Folks,
It happened on Saturday June 5th a Zebra Swallowtail nearly flew into Meg while we were both enjoying coffee on the new in the woods deck in our yard. This butterfly has been evading my yard list for over 13 years! I can not think of any other easy butterflies that could show up here.
Below the yard list is a list of faint possibilities with Harvester and Confused Cloudywing being the only species real chances of showing up. You know faint possibilities have showed up there back in 1997 a Zebra Longwing showed up when I started the list.
Here is the new list:
1 Pipevine Swallowtail
2 Zebra Swallowtail New in 2010
3 Black Swallowtail
4 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
5 Spicebush Swallowtail
6 Cabbage White
7 Falcate Orangetip
8 Clouded Sulphur
9 Orange Sulphur
10 Cloudless Sulphur
11 Little Yellow
12 Sleepy Orange
13 Great Purple Hairstreak
14 Coral Hairstreak
15 Banded Hairstreak
16 Striped Hairstreak new in 2010
17 Henry's Elfin
18 Eastern Pine Elfin
19 Olive Hairstreak
20 White M Hairstreak
21 Gray Hairstreak
22 Red-banded Hairstreak
23 Eastern Tailed-Blue
24 Spring Azure
25 Summer Azure
26 American Snout
27 Gulf Fritillary "stray in 2008"
28 Zebra Longwing "stray in 1997"
29 Variegated Fritillary
30 Great Spangled Fritillary
31 Silvery Checkerspot
32 Pearl Crescent
33 Question Mark
34 Eastern Comma
35 Mourning Cloak
36 American Lady
37 Painted Lady
38 Red Admiral
39 Common Buckeye
40 Red-spotted Purple
41 Viceroy
42 Hackberry Emperor
43 Tawny Emperor
44 Northern Pearly-eye
45 Appalachian Brown new in 2009
46 Gemmed Satyr
47 Carolina Satyr
48 Little Wood-Satyr
49 Common Wood-Nymph
50 Monarch
51` Silver-spotted Skipper
52 Long-tailed Skipper "strays in"
53 Hoary Edge
54 Southern Cloudywing
55 Northern Cloudywing
56 Hayhurst's Scallopwing
57 Sleepy Duskywing
58 Juvenal's Duskywing
59 Horace's Duskywing
60 Zarrucco Duskywing
61 Wild Indigo Duskywing
62 Common Checkered Skipper
63 Common Sootywing
64 Swarthy Skipper
65 Clouded Skipper
66 Least Skipper
67 Fiery Skipper
68 Tawny-edged Skipper
69 Crossline Skipper
70 Southern Broken Dash
71 Northern Broken Dash
72 Little Glassywing
73 Sachem
74 Delaware Skipper
75 Zabulon Skipper
76 Dun Skipper
77 Pepper and Salt Skipper
78 Common Roadside-Skipper
79 Eufala Skipper
80 Ocola Skipper
The only other species I can come up with that have been seen in the county that by a fluke of nature could show up are:
Giant Swallowtail Highly unlikely yet a historical record exists for the county. Hercules Club has been growing well at a site around two miles from here.
Palamedes Swallowtail No records in the county, this species seems to be spreading out, I had a new county record in Durham this year.
Checkered White Guess it is possible, but the most recent records are from 40 miles away or so in Wake and Caswell counties.
Harvester Probably my best bet to find yet still unlikely. The creek below us does have some decent stands of American Beech with Wooly Aphids about 1/2 mile from here.
American Copper No county records, it has been seen maybe 40 miles from here. Not very likely.
Oak Hairstreak No county records, yet this year was a bumper year for new records of the species, too late to find them this year.
Southern Pearly-eye Has been seen in the county, yet I can't recall ever hearing about any records in the county. It uses cane and there is no cane anywhere around here. very unlikely.
Dorantes Longtail There is a record in the county it would be a very rare migrant from southern Florida, very very unlikely.
Golden Banded Skipper One historical record in the county. The host plant Hog Peanut is abundant along our road and the habitat is somewhat similar to where I found 2 of them in Caswell County years ago. Still very unlikely or very lucky to find.
Confused Cloudywing Rare and one of my best possibilities to find, would require good photos to make sure on the ID. Probably my best bet to find.
Mottled Duskywing No county records, yet the host plant New Jersey Tea does grow well along our road. Still not very likely.
Dion Skipper Might be found along the North Fork of the Little River 1/2 mile from here but not in the local yard. I saw one of these yesterday in Durham.
Lace-winged Roadside-Skipper Might be found along the North Fork of the Little River 1/2 mile from here but not in the local yard.
Congrats on the zebra! They are really spectacular. I suspect that next a giant swallowtail will show up. I saw one here last summer and spent some time chasing it around. Too fast for me though. I don't know half of these on your list but it is a pretty spectacular list all the same!
ReplyDeleteI so need to keep track of garden visitors! The Zebra is gorgeous! I plant for bees and butterflies and hope they visit like yours do! gail
ReplyDeleteHow exciting that one of these finally showed up. I hope you see lots of visitors from your new list.
ReplyDeleteKissed by a butterfly, or almost!
ReplyDeleteI can see quite a list of visitors to your garden. A swallowtail is definitely a bonus. To catch them through camera is not always easy. Congratulations... ~bangchik
ReplyDeleteThat is great! Maybe it was the new woodland deck that brought the good fortune. Carla
ReplyDeleteCongrats!!! I bet that you will get a Lace-wing RS before long. Harvester will be your next best shot. But even if not, you still have a spectacular yard list.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen the Zebra around here! Congrats! Send one my way...there are so few butterflies around this year...I'm very concerned. I have all these flowers in bloom for them.
ReplyDeleteIt's a very impressive list! Ms. Zebra is very attractive in her stylish outfit!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the addition to your yard list, and such a spectacular addition it is!
ReplyDeleteBy coincidence, I saw the first Zebra Swallowtail in my central Virginia garden on the same day.
I don't know if you have seen this or not, but at the blog BibliOdyssey there are some way cool butterfly illustrations.
ReplyDeletehttp://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/2010/06/butterfly-album.html
Goodness, Randy, what a wonderful list, although I'm not surprised given what a great observer (photographer, naturalist, etc) that you are.
ReplyDeleteI'm always hopeful of seeing a zebra swallowtail (we have paw-paws in our Piedmont garden), but they're pretty elusive, so far.
In our Butterfly Garden at SCBG, we've planted rue and a couple of other host plants that escape me at the moment for Giant Swallowtails -- hopefully, we'll attract a few.
What a great list!! It seemed that some butterflies were very early arrivals! I should start a list!! :-) (You just planted a seed of another sort!) lol
ReplyDeleteWhat a list! Great photo of your Zebra Swallowtail... what a beauty. I have never seen one nor half the ones on your list! Was Meg wearing a bright color? ;>)
ReplyDeleteWow! what a list and how amazing are your pictures!
ReplyDeleteRandy, you have to head over to see my new "header photo!" You'll love it!! :-)
ReplyDeleteI need to start a list. I was noting that bird lovers have their Life List of birds they see -- I'd like one of butterflies in my yard! Grats on the beautiful zebra.
ReplyDelete