FOUR Fiery Skippers in Hampton today!

[Steve Mirick]

I wanted to try to beat Sharon's record late Fiery Skipper from the
other day so Jane and I went specifically to Goss Farm yesterday to look
for one.  But no luck!  The asters are really going down hill fast
there.  But today, while birding on the coast, we decided to take a
detour while hiking near Bicentennial Park in Hampton.  There had been a
garden of flowers right along Rt. 1A near a home that has planted tall
verbena.  Over the year's they've planted it here but I've never had
anything of note.  But today there were FOUR Fiery Skippers!  3 males
and a female easily seen as they nectared and chased each other in the
still flowering tall verbena.  The female looked in rough shape, but the
males didn't look too bad.  This is not only a record late date, but
possibly the first record of 4 Fiery Skippers together in the State.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/249058296
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/249058297

Can they make into November?  The weather doesn't look too cold, but
it's going to get colder before the warm up later next week.  I'm not
sure if they'll make it.  I guess it depends a lot on this small patch
of tall verbena.  The flowers are disappearing.

We'll keep our eyes on them.

Steve & Jane Mirick
Bradford, MA