies, but they add spectacularly to any photograph taken--even when out of focus and in the background.
Larger butterflies can include the showy great spangled fritillary, eastern tiger swallowtail, monarch, viceroy, and red spotted purple. Non-showy large butterflies include the common wood-nymph and the northern pearly-eye. I have been seeing eastern commas quite frequently as well. Among the smaller butterflies, you will see eastern-tailed blues, which become quite common as the season progresses. Pearly crescents will be common in prairie areas, and the larger silvery crescentspot will be common in areas that have a mix of deep shade and open areas. Red admirals continue to put on a show, particularly in the two hours before sunset when they perch several feet above the ground and chase anything that moves. I have not seen many painted ladies this year--they may not appear at all, but they are fully capable of having huge population blooms that outnumber all other species. Regal fritillaries put in their first appearance of the year about this time, but you have to go to a pretty good prairie to find them. They will look and fly like monarchs from a distance, usually obtaining nectar from the largest flowers. If you get a chance to see them somewhere they are will worth the trip. Don't get over-heated in this weather, but do get out and enjoy the butterflies. Harlan Ratcliff |
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June 16-30, 2011
A few days ago I saw six species of small brown skippers plus the large, unmistakable silver-spotted skipper. They really are not that difficult to identify with practice. Peck's skipper and the hobomok skipper have conspicuous rectangular yellow patches on the lower wing surface. The dun skipper is a dark brown with lighter spots above. The tawney-edge skipper has a two-toned look, based on the lighter lower surface of the forewing. The Delaware skipper is a fairly bright orange below and mostly orange above. The least skipperling, shown above and to the right, is orange below and has a dark-brown triangle on the upper surface. Actually, after watching the species for some time, the least skipperling is pretty easy to identify by its habitat and the way it flies. It stays in tall grasses near water, and flies low--near to the ground or near to the vegetation it is flying around. Butterfly
numbers are really starting to pick up lately. This typically
happens in late June. Another thing that happens is that the good
butterfly flowers start blooming. These include large composites
like coneflowers, black-eyed susans, thistles, and milkweeds. These
flowers typically are pollinated mostly by butterflies, as opposed to
earlier flowers that are pollinated by flies or bees. Look for gray coppers (shown to the left) in wet areas, especially if there is some native prairie vegetation. In my experience they are not seen most places but where they are seen they can be fairly numerous. Late June and early July is a good time to look for some of the rarer butterflies that have only one generation per year. Regal fritillaries may first emerge in late June and be present all summer. Many of the hairstreaks make a brief appearance now. Look for them on milkweeds--butterfly milkweed is especially good, but common milkweed forms a nearly perfect spherical ball of flowers. If a butterfly is on common milkweed you should be able to pick out its profile from a distance. Of course, other butterflies will be seen as well. Look for the Vanessa species--American ladies, painted ladies, and red admirals. Eastern tiger swallowtails, black swallowtails, and giant swallowtails should be easily seen. Monarchs will be present in small numbers. If you go where there are willows (in Iowa that is pretty much anywhere that it is wet.) you will see lots of viceroys. Eastern tailed-blues will replace the summer azure as the most common blue butterfly within the next week or two. The most common butterflies will continue to be the two sulfurs--orange and clouded. You should also see good numbers of pearly crescents. This web site is named for a rare prairie obligate butterfly, the Poweshiek skipper. If it is still found in Iowa (it hasn't been seen in the state for a couple of years) it will have its flight in late June or early July. It would be great to see some, but I am fairly pessimistic about the chances. But enjoy the butterflies that are still around. Summer is moving right along. Get out and enjoy it. Harlan Ratcliff P.S. For scientific names, refer to the Iowa checklist. |
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June 1-15, 2011
Last year was a banner year for butterflies. This year has been quite the opposite. Butterfly numbers are well below those of last year, and they seem to be well below average as well. Or maybe it just seems that way. I have been busy during the good butterfly days. We should start seeing some pretty good butterflies soon. One of my favorites, shown to the left, is the red-spotted purple (or the red-spotted admiral as the North American Butterfly Association calls it now.) The white admiral used to be considered a separate species. Now both are known by the name Limenitis arethemis. The red-spotted purple is frequently seen in central Iowa. The white admiral is not often encountered in Iowa, and when it is found it is usually in the extreme northern part. Iowa is one of the locations where occasionally intermediate forms of the species can be found. The hackberry emperor, Asterocampa celtis, shown
below to the right, is also one of my favorites because of its perky
personality. They are very inquisitive and will fly out to
