More Bronze Coppers

[jim.e...@bellaliant.net]

I see on e-butterfly that Scott Makepeace has found Bronze Copper in the Gagetown area. This is another record of this species far from its known New Brunswick range and another example of a species that is really expanding in our area. This is the first record of this species in the Saint John river watershed  (that I am aware of) and easily the furthest inland from the coast. This species could now potentially be found in any marshes in the maritimes especially DU or managed marshes..

[Phil Schappert]

Things are slowing down...at Roach's Pond this morning the Painted
Ladies had been largely replaced by Meadowhawks, 100s of 'em. Only
counted 17 Painted Ladies (and NO American Ladies at all), along with
a half dozen Clouded Sulphurs and a few Cabbage Whites. But it was
dragonfly city with Meadowhawks everywhere (plus a Shadow Darner, a
large unidentified Emerald (but chasing it I found the darner) and
-- much to my surprise -- an old female Martha's Pennant, a first for
me for this location).

Has anyone else noticed the scarcity of Orange Sulphurs this year? I
found a few yesterday but they, like the Ladies vs Ladies thing, are
being far outnumbered by Cloudeds...by this time in the year this
situation is usually reversed.

So I decided to take my own advice and spent Wednesday and yesterday
exploring some little surveyed squares. Only added some of the common
species (but something is better than nothing, no?). Yesterday, in
square 20MQ32 (an Atlas priority square), near Prospect Bay, I found
7 species including a late Great-Spangled Fritillary and a Monarch. I
succeeded in adding some records to 20MQ66 (Wednesday), and 20MQ42,
32, 33, and 22. I'll have to pay more attention to these squares next
year (and figure out how to get into 20MQ76, another apparently
unsurveyed priority square).

Phil

--

Phil Schappert, PhD

27 Clovis Ave.
Halifax, NS, B3P 1J3
902-404-5679 (home)
902-460-8343 (cell)

www.philschappert.com
www.papiliomusic.ca

"Just let imagination lead, reality will follow through..."
(Michael Hedges)

[Phil Schappert]

You wouldn't know/think it was September by the weather, nor by the
species still flying out there.

Yesterday in square 20MQ43 (east side of the square, nr.
Williamswood, accessed via Old Sambro Rd.) I found 7 species flying:
both clouded and orange sulphurs, cabbage white, both painted and
American ladies, a quick-flying fritillary that remains undocumented,
and a fresh Question Mark. I also got some great photos of a
quite-yellow female Canada darner sunning on a rock.

Today I found and documented 8 species in 20MQ76, a hitherto
unsurveyed priority square, including clouded sulphur, atlantis and
silver-bordered fritillaries, both painted and American ladies, a
half dozen fresh viceroys, ringlet and wood nymph. Surprisingly, not
a single cabbage white...

Gotta take advantage of it while it lasts! Tomorrow looks like it'll
be a replicate of today but, at least here in south-central NS, the
rest of this week will be cloudy and wet. Hope everything can hang on
until the following week!

[Phil Schappert]

At 4:03 PM -0300 9/2/12, I wrote:
>Today I found and documented 8 species in 20MQ76, a hitherto
>unsurveyed priority square, including clouded sulphur, atlantis and
>silver-bordered fritillaries, both painted and American ladies, a
>half dozen fresh viceroys, ringlet and wood nymph. Surprisingly, not
>a single cabbage white...

I revisited my newly adopted square, Elbow Lake 20MQ76, today (Sep.
14th) and found 9 species still on the wing, 4 of them new to the
square (brings the total to 12...not bad from 2 visits in
September!), including cabbage white, orange sulphur, Monarch and red
admiral (all new) plus clouded sulphur, both painted and American
ladies, ringlet and viceroy.

I'll reiterate what I and Dwayne posted earlier...there are still
atlas records out there to be made and we have to take advantage of
this weather, as long as it lasts. The beginning of next week looks
promising...