[louisianaleps] Strecker's Giant-Skipper
- From: jftrahan <jftrahan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Louisiana Leps <louisianaleps@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:12:17 -0700 (PDT)
I have been looking for Strecker's giant-skipper in Louisiana for a long time.
I finally found it today in Kisatchie National Forest in Natchitoches Parish,
thanks to advice from Craig Marks. As far as I know, this is the only place in
Louisiana that this species can be found. The day was overcast and drizzling
so
I didn't expect to see many butterflies, but the giant-skippers were there. I
saw two of them. See a photo at
http://www.jtrahan.com/temp/strecker's_giant-skipper.htm
These two individuals always flew close to the ground--within about 0.5 to 1.5
feet. They had no trouble flying through dense vegetation. Judging by the
size
of the abdomen, I would guess that they were female. They seemed to be
searching for yucca plants on which to lay eggs, although I never saw them do
this. I followed each of these individuals for some time. Strangely, I could
hear the wing flaps. It sounded like a rapid nick, nick, nick, ....When they
landed they always landed on a vertical or almost vertical stick or vine as
seen
in the photo. I got photos of both of them.
Jeff Trahan
Shreveport
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