As part of a two-year effort to monitor the butterfly populations at 3
locations in Vernon Parish, Rosemary Seidler, Jean and Jeff Trahan and I
canvased the Dove Field, Fullerton Lake and Cooter's Bog areas Sat., 3/14. It
was overcast and windy as the day began, but turned out to be warm with varying
amounts of sun as the day progressed. There was little in bloom, primarily
dewberry and false garlic. We were in the field from 10:30-3:00. 24 species,
not bad for mid-March.
Dove Field (the verbena is just beginning to bloom. There was little along the
road but it was blooming out in the fields:
9 Pipevine ST3 Spicebush ST6 Palamedes ST3 Cloudless Suls1 Gray HS10 Red-banded
HS18 Pearl Cres5 Buckeyes (extremely small. A Juvenal's DW flew by one male who
flew up to investigate, and I could clearly see the DW was bigger than the
Buckeye)2 Am Ladies1 Goatweed1 Monarch3 Horace's DW 1 Juvenal's DW1 So. CW
Fullerton Lake (again, little in bloom. They have bush-hogged the levee on the
side opposite the lake. It does look like there will be a good growth of
buttonbush this summer.
2 E. Tiger ST5 Palamedes ST1 Cloudless Sul1 Red-banded HS6 Pearl Cres6 Red
Adms1 Gemmed Stayr6 Caro. Satyrs1 Monarch2 Horace's DW1 No. CW
Cooter's Bog (both bogs are currently holding a lot of water. The pitcher
plants are just beginning to bud. There was nothing flying in either bog. The
primary activity was along the road)
11 Pipevine ST1 E. Tiger ST2 Spicebush ST1 Palamedes ST5 Cloudless Suls1 Sleepy
Or1 Barred Yellow (this is the second weekend in a row that I have found this
species in a new parish. As with last week, the specimen was the winter, rosa
form. This is the farthest west this species has been found in LA)2 Red-banded
HS12 Pearl Cres1 Red Adm6 Caro. Satyrs1 Little Wood Satyr (FOS)1 Goatweek5
Juvenals DW2 Horaces DW3 Wild Indigo DW (2 were males, very fresh and extremely
small)1 No. CW3 Common Checkered-skippers
On the way home, with the increased sunshine, I stopped at the LA Arboretum
for about 30 minutes. I mostly stayed around the cabin.
4 Zebra ST5-10 Pearl CresA Caro Satyr4 Little Wood Satyrs
Next week I hope to get up to Kisatchie in Natch. Parish. We will check the
areas with yucca for signs of Yucca G-S, and continue searching areas of little
bluestem for possible Cobweb Sks. We will also be on the look-out for Barred
Yellows to see if they have spread to the north.
Craig Marks