investigate anything that moves. Many species should be found right now. Clouded and orange sulfurs, Colias philodice and C. eurytheme will be common, as will the cabbage white, Pieres rapae. There should be an emergence of summer azures, Celastrina neglecta, during this time period, and for a few weeks the most common small blue butterfly will be the summer azure. Later that one will be replaced by from the most common spot by the eastern tailed-blue, Cupido comyntas. Monarchs, Danaus plexippus, and will start to be common in open field areas. If you happen to walk in a wetland populated by willows, you may see the similar but slightly smaller viceroy, Limenitis archippus. Eastern tiger swallowtails, Papilio glaucus, and black swallowtails, P. polyxenes, will be occasional visitors to your flowers. Giant swallowtails, P. cresphontes are not common but are memorable when seen. Some less showy butterflies will make their appearance. The little wood satyr, Megisto cymela, the common wood nymph, Cercyonis pegala and the northern pearly-eye, Enodia anthedon, can be fairly common but since they are brown or tan, and typically hide in the tall grasses rather than fly out in the open like other butterflies. Don't just concentrate on the butterflies, however. We have lots of charismatic insects at this time of year. Watch for dragonflies and damselflies, tiger beetles, bees, moths, and fireflies. There are a number of varieties of each to see. Check out some other Iowa insect-related web sites: Dr. Royce Bitzer's red admiral migration site: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mariposa/homepage.html Jim Durbin's Insects of Iowa site: http://www.insectsofiowa.com/ Ann Johnson's Iowa Odes web site: http://www.iowaodes.com/ Nathan Brockman's Nathan's Notes: http://www.reimangardens.iastate.edu/en/butterflies/nathans_notes/ Robert and Linda Scarth's blog: http://www.scarthphoto.com/wordpress/ There are others--I will try to mention them in the future. Get out and enjoy Iowa's butterflies and other creatures. Harlan Ratcliff
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May 16-31, 2011
The diversity of butterflies that could be flying this time of year is
fairly high, but the numbers are low. Butterflies can have from one
to three or four generations per season in Iowa. Typically their
numbers follow a normal distribution curve. The last part of May can
be a time when those normal distribution curves total up to the smallest
numbers, so the numbers are normally low this time of year. This year has started out slower for butterflies than any I have been
surveying. In the surveys I have done in about a two week period
spanning the last part of April and the first part of May, I have
encountered one butterfly approximately every 42 minutes. Last year
during approximately the same time period I encountered about one
butterfly every 22 minutes. By September or October that rate will
go up to about one a minute for the same survey transect.
I have seen pearly crescents, Phyciodes tharos, (to the right) flying already. They will be present in slowly increasing numbers all summer long. I expect to see some of the common small skippers soon. They include hobomok, Poanes hobomok, Peck's skipper, Polites peckius, the tawny-edged skipper, Polites themistocles, the least skipper, Ancyloxpha numitor, and the Delaware skipper, Anatrytone logan. Viceroys, Limenitis archippus, red spotted purples, L. arthemis, monarchs, Danaus plexippus, eastern tiger swallowtails, Papilio glaucus, and black swallowtails, P.polyxenes, will be the most likely large butterflies to be seen. The most common butterflies during this period will be the two common Colias species--the orange sulfur, C. eurytheme and the clouded sulfur, C. philodice, as well as the eastern-tailed blue, Cupido comyntas and the cabbage white, Pieris rapae. Watch the wildflowers and the edges of gravel roads after rains. If you are adventurous you might check out the concrete culverts that carry small intermittent streams under roadways. In sunny areas where the concrete is wet you may find butterflies drinking the moisture from the pores in the surface. Do get out and watch for butterflies. You really have to look for them this time of year, but they are well worth the effort. Harlan Ratcliff |
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May 1-15, 2011 We have had a couple of weeks that were
really bad for butterflies--high temperatures barely reaching 50 degrees F
(and some days not even that). Actually, I think all we need is a few warm sunny days in a row, and we will see some. The butterflies will be around. They are just waiting for us to take off our winter coats and mittens. Once again, Aaron Brees came through with a sighting--he reported a fairly number of meadow fritillaries, Bolloria bellona in Wayne County. Meadow fritillaries can be a little difficult to figure out. I don't see them very often but I have occasionally run across them in fairly large numbers. Fritillaries typically use different species of violets as their caterpillar host plants. The meadow fritillary is the smallest of that particular group in Iowa. Given the cold, wet weather pattern we have had, I expect that we will only see small numbers of butterflies in the next couple of weeks. However, the diversity should be fairly good. We still may see some of the butterflies that over-winter as adults: Question mark, Polygonia interrogationis eastern comma, P. comma, mourning cloak, Nymphalis antiopa, etc. Butterflies that spend the winters in other life stages should start to show up as well--we will see cabbage butterflies, Pieris rapae, and spring azures, Celastrina ladon. The clouded and orange sulfurs, Colias philodece and C. eurytheme should start showing up soon. Tiger swallowtails, Papillo glaucus and black swallowtails, P. polyxenes should be making their first appearances within the next two weeks as well.
