Lepidoptera, Spring-Summer 2015 -- part 1: Butterflies, Hesperiidae through Pieridae

 

Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus) nectaring on Lantana, Catahoula Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden,
Kisatchie National Forest, Grant Parish, Louisiana

   Early this year I decided to start making an effort to learn to identify butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) and to document what species I find and where I find them. I typically do this while simultaneously birding, so taking photos of the Leps is a huge part of it. This way, I can comfortably i.d. the Lep species later by comparing my photos from the field with those from various online guides. Its been a rewarding endeavor thus far, and I hope to become more competent as time passes. At this point there are still some photos I've taken that I can't assign with absolute certainty to any species, but suggestions by more experienced Lepidoptera enthusiasts and no small amount of time pouring through online photos and species descriptions have at least brought me to some 'likely' conclusions that will hopefully be confirmed or corrected in the future. These species will be identified as "tentative i.d." in the photo captions.
   I thought it would be a good idea to make a few posts (first two for butterflies, part three for moths) summing up what I've observed and learned so far this combined spring and summer season and to 'psych myself up' for doing some more serious searching in the field this fall. I've tried to include at least one diagnostic (though often not very aesthetically pleasing!) photo for each species I've been able to identify thus far, though a few escaped getting their pictures taken. Also, these observations are of course mostly from central Louisiana, though a few from a trip to southwestern Louisiana are also included as they may be of interest.
   I should also acknowledge, before going further, that I'd still be fumbling with a number of the i.d.'s were it not for the help/guidance of several more knowledgeable and experienced Lepidoptera enthusiasts . Also, I hope that these blog posts might encourage the reader, if not already interested in the subject, to do as I have and start learning about their area's Lepidoptera. It's really a lot of fun!

   I decided to go in roughly taxonomic order, by organizing the species by family but not always sticking to tax. order within each family. The accounts are casual and written by a novice and intended, for the most part, for the casual observer who might like to learn more and to generally show what species are being seen in this area. Written descriptions of physical appearance are general and accompanied by the photos. I'll make any corrections that are needed as I learn of them.

Skippers and their kin (Hesperiidae):

tentative i.d.: female Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius), Grant Parish, Louisiana

   Right off the bat, the toughest group for me when it comes to identification must be (if I may generalize) Hesperiidae. Though some are quite distinctive, many are very similar to one or several others of the family, making for a sometimes daunting task for a novice at butterfly i.d., such as myself. The Southern Cloudywing and its close relative, the Confused Cloudywing (tentative i.d. on both), are pictured below.

Southern Cloudywing (Thorybes bathyllus) nectaring on Liatris sp., Kisatchie National Forest, Grant Parish, Louisiana

tentative i.d.: Confused Cloudywing (Thorybes confusis), Kisatchie National Forest, Grant Parish, Louisiana

   The first, the Southern Cloudywing, is almost certainly correct, though the aptly-named Confused is a little more sketchy. Initially I had suggested it to be another Cloudywing species, the Northern Cloudywing. However, it was pointed out to me that the apparent white on the insect's face is likely indicative that it is a Confused. The two species, however, are pretty variable in there general markings and can be very similar to one another. This is compounded further by the blurriness of the photos.

Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus),  Jena, La Salle Parish, Louisiana

Silver-spotted Skippers, La Salle Parish, Louisiana

   Happily, the Silver-spotted Skipper is more distinctive-looking. The bold white bands and orange patches on the long wings give it a quickly recognizable appearance. On the downside, they seem (at least in my experience) to be quite flighty, and flitting nervously about they can be difficult to successfully photograph.
   One of the first Hesp. species that I became familiar with this spring was Horace's Duskywing. I still have trouble successfully i.d.ing them often times, but they do seem to be quite common and a more experienced butterflier can tell them from their close kin, such as Juvenile's Duskywing.

