Alvar butterflies

[Steven Daniel]

Hi all,

Yesterday Joan Zeller and I visited Chaumont alvar barrens in Jefferson County, hoping against hope to find some Olympia marbles flying.  I have not seen that species there since 2018 and yesterday, which again seemed like a perfect day, we saw none in nearly 5 hours of exploring.  A couple of cabbage whites briefly got the heartbeat going but alas...  I have heard of no reports of Olympia in recent years, and worry that it may be gone from the state.  But absence is much more difficult to show than presence, and do hope that someone will turn up a  population.  

Otherwise it was a good day for early spring butterflies in the north.

Many American ladies, typically around pussytoes where they were appeared to be looking to oviposit.  Unlike recent days with loads of migrating red admirals seemingly everywhere, we saw only one possible flyby at the barrens.  But dozens of what I presume are northern azures, Celastrina lucia.  Perhaps 6 mostly fresh hoary elfins.   Three Eastern pine elfins.  The most columbine duskywings I’ve ever seen - 3 dozen is conservative.  A couple of Juvenal’s duskywing.   And we did find a lovely juniper hairstreak, which we always hope to find there at this time of year.  Around 12 pearl crescents.  A perfect day to be there - masses of flowering paintbrush, a species that varies greatly in its numbers of flowering stems year to year, added to the ambience.

Some observations on INat here.

Steven Daniel

Edwards, NY

Also - West Virginia whites have been flying in good numbers around our place in Edwards, where we have loads of toothwort.