Central Louisiana Birding & Wildlife: 2017 -- Butterflies

Gulf Fritillary nectaring on Jacquemontia -- Catahoula Parish, September 4

**Related posts**
2017 -- Birds: http://falloutbird2014.blogspot.com/2018/01/bird-year-list-2017.html
2017 -- Mammals, Herps: http://falloutbird2014.blogspot.com/2018/01/2017-mammals-reptiles-and-amphibians.html
Catahoula NWR Butterfly Count: http://falloutbird2014.blogspot.com/2017/06/catahoula-nwr-butterfly-count-2017.html
Butterfly Garden / Kisatchie NF: http://falloutbird2014.blogspot.com/2017/12/kisatchie-nf-and-catahoula-hummingbird.html
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Overall, I'd say that 2017 was a fairly good year of butterflying. There were some species that were unexpectedly scarce compared with the past couple of years (for example: Fiery Skipper, a common species, was super abundant in some of my usual locations during 2016, but I only saw them in small numbers here and there in 2017). Other species seemed to show up in many places I'd not seen them before or in greater numbers than I was used to (Long-tailed Skipper immediately comes to mind!).


Little Yellows, a Common/White Checkered-Skipper, and a Sleepy Orange -- Kisatchie NF, Grant Parish - Sept. 22

I missed a few species that I'd come to expect after a couple of years of butterflying in many of the same places I visited this past year. I'd include on that list: Swarthy Skipper, Crossline Skipper, Palamedes Swallowtail. Other species that I didn't find in 2017 were found in previous years at locations I did not visit during 2017, or not at the correct season. Some such species are Dukes' Skipper, Great Southern White, Summer Azure, Queen, Southern Pearly-eye.
Despite the best-laid plans, and some good intentions, I did not get over to Bayou Cocodrie NWR in Concordia Parish in 2017 to check on the colonies of Dukes' Skippers that Craig Marks found when we were butterflying there in 2016; nor did I make it out to Sicily Island Hills in Catahoula Parish to try and relocate Southern Pearly-Eyes that Tom Pollock and I had found there in 2015 or to search for Northern Pearly-Eyes and other interesting species that have been reported from that location by other observers.

Eastern Tailed-Blue and Common/White Checkered-Skipper -- Kisatchie National Forest, Grant Parish - Sept. 22

I did get several new life list species during 2017. Considering that I only started keeping track of butterflies in early 2015, that's no big deal, but it's still nice to find something "new". These lifers include: Hoary Edge, Juvenal's Duskywing, Funereal Duskywing, Little Glassywing, Black Swallowtail, Zebra Swallowtail, Falcate Orangetip, Juniper Hairstreak, White-M Hairstreak, Spring Azure, Ceraunus Blue, and Gemmed Satyr. I'm sure I simply overlooked some of these species in past years, and have started noticing more as I gain some experience at spotting and identifying butterflies.

Cloudless Sulphur, Gulf Fritillary, and Pearl Crescent -- Catahoula Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden in Kisatchie NF, Grant Parish, October 4

Below is my 2017 year list, with numerous photos and videos, and a few notes on observations. Also, please note that I am an amateur and not any kind of expert on butterflies. Though I believe the i.d.s below to be correct, there could of course be mistakes (the same goes for the plants named as well).

Hesperiidae (Skippers):

Silver-spotted Skipper -

Silver-spotted Skipper nectaring on Wisteria -- La Salle Parish, March 8

Silver-spotted Skipper -- La Salle Parish, March 8

Silver-spotted Skipper nectaring on Redbud -- La Salle Parish, February 23

Long-tailed Skipper -

Long-tailed Skipper -- La Salle Parish, October 26

Long-tailed Skipper nectaring on White Morning-Glory -- Rapides Parish, September 16

Long-tailed Skipper -- Grant Parish, July 30

Hoary Edge -

Hoary Edge -- La Salle Parish, September 2

Hoary Edge nectaring on Rubus blossoms -- Grant Parish, March 30

Northern Cloudywing -

Northern Cloudywing nectaring on Lyreleaf Sage -- Grant Parish, March 30

Northern Cloudywing -- Grant Parish, March 30

Southern Cloudywing -

Southern Cloudywing -- Grant Parish, July 30

Confused Cloudywing -

Confused Cloudywing nectaring on Pineland Milkweed -- La Salle Parish, June 17

There's a population of them around Zimmer Creek Road (and side roads), northwest of Jena, in La Salle Parish. I saw them on several dates this past Summer; from one to three individuals per visit to this location. The first video shows one nectaring on Pineland Milkweed (Asclepias obovata) beside Zimmer Creek Road on June 17.

