Our FOY White Admiral (and a missed unicorn)

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Yesterday, after George ran his Jefferson Highlands Breeding Bird Survey route

(which starts at the northern end of Jefferson Notch Rd, goes across Dolly Copp Rd, and ends in Shelburne, NH...where we saw Silver-bordered Fritillary),  

we went north to Errol, NH in search of more butterflies. 

Our target species was to try for Early Hairstreak on Potter Farm Rd. 

in Errol where one was seen there two weeks earlier... 

We knew it would be like searching for a unicorn. 

According to "Butterflies of Maine and the Canadian Maritime Provinces" 

Early Hairstreaks spend most of their adult life in the forest canopy, rarely descending to sandy roads on hot sunny days. 

Sadly, our weather conditions were not helpful, having deteriorated to overcast by the afternoon, ending with thunderstorms.   

And, as with all unicorns, it was elusive. 

However, we did see a flyby of our first White Admiral for the year, 

and we found a lifer for consolation. 

Potter Farm Rd, Errol:

Canadian Tiger Swallowtail 11, 

Silvery Blue 3, 

Mourning Cloak 3, 

American Copper, 

Pearl Crescent, 

White Admiral, 

Dreamy Duskywing 2, 

Mustard White, 

Hobomok Skipper 2, 

Peck's Skipper, 

Roadside Skipper (a lifer for us both)

We also visited Greenough Pond Rd, Errol, 

where we had: 

Canadian Tiger Swallowtail 48, 

Jutta Arctic, 

Harris' Checkerspot 2, 

Atlantis Fritillary, 

Northern Azure, 

Clouded Sulphur, 

Green Comma, 

Eastern Tailed-blue, 

Northern Crescent, 

Pearl Crescent, 

Common Ringlet 3, 

Hobomok Skipper 14, 

Arctic Skipper, 

Tawny-edged Skipper

(Last year on June 30 we had 

77 White Admirals on Greenough Pond Rd.

So we will see how many are around this year, 

 when we visit Greenough again later in June.) 

Andrea and George Robbins

Pittsfield, NH

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