Surprising Halloween Leps

[David Smith]

I was surprised by the lep diversity today in my Woodbine area yard given the steady fierce westerly winds and cool temperatures. However, the skies were mostly clear providing ample sun on the remaining flowering plants on the deck and in the garden. I had at least five species of butterflies and not one of them was a clouded or orange sulphur. The species included:

Sleepy Orange

Gray Hairstreak

Pearl Crescent

Variegated Fritillary

Fiery Skipper

I also photographed a skipper that I'm not sure about. My naked eye view of its side suggested female Huron Sachem, but the image I was able to capture is head on with the wings open. Any thoughts? 

David Smith

Woodbine, MD

[Jeff Pippen]

Nice photos, David.

Your sulphur is a Sleepy Orange, and yes, your skipper is a “Sachem”, whatever common name you want to call Atalopedes huron these days  😊

Happy Halloween y’all!

Jeff

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Jeffrey S. Pippen

Mebane, NC

Research Specialist, Georgetown University

Director, Carolinas Butterfly Monitoring Program   |   N. Am. Butterfly Monitoring Network   |   Jeff’s Nature Pages

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[Rick Borchelt]

I too can’t understand the idiotic decision of iNat to call this taxon a Huron Sachem. There is no other Sachem. We Easterners may have lost the scientific name to the Californians, but the common name stays put. 

On Oct 31, 2025, at 5:04 pm, Jeff Pippen <jeffp...@gmail.com> wrote:

Nice photos, David.

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[David Smith]

Halloween was just a warmup for the lep activity today. Temperatures were a bit higher, the wind a bit less, and the sun a bit more. All conditions that increased the butterfly activity today. I had 11 species, which I am sure is a record high here for this date. I had all the same species as yesterday minus variegated fritillary. The best one today was a clouded skipper. Here is the list:

Cabbage White (appeared fresh)

Orange Sulphur

Sleepy Orange

Gray Hairstreak

Pearl Crescent

Common Buckeye

Eastern Comma

Common Checkered Skipper

Fiery Skipper

Huron Sachem

Clouded Skipper

David Smith

Woodbine, MD

[David Smith]

And the late season lep surprises in Woodbine, Maryland keep coming. Today it was a relatively fresh eastern tiger swallowtail; the latest observed here by about two weeks. Seems this guy emerged prematurely. With increasing temperatures through Wednesday, who knows what else will appear.

David Smith

Woodbine, MD

[Rick Borchelt]

It's not unusual for some small percentage of a population to throw out these late-season individuals. Most will die without issue, of course, But it's the long game: It may help to build resilience into populations to cope with changing climate regimes (who knows? maybe partial fourth broods of Eastern Swallowtails will be a regular "thing" in a warming climate).  This strategy seems to have worked for Sleepy Orange, populations of which used to be replenished by northward migration every summer but which is now a regular overwintering species here over the last  decade or so. 

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Rick Borchelt
College Park, MD
preferred personal email:  rborchelt |AT| gmail |DOT| com

http://leplog.wordpress.com

[Jeff Cagle]

They apparently listened - the common name is now Huron Skipper (Huron Sachem)