Hi Folks,
I just returned from a trip to South Florida where I was fortunate enough to
help out with the North Broward Count Saturday. My group was assigned to count
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, a place I have visited several times. According
to Barbara DeWitt, the compiler, we had an average count for the park with 26
species and around 400 individuals. The severe winter had impacted several
butterflies, but in particular the Atala. Normally at this time of year there
are several dozen to be seen at the entrance to the park, but none could be
found Saturday. The biggest buzz was the sighting of a Common/White Checkered
Skipper which I was lucky enough to photograph for them. This butterfly is
rare in extreme southern Florida, mainly replaced by the Tropical Checkered
Skipper there. We also saw 8-10 Mangrove Buckeyes, a high number for them. I
also had 2 lifers: Palamedes Swallowtail and Dorantes Longtail, plus I was
lucky enough to snap a photo of the Florida form of Viceroy, which is much
darker than ours, mimicing the Queen and Soldier instead of the Monarch. Other
interesting sightings included Brazilian Skipper, Mangrove Skipper, Fulvous
Hairstreak, Ruddy Daggerwings mating, Zebra Heliconian - Florida's state
butterfly, and a couple of shots of sulphurs in flight showing their topsides -
an Orange-barred Sulphur and Dainty Sulphurs courting.
Bart Jones
Memphis, Shelby County
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http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_1Attachment:
Common or White Checkered-Skipper.jpg
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Mangrove Buckeye.jpg
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Palamedes Swallowtail.jpg
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Fulvous Hairstreak.jpg
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Zebra Heliconian.jpg
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Orange-barred Sulphur.jpg
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Dainty Sulphurs.jpg
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