Another early swallowtail

[Josh]

Hi again,

On May 1, a friend photographed a Spicebush Swallowtail in north Amherst:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/357268174

Butterflies of Massachusetts only listed one date earlier than this for the species, and that was in Plymouth:

https://www.butterfliesofmassachusetts.net/spice-swt.htm

I know that BoM hasn’t been updated in several years, so presumably some other earlier dates have been documented since then, both for this species and for my previously reported April 29 Canadian Tiger in east Amherst. They still seem noteworthy, especially since I haven’t seen any swallowtails reported here yet this year, even in reports from more southern and coastal locations that usually get seasonal species earlier than we do here in Hampshire County.

I do see one earlier report of a tiger this year in the Massachusetts Butterflies group on FaceBook, from April 26 in Longmeadow. I haven’t searched iNaturalist yet, might find a few more there….

Cheers,

Josh



Joshua S. Rose, Ph.D.
Amherst, MA
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/opihiman
https://www.facebook.com/opihi

Writer/compiler, Bird Observer
https://www.birdobserver.org/

Columnist, “Earth Matters”
https://www.gazettenet.com/search?bodysearch=earth+matters
https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/category/earth-matters/

Vice-president, Hampshire Bird Club
https://hampshirebirdclub.org/

Northeast Chapter head, Dragonfly Society of the Americas
https://www.dragonflysocietyamericas.org/northeastdsa

[Jason Forbes]

I didn't get around to posting at the time (should have checked how
early it was), but I had a Spicebush in Maynard on April 20. Just put
an awful shot up on inat:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/357569230. Fortunately, the
only part not obscured by the pine it landed in was the hindwing
spots.

Only other record of even mild interest for me so far this year was an
American Lady at Belle Isle, East Boston on the 25th.

Jason

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Jason Forbes
Waltham, MA
ja...@brewsterslinnet.com
www.brewsterslinnet.com