Mercer Arboretum is a botanical garden in north Houston. It has an extensive herb garden, several butterfly-friendly gardens, and outstanding diversity in its species.
Gulf Fritillary Agraulis vanillae
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Funereal Duskywing Erynnis funeralis
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Southern Skipperling Copaeodes minima
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Texan Crescent Phyciodes texana
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Dun Skipper Euphyes vestris
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Polydamas Swallowtail (Gold Rim) Papilio polydamas
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Fiery Skipper Hylephila phyleus
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Clouded Skipper Lerema accius
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Broad-Winged Skipper Poanes viator
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Southern Broken Dash Wallengrenia otho
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Northern Broken Dash Wallengrenia egeremet
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Red-Banded Hairstreak Calycopis cecrops
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Whirlabout Polites vibex
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Spicebush Swallowtail Papilio troilus
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Tropical Checkered Skipper Pyrgus oileus
The feature that distinguishes this from the Common Checkered Skipper is that the fringe on the forewing merges into a pure brown line instead of being checked as on the hindwing.
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Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Mercer Arboretum 06/09/2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
San Antonio Zoo 6/12/08
The San Antonio Zoo has been well-planned in several ways. My favorite is their smallish butterfly house. Like many enclosed butterfly habitats, this one is stocked with Central and South American staples: Tiger Mimic Queen, Morpho, Postman, and so on.
Unlike many habitats, the butterflies are up close, and children are taught and encouraged to let a butterfly crawl onto the finger (without damaging the butterfly!). As a result, the butterflies are no longer a hands-off, eyes only experience. Instead, my daughters became interested in their behavior: How can I get this butterfly to land on me? And, Daddy, can I get a Blue Morpho to land on me? (Thanks, Diego!)
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Dryadula phaetusa
Papilio androgeus with tails missing
The Grecian Shoemaker (Catonephele numilia)
C. numilia underside
Anartia fatima
Unidentified Nymphalid
underside
Same being shared between friends
Morpho sp. on Homo curiosa
Heliconius sapho pair. The female is uninterested and the male hasn't quite figured that out yet.
JRC
Friday, June 20, 2008
Guadalupe River State Park 6/13/08
Just north of San Antonio is Guadalupe River State Park. The park is lovely, though picnickers will need to beware of house flies. I had about 45 minutes to go hunting ...
Queen (Danaus gilippus)
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Sleepy Orange (Eurema nicippe)
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Dun Skipper (Euphyes vestris) coexisting peacefully with an unidentified beetle.
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Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Woodlands, TX 6/17/08
We just got back from vacation in Texas. Part of the time was spent in The Woodlands, a booming town just north of Houston.
"Booming" is a term of mixed value; one of the downsides is that most butterfly habitat is now gone. However, I did find a couple of gems:
The White-M Hairstreak Parhassius m-album
Underside. This individual had a slight tear in the right wing, and the brilliant metallic blue of the top side of the left hindwing is just visible through the crack. Note the red spot on the hindwing is set in from the margin, a clear diagnostic.
A close-up of the hindwing showing a bare patch where scales have rubbed off of the wing. The ridge structure of the wing is visible.
An in-flight showing the striking blue color of the top-side. My sister's toe was the trigger for the flight. The blue top-color is another clear diagnostic for the White-M.
Also seen but not depicted here:
Gulf Fritillary Agraulis vanillae
Palamedes Swallowtail Papilio palamedes
Common Checkered-skipper Pyrgus communis (or albescens?)
Red-banded Hairstreak Calycopis cecrops
Texan Crescent Phyciodes texana
Fiery Skipper Hylephila phyleus
And that was it!
JRC
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