The weather does not seem to be too good for the migratory species this spring. I really don't expect to see many painted ladies, for example. However, several red admirals, Vanessa atalanta, at least one buckeye, Junio coenia,and one American snout butterfly, Libytheana carineta have already been seen this year. A posting on the Iowa Insects list by Paul suggested we should see monarchs, Danaus plexippus in Iowa within a day or two. They would be a welcome sight. I did find a pretty neat web site here that has an animated graphic of the first monarch sightings in the U.S. each year. Viceroys, Limenitis archippus and red-spotted admirals, L. atrhemis will make their first appearances in about the middle of May. Some of the prettier skippers should start showing up as well--the silver spotted skipper, Epargyreus clarus, peck's skipper, Polites peckius, the hobomok skipper, Poanes hobomok, and the common sooty-wing, Pholisora catullus all could show up around the second week in May. As a reminder, I have posted an easy-to use checklist to Iowa's butterflies here. It has page numbers for photographs of the butterflies that may make the guide books easier to use in the field. The most common butterflies are highlighted in gray. So get out (assuming it will warm up enough) and see if you can find some butterflies. Harlan Ratcliff |
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April 16-30, 2011
I have had reports of a number of spring azures, Celastrina ladon flying. In fact, the first butterfly I saw this year was a spring azure. In my experience, this is an unlikely first butterfly, but that is the way it worked out. The butterfly shown to the right is more likely the summer azure, C. neglecta, but the appearance is very similar. Mourning cloaks, Nymphalis antiopa and eastern commas, Polygonia comma have been reported by several people. Cabbage whites, Pieris rapae, clouded and/or orange sulfurs, Colias philodice and C. eurytheme, have been seen by several people. There have also been red admirals, Vanessa atalanta, seen in Iowa and Wisconsin. The species I would really like to see, however, was reported by Aaron Brees in. Henry's Elfins, Callophrys henrici, have been seen in Marion County. This butterfly is not seen too often in Iowa, although it might be a little more common than the reports of it would indicate. It flies for only a short time in the spring, and has a fairly restricted habitat. I have looked for it (with no success) near redbud trees, which are one of its reported caterpillar host plants. Maybe I will be lucky enough to see some this year. One butterfly that I have seen during this time period is the juniper hairstreak, Callophrys gryneus, (shown below). It seems to have two flight periods, one in late April and one in July. I have not seen it all that often--three times, to be exact, although one of those times I was lucky enough to see a number of individuals. They live in large cedar trees and perch on the small branches. When they fly the upper surface of the wings shows, which is sort of a yellow-orange color. I will be looking for them in the latter part of this month.