This next video shows the same individual grooming after coming down from the flower.

I saw them on these plants on at least two or three occasions, including two nectaring on plants a few yards apart on July 6, Zimmer Creek Road.

Confused Cloudywing nectaring on Pineland Milkweed -- La Salle Parish, July 6

This one was nectaring on Liatris along Fount Cutoff Road, a side road of Zimmer Creek Road, on July 16:

Confused Cloudywing on Liatris -- La Salle Parish, July 16

I also encountered the species in Kisatchie National Forest in Grant Parish, in the vicinity of Work Center Road and the Catahoula Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden.

Confused Cloudywing -- Grant Parish (at the butterfly garden), September 7

Juvenal's Duskywing -
Juvenal's and Horace's Duskywings are very, very similar looking. It was pointed out to me that Juvenal's has two prominent whitish spots near the apex of the underside of the hind wing, which the Horace's usually lacks. These can be seen in the Juvenal's photo and video I've used here.

Juvenal's Duskywing nectaring on Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) blossoms -- La Salle Parish, February 23

(video: Juvenal's Duskywing nectaring on Vaccinium -- La Salle Parish, March 25)

Horace's Duskywing -

Horace's Duskywing nectaring on Brazilian Verbena -- La Salle Parish, July 17

Funereal Duskywing -

Funereal Duskywing -- Catahoula Parish, June 23

Common/White Checkered-Skipper -

Common/White Checkered-Skipper -- La Salle Parish, February 27

Tropical Checkered-Skipper -

Tropical Checkered-Skipper -- Rapides Parish, September 16

Clouded Skipper -

Clouded Skipper -- La Salle Parish, May 23

Clouded Skipper -- La Salle Parish, September 4

Least Skipper -

Least Skipper -- Catahoula Parish,

Southern Skipperling -

Southern Skipperling -- Grant Parish, September 22

Fiery Skipper -

female Fiery Skipper -- Catahoula Parish, October 6

Sachem -
Whirlabout -

Whirlabout -- Grant Parish, September 22

Northern Broken-Dash -

tentative i.d.: Northern Broken-Dash -- Grant Parish, September 16

Southern Broken-Dash -

Southern Broken-Dash -- La Salle Parish, September 2

Southern Broken-Dash, fallen prey to a white crab spider or flower spider -- La Salle Parish, September 4

From grim to life-affirming: ...

female Southern Broken-Dash ovipositing on grass -- La Salle Parish, September 2

Southern Broken-Dash -- La Salle Parish, September 4

Little Glassywing -

tentative i.d.: Little Glassywing nectaring on Lantana -- Grant Parish, September 7

apparent Little Glassywing -- Grant Parish, July 30

Dun Skipper -

Dun Skipper -- Catahoula Parish, May 16

(video: Dun Skipper feeding on the bridge over Green's Creek on Catahoula NWR Bushley Bayou Unit, Catahoula Parish -- May 16)

If I may get cute and wave my nerd/pop culture flag for a second... When I observe the above behavior in skippers, it reminds me of that episode of Futurama where the gang find out the secret source of the super addictive soft drink, Slurm. lol.

Ocola Skipper -

Ocola Skipper nectaring on Lantana -- Grant Parish, September 7

Ocola Skipper nectaring on Lactuca -- La Salle Parish, September 4

Papilionidae (Swallowtails):

