Butterfly House: Carroll County Count 07/05/2008

The Carrol County, MD Butterfly Count 2008 had low numbers but interesting diversity. The weather was rainy in the morning but mostly sunny by late day. Accordingly, we found more species as the day wore on. The greatest disappointment was that the traditional spot for Baltimore Checkerspots yielded none this year (under complete overcast and light drizzly conditions).

Click for count results, from Bob Ringler

Pipevine Swallowtail 1
Black Swallowtail 5
Tiger Swallowtail 3
Spicebush Swallowtail 6
Cabbage White 118
Clouded Sulfur 2
Orange Sulfur 70
Unidentified white sulfur 1
CLOUDLESS SULFUR 1

SLEEPY ORANGE 1
American Copper 4
Coral Hairstreak 14
EDWARDS' HAIRSTREAK 1
HICKORY HAIRSTREAK 1

Banded Hairstreak 2
Gray Hairstreak 2
Eastern Tailed Blue 118
Summer Azure 4
SNOUT 1
Great Spangled Fritillary 56
Pearl Crescent 62
Question Mark 2
Unidentified anglewing 2
Mourning Cloak 1
American Lady 1
Painted Lady 1
Red Admiral 3
Buckeye 2
Hackberry Emperor 4
Appalachian Brown 26
Little Wood Satyr 17
Wood Nymph 11
Monarch 5
Silver-spotted Skipper 20
Wild Indigo Duskywing 11
Least Skipper 3
Little Glassy Wing 19
Sachem 1
Mulberry Wing 4
Black Dash 5
Dun Skipper 7
Unidentified grass skipper 9

Highlights:

We found an Edward's Hairstreak for the third consecutive year on a power line cut-through off of Schalk Line Road 1

Satyrium edwardsii

We found several Banded Hairstreaks

Satyrium calanus Dark form

Light form

The real treat was discovering that one of our Banded Hairstreaks was more likely a Hickory Hairstreak.

Satyrium caryaevorum. Note the blue lunule on the hindwing that protrudes out past the surrounding orange lunules. Note also that the pairs of lines in the disc are aligned with each other (contrast the shots of the Banded Hairstreak above).

A Mourning Cloak jumped onto the path in front of us.

Nymphalis antiopa

A Hackberry Emperor showed off his social skills.

Asterocampa celtis

On Little Pipe Creek we found a single Snout Butterfly, so named because of the unusual labia. Snouts are very cute.

Libytheana carinenta

In the same location, Bob noticed that one of my "Orange Sulfurs" was actually a Sleepy Orange.

Eurema nicippe

Unfortunately, he was unwilling to cooperate for photographs. We got just enough for an ID.

At Hashuwa Wildlife Management Area, we found a Cloudless Sulfur!

Phoebis sennae

This appears to be the year of the Pipevine Swallowtail. We saw one on the count (unusual), several in Allegany County, and I even found one in my yard. Too bad my pipevine isn't mature enough for caterpillars.

Battus philenor

More shots

Mulberry Wing Poanes m. massasoit

The markings below have merged into a single patch, which makes this part of the nominate subspecies. Harry Pavulaan is trying to establish the boundaries of the various subspecies; we appear to be on the southern end of the range for this one.