Broadview Farm Today

[Laurie Sheppard]

The paths at Broadview Farm are freshly mowed and ready for the Bioblitz on Saturday. Plenty of Milkweed, Clover, Vetch, Maiden Pinks, Cinquefoil, and more are blooming. I hope the event is hugely successful!

Today was pretty good for butterflies although it has been slow lately. I saw a good variety of species. My counts were:

Monarch 1

Great Spangled Fritillary 3 (maybe more - it's hard to tell when they're flying all over)

Tiger Swallowtails 3 (I believe at least one was Mid-summer)

Baltimore Checkerspot 12 or more adults, plus a few caterpillars still feeding

Clouded Sulphur 1

Cabbage White 1

Long Dash 1 (very old and worn)

Zabulon Skipper 1

Least Skipper 4

I also saw one Marsh Dagger (moth) caterpillar, according to Seek. As I was leaving, a large dark swallowtail flew by that must have been either a Black Swallowtail or a Spicebush Swallowtail. I hope there are even more butterflies on Saturday!

Laurie Sheppard