American ladies, Vanessa virginensis and painted ladies, V. cardui should start showing up in this time period, as should pearly crescents, P. tharos and meadow fritillaries, Boloria bellona. Eastern tiger swallowtails, Papilio glaucus, and black swallowtails, P. polyxenes, first show up in late April, and can often be seen all summer long. You might never see an Olympia marble, Euchloe olympia, but if you do it will be in late April or early May. Look for them in the western part of the state, and in areas with rock cresses. So make a point of getting outside and looking for butterflies. See if you can get to a woodland, a prairie, or a wetland. They should be out now--all that is needed is for someone to look for them. Harlan Ratcliff |
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April 1-15, 2011 Weather has not been very good for
butterflies this month. Butterflies have a tendency to only come out on
warm sunny days, and we really haven't had that many yet. As I am writing this (in the last week of March) we
have had only one report of a butterfly sighting in Iowa. The
Wisconsin Butterflies website, http://www.wisconsinbutterflies.org
Spring will be here some day--not soon enough for me. Then we will start to see the butterflies again. The first ones we will see will be the butterflies which over-winter as adults--those mentioned above that have already been seen, and also the question mark, Polygonia interrogationis. Within a few days of warm, sunny weather we should also see some of the butterflies which over-winter in the chrysalis stage and emerge as adults. That includes the cabbage white, Pieris rapae (shown to the right), clouded and orange sulfurs, Colias philodice and C. eurytheme, spring azures, Celastrina ladon, and the black swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes, (shown below and to the left.) Migratory butterflies, such as monarchs, Danaus plexippus, painted ladies, Vanessa cardui, American ladies, V. virginiensis, and red admirals, V. atalanta, may show up towards the middle of the month, particularly if winds that accompany warm spring rains bring them up. However, cool weather could delay their arrival significantly.
April is also the start of the woodland wildflower season. The show changes weekly, if not daily. Watch for early dragonflies as well--some of them are migratory and will show up unexpectedly. I have not heard any chorus frogs yet, but I expect to any night now. So get out in the woods. Watch for butterflies. Check out the wildflowers. Get down at the ground level so you can smell the flowers and the moist earth. Check out the pollinators of the wildflowers. Enjoy a little bit of sunshine. If you have kids, take them along. Take away their ipods, video games, and cell phones before you go. See if you can get them to listen to the birds. (Mine don't, but I keep trying anyway). It's been a long winter, and we all need to refresh our souls. Until next time... Harlan Ratcliff
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March, 2011 Hey, is it March already? It did seem like a long winter, but not nearly as bad as the winter of 2010. March is the start of the butterfly season. It is probably
possible to find adult butterflies in the wild in Iowa in any month of the
year, but I have never seen them in December, January, or February.
In some years they cannot be found in March, either, but we hope that is
not the case this year. The appearance of butterflies in March is pretty much dependant on the weather. We need a few good warm, sunny days and a few nights without freezing temperatures for them to appear. Then the butterflies which have survived the winters as adults can emerge. Those butterflies include the mourning cloak, Nymphalis antiopa, the eastern comma, Polygonia comma, and the question mark butterfly, P. interrogationis, all of which are common in our area. Also included, but less common, are the gray comma, P. progne, Compton tortoiseshell, Nymphalis vaualbum, and Milbert's tortoiseshell, Agalais milberti. It may be possible to see cabbage whites, Pieris rapae, or black swallowtails, Papilio polyxenes by the end of the month, although those butterflies are more likely to first appear in April than in March. It is always a pleasure to get into the woodlands on warm days--or even on cold damp days in March. The first of the spring wildflowers may be blooming by the end of the month. If the flowers are not blooming you can still find lots of signs of new life in the spring. Look at the mosses and the lichens--early spring is a prime season for them. You may see other early insects. You probably won't see many butterflies this month. You might be lucky to see one, or you might see a dozen. But it beats snow all to pieces. Get out and enjoy nature the first (and every) chance you get.
Harlan Ratcliff References: Schlicht, Dennis, John C. Downey, and Jeffrey C. Nekola. 2007. The Butterflies of Iowa. The University of Iowa Press, Iowa City, IA. Scott, James A. 1986. The Butterflies of North America. A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford University Press, Stanford CA. IA-BTRFLY: The Iowa Butterfly and Dragonfly list serve. www.wisconsinbutterflies.org sightings page. www.NABA.org sightings page. Ratcliff, Harlan: 2003-2008 Unpublished butterfly survey results. |
skippers
can still be found in fairly large numbers.
The
butterflies which over-winter as adults will be common while the weather
cooperates, then will hide under loose bark or other places to wait out
the winter. These include the first butterflies you might see in the
spring, the mourning cloak, question mark, and eastern comma.
