[TN-Butterflies] Carter Co. Azure notes & sightings update
- From: dnldhlt@xxxxxxx
- To: mebc-butterfly@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, tn-butterflies@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, butternuts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 03 Jul 2010 23:52:24 -0400
See photos of the Azures discussed below at the Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29042793@N03/sets/72157624291519527/
I have assumed, based on my limited readings, that purple Azure caterpillars
are Appalcahians, and white ones are Summers. If anyone has a better
understanding of the situation please enlighten me. The adult Azure at Twin
Springs on Jun 17 was quite worn. I welcome any insights as to which species
it is. Both species of caterpillars, purple Appalachian and white Summer, were
present on the surrounding bugbanes.
The larval Azures at Central on Jun 27, both species, were on several bugbane
plants and usually attended by ants. There were two tiny white bumps on their
dorsal posteriors, easily seen on the purple Appalachians but hard to see on
the white Summers. The bumps would suddenly withdraw when touched by the ants.
If left a moment, the protrusions would reappear. The ants paid a lot of
attention to the area of the bumps. When not 'nosing' around the caterpillars
rear, the ants would mill around the caterpillar's location on the
inflorescence. Not all caterpillars had ants, but every group of ants had a
caterpillar. One exception was one large group of a smaller species of ant on
some wooly aphids on one bugbane, but elsewhere on the same plant was a small
group of the smaller ants on an Appalachian Azure caterpillar. The smaller ant
species seemed to behave toward the caterpillars in the same way as the larger
ant species. If anyone has references to information on this topic I would be
overjoyed to see it.
Jun 12 sightings were during the Elizabethton Summer Bird Count with Dianne
Draper. Jun 17 sightings were on an outing with Larry McDaniel & Allen
Trently. The other dates were on my own at home.
SAT 12 JUN 2010
Buck Mtn., Carter Co., TN
Silver-spotted Skipper
Northern Cloudywing - FOY
Pipevine Swallowtail
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Summer Azure
Great Spangled Fritillary - FOY
Aphrodite Fritillary - FOY
Meadow Fritillary
Mourning Cloak
Roan Mtn. Village, Carter Co., TN
Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail
Meadow Fritillary
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THU 17 JUN 2010
Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area, Carter Co., TN
Silver-spotted Skipper
Hobomok Skipper - worn male, FOY
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Spicebush Swallowtail - FOY
Cabbage White
Orange Sulphur
Clouded Sulphur
Eastern Tailed-Blue - FOY
Great Spangled Fritillary
Mourning Cloak
Common Buckeye
Twin Springs Recreation Area, Carter Co., TN
Appalachian Azure caterpillars on Cimicifuga racemosa
Summer Azure caterpillars on Cimicifuga racemosa
Azure sp. worn adult female on Cimicifuga racemosa - see photos
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SUN 27 JUN 2010
Central Community, Carter Co., TN
Northern Cloudywing
Sachem
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Cabbage White
Appalachian Azure caterpillars - see photos
Summer Azure caterpillars - see photos
Eastern Tailed-Blue
Great Spangled Fritillary
Pearl Crescent
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MON 28 JUN 2010
Central Community, Carter Co., TN
Wild Indigo Duskywing - FOY
Sachem
Peck's Skipper - FOY
Don Holt
Johnson City, TN
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