Great butterfly day

[Bert Harris]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to send a quick note to say that butterfly diversity and abundance (at least for Sachems) has reached its peak here at the Clifton Institute in Warrenton, Virginia. I had 30 species here yesterday in a couple hours of walking around. I didn't see anything rare and only found one clear migrant (Fiery Skipper) but what a wide variety! I see that I had a similar day on 8/31/22. Why is there such amazing diversity in late summer?

Thank you,

Bert

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Bert Harris

Orlean, Virginia

[Rick Borchelt]

I wouldn't be so quick to count the Fiery as a migrant.  They've been flying in MD since late June (those clearly were migrants) but likely some of the adults we are seeing on the wing now are probably locally produced progeny from that first early summer wave.  I suspect the day is not far off when Fiery will be a breeding species that overwinters here.  

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Rick Borchelt
College Park, MD
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[Harry Pavulaan]

Happens every year.  On August 20, I counted 3 Huron Sachems and 1 Cabbage White in my Leesburg garden, all day.  Today, August 23 all at once on this day::

Huron Sachem -100+

Fiery Skipper - 3

Zabulon Skipper - 2

Dun Skipper - 1

Silver-spotted Skipper - 1

Ocola Skipper - 1

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - 1

Black Swallowtail - 1

Sleepy Orange - 1 (she left 50+ eggs)

Summer Azure - 1

Red-banded Hairstreak -1

Gray Hairstreak - 1

Monarch - 2

Common Buckeye - 1

Red Admiral -1

That's more butterflies than I've seen in my garden all season!!!

Harry

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[Harry Pavulaan]

Greetings all:

TILS is running low on publication funds for The Taxonomic Report.  So I decided to sell off part of my library of lepidoptera and garden books.  If anyone is interested in any of the following books, please write to me off-group at intlep...@gmail.com  I can send a more detailed list if interested.  Prices based on lowest Ebay price for books in similar condition, though many are in new condition.  All sales go to the publication fund. 

Thanks in advance if interested in any.

Harry Pavulaan

Badger, D.  2006.  Butterflies.

Baker, J.  (undated).  101 Great Garden Tips.  Garden Line Series

Baker, J.  (undated).  Baker's Dozen, Amazing Tips, Tricks & Tonics.  Garden Line Series

Baker, J.  (undated).  Evergreens & Shrubs, Amazing Tips, Tricks & Tonics.  Garden Line Series

Baker, J.  (undated).  Flowers, Amazing Tips, Tricks & Tonics.  Garden Line Series

Baker, J.  (undated).  Lawns, Amazing Tips, Tricks & Tonics.  Garden Line Series

Baker, J.  (undated).  Roses, Amazing Tips, Tricks & Tonics.  Garden Line Series

Baker, J.  (undated).  Trees, Amazing Tips, Tricks & Tonics.  Garden Line Series

Baker, J.  (undated).  Vegetables, Amazing Tips, Tricks & Tonics.  Garden Line Series

Baker, J.  2000.  Great Green Book of Garden Secrets

Baker, J.  2002.  Backyard Problem Solver.

Balmer, E.  2007.  A Pocket Guide to Butterflies & Moths.

Brewer, J. & Sandved, K. B. .  1976.  Butterflies.

Brewer, J. & D. Winter.  1986.  Butterflies and Moths:  A Companion to Your Field Guide.

Brouillette, J. S.  1961.  Butterflies.  A Follett Beginning Science Book.

Brouillette, J. S.  1967.  Butterflies.  California State Series.

Burris, J. & W. Richards.  2016.  Butterflies of North America.

Cassie, B.  2004.  A World of Butterflies.

Clark, A. H., & L. F. Clark.  1951.  The Butterflies of Virginia.

Clarke, J. F. G.  1962(1963).  Butterflies.  A Golden Book.

Comstock, J. H., & A. B. Comstock.  1912.  How to Know the Butterflies.

Covell, C. V., Jr.  1984.  Eastern Moths.  Peterson Field Guides.

D'Abrera, B.  1984.  Butterflies of South America.

Daniels, J. C.  2000.  Your Florida Guide to Butterfly Gardening.

Dickens, M. & E. Storey.  1972.  The World of Butterflies.

Dickerson, M. C.  1901.  Moths and Butterflies.

Douglas, M. M., & J. M. Douglas.  2005.  Butterflies of the Great Lakes Region

Easterbrook, M. E.  1991.  The Concise Illustrated Book of Butterflies.

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Farquhar, D. W.  1934.  The Lepidoptera of New England.  **MICROFILM REEL**

Fazzini, L. D.  1934.  Butterflies of America.

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Ferguson, D. C.  1971.  The Moths of America North of Mexico, Fascicle 20.2A, Bombycoidea, Saturniidae (Part).

Ferguson, D. C., D. J. Hilburn & B. Wright.  1991.  The Lepidoptera of Bermuda: Their Food Plants, Biogeography, and Means of Dispersal.

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Ford, A.  1952.  Audubon's Butterflies, Moths, and Other Studies.

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Harris, L., Jr.  1972.  Butterflies of Georgia.

Heath, F.  2004.  An Introduction to Southern California Butterflies.

Heriteau, J. & A. Viette.  1992.  Flower Finder.  The American Horticultural Society.

Higgins, L. G.  1975.   The Classification of European Butterflies.

Higgins, L. G. & N. D. Riley.  1983.  A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Britain and Europe.

Hodges, R.  (ed.).  1983.   Check List of the Lepidoptera of America North of Mexico.

Holland, W. J.  1900.   The Butterfly Book.

Holland, W. J.  1923.   The Butterfly Guide.

Hovantiz, W.  1958.  Distribution of Butterflies in the New World.  Zoogeography (1958): 321-368.

Howe, W. H. (ed.).  1975.  The Butterflies of North America.

Howe, W. H.  1963.  Our Butterflies and Moths

Huxley, J.  (undated).  The Beauty of Butterflies.

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[Bert Harris]

Yes but why does it happen every year? Is this an evolutionary strategy where the last brood of the year is the most prolific because it's best to have a lot of caterpillars overwintering? 

And thanks Rick for the tip on Fiery Skipper--interesting!

Thank you for any ideas/references,

Bert

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Bert Harris

Orlean, Virginia

615-440-0666

https://www.inaturalist.org/people/128628

[Rick Borchelt]

Couple of reasons why numbers build throughout the summer. 

First is one you’ve already mentioned, migration. 

But probably more important is that, for multivoltine species, relatively few survive overwintering so the first brood is small in most years. Host plants often are small in spring and early summer too and may not support a large population (think asters and pearl crescents). Nectar availability and host plant availability (for many species) reaches its peak in late summer and unless there is a severe drought the weather is generally clement — no extended cool, wet streaks that take a toll on both adults and caterpillars earlier in the year. 

Because of the risks associated with winter survival, it makes evolutionary sense to overproduce adults for that last brood of the season.  Predation pressure is also highest in late summer (from odes, spiders, and newly fledged birds especially) so again, overproduction in midsummer for emergence in this late summer brood helps to compensate. 

On Aug 24, 2025, at 8:20 am, Bert Harris <arami...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Bert Harris]

Awesome thank you so much for the explanation!

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[Lydia Fravel]

Thank you for your wonderful explanation, Rick!  It’s great to see this dialogue. 

Lydia Fravel 

On Aug 25, 2025, at 11:12 PM, Bert Harris <arami...@gmail.com> wrote:



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