Horace's Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) nectaring on Coreopsis sp., La Salle Parish, Louisiana

They seem to be most common along gravel roads and dirt trails through woods or between wooded and open areas. I can confidently say I've seen them in both upland and bottomland areas and in La Salle, Grant, and Catahoula Parishes.

female Horace's Duskywing, Kisatchie National Forest, Grant Parish, Louisiana

tentative i.d.: male Horace's Duskywing, Kisatchie National Forest, Grant Parish, Louisiana

  

Common Checkered-Skipper, Kisatchie NF, Grant Parish

I have a good deal of trouble i.d.-ing some Duskywings that I've seen. Among those that I've seen that are currently stuck in the 'maybe/probably' category are Wild Indigo Duskywing and Zarucco Duskywing.
   The bulk of Hesperidids in our state seem to be comprised of Skippers. There's a daunting number of species, many of them similar to one another, but I find that they are some of the most fun to photograph and rewarding to i.d. once the identification is confirmed. Numerous along trails and roadsides in wooded and open areas is the Common Checkered-Skipper.

male Common Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus communis), Kisatchie National Forest, Grant Parish, Louisiana

These attractive little butterflies have what can be loosely described as a sloppy black/brown-and-white checkered pattern on the wings, with the males displaying blue-ish gray shading on their back. I've seen a lot of these this summer (and a few this spring), first successfully photographing them in Kisatchie National Forest in Grant Parish, where I found them to be abundant in August.

Dun Skipper (Euphyes vestris), Grant Parish, Louisiana

   Also photographed in the part of Kisatchie National Forest near Bentley and Work Center Road area (Grant Parish) were Dun Skippers and Swarthy Skippers. Both, I'd consider only tentatively i.d.-ed, though some more experienced butterfliers have expressed confidence in species assigned to these photos. Points that help distinguish them is the lighter, somewhat contrasting color of the wing veins and the wide gray fringe on the trailing edges of the wings of the Swarthy:

Swarthy Skipper (Nastra lherminier), Kisatchie National Forest, Grant Parish, Louisiana

and the red-gold wash to the head of the Dun, which contrasts with the darker brown wings:

Dun Skipper (Euphyes vestris), Grant Parish, Louisiana

 

 

Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus), La Salle Parish, Louisiana

   Fiery Skipper, Least Skipperling, Sachem, and Southern Broken-Dash are among the skipper species that eschew the usual subdued browns for a flash of orange or yellowy-gold.

Least Skipperling (Copaeodes minima), Kisatchie National Forest, Grant Parish, Louisiana

Sachem (Atalopedes campestris) nectaring on Coreopsis sp., La Salle Parish, Louisiana

Southern Broken-Dash (Wallengrenia otho),
 Grant Parish, Louisiana

I've found the Fierys to be fairly common in the areas I frequent.
   I find the Southern Broken-Dash to be quite a handsome species. The general coloring, though brownish, has a warm orange-ish hue to it. The lighter markings on the under surface of the wings are pretty subtle and likely overlooked if not seen up close, though the orange-and-black pattern of the upper surface is bold, though often not visible due to the wings being held closed/upright much of the time. So far, I've seen this species in Grant and La Salle Parishes.

Southern Broken-Dash nectaring on Lantana, Grant Parish, Louisiana

Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius), Sicily Island Hills WMA, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

Clouded Skipper, Jena, La Salle Parish, Louisiana

   Clouded Skippers seem to be fairly common in this region as well. I've photographed a number of Clouded Skippers in the Jena area in La Salle Parish, Kisatchie NF in Grant Parish, and the Sicily Island Hills in Catahoula Parish. They are attracted to flower beds, but also not hard to find out in the woods away from developed areas.


Clouded Skipper, La Salle Parish, Louisiana

Swallowtails (Papilionidae):

Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus), Catahoula Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden,
Kisatchie National Forest, Grant Parish, Louisiana

   Large, showy, and fairly familiar to the casual observer, the Swallowtails can be found quite easily in a variety of habitats. Some species, of course, show up more frequently than others, but at least one or two species can be found around most backyard flowerbeds, grassy fields, or woodland clearing if you keep your eyes open. The two that I've found to be most common around here are the Pipevine Swallowtail and the Spicebush Swallowtail. These are both large-ish, generally black butterflies with some amount of blue iridescence and white and orange spots in the wings. The Spicebush has a poorly defined light (blue, greenish, or whitish) 'V' or 'W' across the lower part of the back of the wings:

Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) nectaring on Butterfly Pea (Centrosema virginianum) blossom,
Sicily Island Hills WMA, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

The underside of the hind wing has two rows of orange spots:

Spicebush Swallowtail, La Salle Parish, Louisiana

The Pipevine, on the other hand, has a single row of orange spots on the underside of the hind wings:

Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor), Catahoula NWR HQ Unit, La Salle-Catahoula Parish line

and a much plainer upper surface (hindwing may show blue or green sheen):

Pipevine Swallowtail, Kisatchie National Forest, Grant Parish

   The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is probably one of the most familiar species of butterflies around, with practically everyone knowing of the 'Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly'. The wings are largely light yellow, above and below, with some black 'tiger stripes' and wide black trailing edge.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), Snyder Road, La Salle Parish, Louisiana

   The Palamedes is the one I've encountered the least, having only found it on a couple of occasions at the Catahoula Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden in the national forest in Grant Parish. Large and generally black with patterns of golden-yellow lines, they are fairly distinctive looking.

Palamedes Swallowtail (Papilio palamedes), Catahoula Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden,
 Kisatchie NF, Grant Parish

The aptly named Giant Swallowtail is our largest butterfly. The upper side of the wings is largely black with a simple, distinctive pattern of yellow lines.

Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes), La Salle Parish, Louisiana

The underside of the wings is mostly pale yellow with black markings. I've seen these butterflies pretty regularly in this part of the state.

Giant Swallowtail, Snyder Road, La Salle Parish

Sulphurs and Whites (Pieridae):

Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae), Catahoula Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden, Kisatchie NF, Grant Parish

  The Sulphurs and their kin are, as a group, commonly seen and found most anywhere the sun shines and flowers bloom. The ubiquitous little lemon-yellow butterflies seen along roadsides in the warmer months are species from this family.
   The Cloudless Sulphur is common around here, and in my experience they are most reliably found and photographed by checking out patches of red flowers such as Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans) and Bleeding Hearts / Turkscap (Malvaviscus arboreus). They are quite similar to the Clouded Sulphur, and some of the other yellow-colored Pieridae. 

Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae) nectaring on Bleeding Hearts (Malvaviscus arboreus), Grant Parish

The Southern Dogface is one of these Sulphur-like species.

Southern Dogface (Zerene cesonia), Catahoula NWR Willow Lake Unit, La Salle Parish, Louisiana

I've successfully photographed them on Catahoula NWR in La Salle Parish, but likely have encountered them in many locations without getting a good enough look at them to distinguish them from similar species. I've found what I believe was an Orange Sulphur while in the Sicily Island Hills in August, but unfortunately I was unable to photograph it or get a sustained up-close look at it.
   The appropriately-named Little Yellow is common in woods and clearings around here. I was lucky to have the first one that I photographed be a pale form female laying her eggs on Sensitive Plants. The females can be a very pale yellow -- almost white-ish -- or the more common yellow.

pale form female Little Yellow (Pyrisitia lisa) depositing egg, Jena, La Salle Parish

a pair of Little Yellow (Pyrisitia lisa) coupling, Jena, La Salle Parish, Louisiana

 

The males are yellow with a black patch on the back edge of the upper surface of the front wing.

male Little Yellow, Grant Parish, Louisiana

Great Southern White (Ascia monuste),
 Peveto Woods Sanctuary, Cameron Parish, Louisiana

Both sexes have some small, smudgy, dark markings scattered around on the wings, black border on upper surface of hind wing, and a distinctive small blurry orange spot near the trailing edge of the underside of the hind wing. I often find them nectaring on small flowers in shady woodland edges, along trails, or fluttering across lawns and parks and the like.
   On a trip to Cameron Parish (southwest Louisiana) in early August, we found the Great Southern White to be very abundant. These pale, white-ish (with a blue-green tinge) butterflies with black edges to the upper part of the wings, were practically everywhere along the roads that we drove while birding that day. I managed to photograph a few -- in the Live Oak chenier woods and dense thickets of Peveto Woods Sanctuary and nectaring on flowers growing on the edge of the beach at East Jetty Park.

Great Southern White (Ascia monuste), East Jetty Beach / mouth of Calcasieu River, Cameron Parish, Louisiana

      The next blog entry -- part two of three in this Lepidoptera series -- will cover the rest of the butterflies that I've identified this spring and summer (up to end of August). That will be the Lycaenidae (Hairstreaks and their kin) and Nymphalidae (brush-footed butterflies, such as Monarch and the fritillaries).