Pipevine Swallowtail -

Pipevine Swallowtail -- La Salle - Catahoula Parish line

Pipevine Swallowtail - Grant Parish, September 7

Zebra Swallowtail -

Zebra Swallowtail nectaring on Liatris -- La Salle Parish, July 6

Zebra Swallowtail -- La Salle Parish, July 6

Black Swallowtail -

male Black Swallowtail -- La Salle Parish, May 20

female Black Swallowtail -- La Salle Parish, May 20

Black Swallowtails just sort of came out of nowhere. In my first two years of butterflying, I didn't identify a single Black Swallowtail. Then, on Easter of 2017, I saw a few on Catahoula NWR in La Salle Parish, a location that I've been frequenting for years and years. That was just the beginning. From then to about the end of June, this species was abundant in floodplain sections of La Salle and Catahoula Parishes. I vote we dub this "The Year of the Black Swallowtail". : )

female Black Swallowtail ovipositing on (I think) American Wild Carrot (or similar plant) -- La Salle Parish, June 23

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail -

a big ol' Eastern Tiger Swallowtail -- Grant Parish, July 30

(videos: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail nectaring on Azalea -- La Salle Parish, March 10)

Spicebush Swallowtail -

Spicebush Swallowtail ovipositing on Sassafras -- La Salle Parish, April 17

Spicebush Swallowtail -- La Salle Parish, March 19

Giant Swallowtail -

Giant Swallowtail -- Catahoula Parish, September 4

Pieridae (Sulphurs & their kin):

Falcate Orangetip -

female Falcate Orangetip nectaring from False Garlic -- La Salle Parish, March 19

Orange Sulphur -

Orange Sulphur nectaring on sensitive-brier -- Catahoula Parish, May 16

Southern Dogface -

Southern Dogface -- La Salle Parish, August 12

Cloudless Sulphur -

Cloudless Sulphur and 3 Little Yellows -- Grant Parish, September 22

Cloudless Sulphur nectaring from Turk's Cap or Bleeding Heart (Malvaviscus arboreus) -- Grant Parish, July 30

Cloudless Sulphur nectaring on Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) ... They sure do like red flowers ... -- Catahoula Parish, September 4

Cloudless Sulphur - nice hiding spot -- La Salle Parish, March 31

Little Yellow -

a group of Little Yellows -- Grant Parish, September 22

Sleepy Orange -

Sleepy Orange -- Grant Parish, November 27

Lycaenidae (Hairstreaks & their kin):

Juniper Hairstreak - March 17 & July 24
During the late winter and the spring, I often checked in on some cedar trees on private property in La Salle Parish to see if they might have around them some Juniper Hairstreaks. The trees had jessamine, honeysuckle, and other flowering plants grown up among their branches which attracted many Red-banded Hairstreaks. I photographed many of the little butterflies so I could examine the photos later in hopes of finding a Juniper among the scads of Red-banded images. I saw none. Then, in late July, I spotted Juniper Hairstreaks in one of those cedars, and snapped as many photos as I could of the flighty little butterflies who seemed to stay high up, and not land on one flower or branch for long. Add to that poor lighting, and the best pics I could get are those below. Anyway, well after this I noticed a series of poor, back-lit pics from my earlier attempts, taken on March 17, that did indeed show Juniper Hairstreak, only so back-lit that the distinctive markings on the wings were almost invisible and really nothing could be told about the overall coloring and so I had glossed over them as being images of one more of the abundant Red-banded Hairstreaks. So, two flights of Junipers -- mid-March and late July - were documented.

Juniper Hairstreak nectaring on Ligustrum -- La Salle Parish, July 24

Juniper Hairstreak

one of the poor quality, back-lit images of Juniper Hairstreak from March 17 - compare white markings to the July photo above

...back to July images...

Juniper Hairstreak -- La Salle Parish

Red-banded Hairstreak -

Red-banded Hairstreak -- La Salle Parish, February 23

(video: Red-banded Hairstreaks - a few of many that were fluttering around the upper parts of the pear trees and adjacent pines -- La Salle Parish, February 24)

Red-banded Hairstreak -- La Salle Parish, February 24

Gray Hairstreak -

Gray Hairstreak -- Catahoula Parish, June 27

Gray Hairstreak - Everyone just wants to fit in. -- Catahoula Parish, February 12

Gray Hairsteak -- Catahoula Parish, June 27

White-M Hairstreak -

White-M Hairstreak -- La Salle Parish, March 9

These are very attractive butterflies, in my opinion. This lifer showed up one breezy morning in March.

