Allegany Co. Count 7/11/08

This was my first foray into Allegany County, home to the uncommon and beautiful Northern Metalmark. As with Carroll County, the numbers were low, but a couple of unusual butterflies were sighted.


Count Results (from Bob Ringler): Click for Count Results

Not Tabulated Yet

Highlights

The show-stealer was the Northern Metalmark. These gorgeous creatures are two-toned. The dorsal side is dark brown with two thin metallic bands on margin and post-median. The ventral side is maple-colored with the same bands. The result is a butterfly that flashes two colors in flight. Flight, now, is rare with these. The Northern Metalmark is unquestionably the most sedentary butterfly I've seen. In fact, spotting them was a matter of looking for them on their choice nectar plants: Butterfly weed, a smallish species of sunflower, and goldenrod.

Northern Metalmark Calephelis borealis






The eyes are a striking steel-gray. This flower resembles New Jersey Tea, but I don't know what it is.



Below, the silvery bands are visible against the mapley-orange color.

Another treat was the Aphrodite Fritillary. This butterfly differs from the Great Spangled only in the hindwing below: the Great-Spangled has a cream band in the post-margin that the Aphrodite lacks. The result is that the Aphrodite appears more starkly silvered than the Great Spangled.

The Great Spangled shown in the two pics below was confused. He kept following the Aphrodite in an apparent attempt at mating. He was unsuccesful, but he did manage to provide an excellent comparison specimen!

Aphrodite Speyeria aphrodite
The Great Spangled is in the background. In the hindwing submargin, he has the cream-colored band, partially chewed on this side, that is lacking in the Aphrodite.





The lack of the cream hindwing band combined with the chocolate color of this individual (more typical of the female) brings out the silvery spots quite nicely.

To our great delight, a Zebra Swallowtail popped out of nowhere and sampled the Dogbane long enough for a photo shoot.

Zebra Swallowtail Eurytides marcellus

A Northern Pearly Eye almost escaped detection against the bark of the tree here.

Northern Pearly Eye Enodia anthedon

Roadside and Delaware Skippers joined the usual suspects (Silver-Spot, Dun, etc.) this year.

Roadside Skipper Amblyscirtes vialis on Birdsfoot Ticktrefoil


Delware Skipper Anatrytone logan below


Delaware Skipper above

We had a lone tattered representative of the first brood of Silvery Checkerspots.

Silvery Checkerspot Chlosyne nycteis

Other Shots

Little Glassywing Pompeius verna


Pipevine Swallowtail Battus philenor




Banded Hairstreak Satyrium calanus


American Copper Lycaena phlaeus


Buckeye Precis (Junonia) coenia. Surprisingly, not common in Allegany Co.!


Northern Broken Dash Wallengrenia egeremet


Monarda with 9 Silver-Spot Skippers (Epargyreus clarus) on it!


Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus


JRC