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June 17-23, 2012
Omaha, Nebraska
Backyard butterfly weekly list. Number indicates the number of days sighted. Names in bold represent new sightings for the year.
Butterflies:
Cabbage White(4)
Red Admiral(2)
Monarch(2)
Question Mark(1)
Painted Lady(1)
Skippers:
Sachem(4)
Moderate butterfly activity in the yard last week. Monarchs returned to the list for the first time in five weeks. I am also starting to see more butterflies during the week, after I get home from work. This means they are feeding into the late afternoon, early evening hours, after most of the yard has gone into shade. Unfortunately, I didn't have a lot of opportunities for photos. Yesterday we had rain in the morning and high winds in the afternoon, but I did manage to get a picture of the Red Admiral(Vanessa atalanta) pictured above the fold.
Sachems are becoming abundant and they are starting to perform their mating rituals. There is seldom a time when they are not seen in the yard. This brings me to some housekeeping. I have revised last week's ID of a Crossline Skipper to a male Sachem. I don't really know how I missed it as almost every Skipper I have trouble identifying turns out to be a Sachem. I have not recorded a Crossline skipper yet this year.
So, what are you seeing in your area?