White-M Hairstreak -- La Salle Parish, March 9

Eastern Tailed-Blue -

Eastern Tailed-Blue -- La Salle Parish, April 16

Spring Azure -
Spring Azure and Summer Azure are extremely similar. I label these all as Spring because the dates of observation -- February through early April -- are earlier than the expected flight of Summer Azure (beginning in May or June, I believe).
But what beautiful little butterflies!...

Spring Azure -- La Salle Parish, February 14 (same in video below)

(video below: Spring Azure nectaring on Redbud (Cercis canadensis) -- La Salle Parish, February 23)

Spring Azure nectaring on Redbud -- La Salle Parish, February 23

Spring Azure -- La Salle Parish, April 8

Spring Azure -- La Salle Parish, February 14

Ceraunus Blue -
This was one of the lifer species for me this year. I saw it in the Kisatchie National Forest Catahoula Ranger District in Grant Parish. Other observers have reported this species in this area in past years. The specific location of my observation was near the southeast corner of the block of pine woods that's west of Work Center Road.

Ceraunus Blue on Strophostyles blossom -- Grant Parish, September 22

Ceraunus Blue -- Grant Parish, September 22

Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies):

American Snout -

American Snout -- La Salle Parish, February 19

American Snout -- Grant Parish, November 27

American Snout -- La Salle Parish, February 12

Monarch -

Monarch nectaring on Crimson Clover -- La Salle Parish, April 2

Monarch -- La Salle Parish, October 26

Gulf Fritillary -

Gulf Fritillary on Commelina -- Catahoula Parish, October 6

Gulf Fritillary nectaring on Hairy Clustervine (Jacquemontia tamnifolia) -- Catahoula Parish, September 4

Variegated Fritillary -

Variegated Fritillary nectaring on False Garlic -- Grant Parish, November 17

'Astyanax' Red-spotted Purple -

'Astyanax' Red-spotted Purple -- Grant Parish, October 4

Viceroy -

Viceroy -- La Salle - Catahoula Parish line, October 17

Viceroy -- Catahoula Parish, September 4

Hackberry Emperor -

Hackberry Emperor -- La Salle Parish, June 23

Hackberry Emperor -- La Salle Parish, August 19

Phaon Crescent -

Phaon Crescent -- La Salle Parish, October 16

Pearl Crescent -

Pearl Crescent -- La Salle Parish, March 10

Pearl Crescent -- La Salle Parish, October 3

Common Buckeye -

Common Buckeye -- La Salle Parish, April 2

Common Buckeye -- Catahoula Parish, September 4

Question Mark -

Question Mark, showing the namesake white '?' on the underside of the hind wing -- Evangeline Parish, April 8

Question Mark -- La Salle Parish, March 29

Red Admiral -

(most of a) Red Admiral -- Catahoula Parish,

Painted Lady -

Painted Lady -- Rapides Parish, September 16

Painted Lady -- Grant Parish, July 30

American Lady -

American Lady -- La Salle Parish, April 4

American Lady -- La Salle Parish, April 17

Goatweed Leafwing -

Goatweed Leafwing -- La Salle Parish, March 19

Goatweed Leafwing feeding on sap from damaged spot on tree -- La Salle Parish, March 18

Goatweed Leafwing ovipositing on Goatweed -- Catahoula Parish, June 2

Gemmed Satyr -
If you ask me, these are some of the most interesting looking butterflies that I've encountered so far. The "scary spider monster eyes" on the hind wing, which I assume are meant to confuse or intimidate predators, reflect silver, and flash like little lights when the butterfly is fluttering about near the forest floor.


Gemmed Satyr -- La Salle Parish, February 20

Gemmed Satyr -- La Salle Parish, March 21

Gemmed Satyr -- La Salle Parish, September 2

Little Wood-Satyr -

Little Wood-Satyr -- La Salle Parish, May 20

Carolina Satyr -

Carolina Satyr -- La Salle Parish, March 10

Carolina Satyr -- La Salle Parish, March 9

Butterflies are a fascinating group to search for, observe, and study. It will be interesting to see what 2018 has in store when it comes to observing butterflies.

Gray Hairsteak -- Catahoula Parish, June 27

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Central Louisiana Birding & Wildlife

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

2017 -- Butterflies

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