Western MA - 8/15/26 and 8/16/26

[Andrew Griffith]

We took a trip to western MA this weekend to see if we could find anything fun. 

Saturday, we started out quickly at Fannie Stebbins looking for possible early emerging bronze coppers.  We had no luck there so we continued on to a private field in Blandford, MA.  We couldn't walk in the field as it is a farm field, but we were able to see the following (mostly with binoculars)

6 Meadow Fritillaries

3 Common Wood Nymphs

4 Common Ringlets

1 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

1 Spicebush Swallowtail

3 Clouded Sulphurs

1 Orange Sulphur

2 Monarchs

15 Pearl Crescents

5 Cabbage Whites

We spent the rest of the day at Forest Park with the field trip folks. 

Sunday we started the day at Lime Kiln Audubon in Sheffield looking for giant swallowtails.  We saw the following in the field near the parking lot as the rest of it is flooded.

1 Giant Swallowtail

2 Common Wood Nymphs

2 Monarchs

3 Cabbage Whites

We then headed to a road in Sheffield looking for emperors.  We didn't have a lot of luck at all really but did see the following:

1 Tawny Emperor (way way up in a hackberry tree)

3 Giant Swallowtails

6 Least Skippers

2 Clouded Sulphurs

9 Cabbage Whites

1 Eastern Comma

2 Monarchs

At that point, we went to Bart's Cobble in Sheffield.  We saw the following there:

10+ Giant Swallowtails

20+ Giant Swallowtail caterpillars

1 Great Spangled Fritillary

1 anglewing of some sort patrolling the road but never stopping

4 Cabbage Whites

1 Eastern Tailed Blue

4 Pearl Crescents

Andrew & Lauren Griffith