Summer
will be leaving us shortly. The seasons are changing. The
butterflies that are plentiful now will disappear on us soon, and we will
miss them. So be sure to make some time to get outside and enjoy
them while you can.
Watch
for monarchs making their annual migration southward. They cluster
in trees in the evening--I often see them in walnut trees but they can be
found in other trees as well. They seem to like trees that have lost
some of their leaves but still have most.
August
is a great time to see butterflies in Iowa. The large showy ones are
especially in evidence. Eastern tiger swallowtails are an
example. You might see a beautiful, fresh yellow and black
butterfly, or you might see an old ragged specimen. If you spend
time outdoors, you may see the same individual fly the same exact route
each day. Most of the eastern tiger swallowtails you see will be the
yellow form--females with blue at the base of the upper hindwings, and
males with little blue and mostly black at the edges. However, in this area we also have
black form females. They will be considerably larger than the black
swallowtails and will not have the double yellow dots in the forewing.
Late
August in Iowa is a time of tall weeds. Cup plant, compass plant,
gray-headed cone flower, and tall coreopsis are all prairie plants that
grow quite tall. So do thistles. All of those plants are good
for butterflies, but especially thistles.
August
is a time of great abundance and diversity for most of Iowa's butterflies.
One of my favorite places to find butterflies is along gravel roads.
In the morning when the sun is starting to burn off the dew one can often
see butterflies along the edge of gravel roads, in the shade of the weeds
along the roadside. A short summer rain followed by sunshine will
produce high numbers of butterflies as well.
The
painted lady, shown to the left, can have huge population peaks or can be
almost non-existent in the state.
July
is a great month for butterflies. Not only are the numbers
increasing, but there is great variety. Many of the butterflies that
have only a single generation per year, such as this coral hairstreak
(shown to the right) emerge as adults in the last part of June or the
first part of July. 
There
are a number of butterflies that immigrate into Iowa each year from other
areas but do not have a true two-way migration. Probably the best
representative of that group is the little yellow, shown to the
left. Little yellows can show up in July or earlier, and by the end
of the summer they can become very common. Other butterflies in the
immigrant group include cloudless sulfurs, dainty sulfurs, and fiery
skippers.
Butterfliers
have borrowed an acronym from the birders--LBJs, standing for "little
brown jobs". With butterflies, the term applies to a number of
small, mostly brown skippers which can be difficult even for experts to
differentiate. This year seems to be pretty good for these
small creatures--I don't remember seeing such high numbers in recent
years.
Well,
it's June already. Time flies. So do butterflies.
They
will often land on people. While many butterflies will do that, I
find that the hackberry emperors are more prone to than
most. You will find these butterflies in good numbers in state
parks, where a number of their caterpillar host trees (hackberries) are
found, and often in areas with closely cropped grass.
You
may see red admirals perching high up on the trunks of trees or on wooden
walls that face west in the two hours before sunset. They rest in a
face-down position and fly out to investigate anything they see.
Hopefully by the time you read this the cold, rainy weather will be gone
for a while. If it is not, we should not expect to see many
butterflies.
Eastern tailed-blues, Cupido comyntas, should start emerging soon. Males, with bright
blue upper wing surfaces show up first. The females, with their
gray-brown upper wings show up later. They can be present all summer
long, and by the end of the summer they may be the most common butterfly
in the state, although they are often overlooked because of their small
size. 
We
had some really exciting butterflies reported the first part of the week,
but things will probably slow down a little now that the temperatures have
cooled down a bit. 
Aaron
also documented a common buckeye, Junia coenia, and an American
snout, Libytheana carinenta. Both are fairly common in Iowa,
but much later in the season. These sightings were considerably
earlier than any that I know of. Both butterflies are considered
migratory, so they might have been the result of a weather
event. 
has
had four sightings--three eastern commas, Polygonia comma, and a Milbert's tortoiseshell,
Aglais milterti, all on March 19.
Iowa had the one
sighting of a mourning cloak, Nymphalis antiopa and it was on March 16. So each state
has had one good butterfly day. I have not seen any butterflies yet.
Butterfly
numbers will be low--after all, it is just the start of the season.
However, it is always a thrill to see any butterflies at all after a long
winter.