5/22 & 5/26 - Giant Swallowtails and many others flying - South Egremont & Sheffield

[Paul Seaman]

Hi folks, 

Lots of butterflies to report recently. I recently moved back to South Egremont at April Hill Conservation and Education Center, working as part of the Farm Crew for the non-profit Greenagers. I worked for Greenagers in 2023 and 2024, so it's nice to be back, this time with a completely different crew. I have been pleasantly surprised by the butterfly diversity at April Hill over the past few days, which has felt noticeably higher than previous seasons. I had a quick walk there 5/22, and a full day there today, 5/26. I'm excited to see how the season progresses, and looking forward to having more plants in the ground to see what shows up. 

Today was my first full day of work, and I was very happy to see lots of butterflies around- including a lovely surprise Eastern Pine Elfin as I was closing up the greenhouse in the early afternoon. I took a quick trip over to Lime Kiln Wildlife Sanctuary in Sheffield after work, where I found the trails flooded due to beaver activity. I only spent about ten minutes there, but as I was making my way back, I saw and photographed three Giant Swallowtails right by the parking lot. I'll upload these photos and a few others this weekend when I'm able to grab my data link cable from home. 

5/22/26 - April Hill, South Egremont 

Common Ringlet 4x
Clouded Sulphur 7x
Monarch 1x
Pearl Crescent 11x
Cabbage White 2x
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 3x
Black Swallowtail 1x
Red-Spotted Purple 1x
Duskywing Sp. 1x

5/22/26 - Bartholomew's Cobble, Sheffield

Pearl Crescent 4x
Clouded Sulphur 1x
Monarch 1x

5/26/26 - April Hill, South Egremont

Pearl Crescent 17x
Cabbage White 2x
Common Ringlet 2x
Clouded Sulphur 4x
Monarch 2x
Mourning Cloak 1x
Black Swallowtail 2x
Black/Spicebush Swallowtail 1x
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 3x
Red Admiral 2x
Eastern Pine Elfin 1x*

5/26/26 - Lime Kiln Wildlife Sanctuary, Sheffield

Monarch 1x
Pearl Crescent 1x
Eastern Comma 1x
Clouded Sulphur 2x
Giant Swallowtail 3x*

Paul Seaman

South Egremont, MA