Thymelicus lineola

June 17: Blossoms and Butterflies

The hillside is gaining more and more color as the days go on. Yarrow is now in full lacey-white bloom and purple Vetch flowers are abundant. The wild blueberries are ripe for the picking, which make my visits to Blue Hills all the more sweet. I have yet to see any milkweed flowering.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium sp.)

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) soon to be in bloom.

As I began my walk up the main ski slope today, the first insect I encountered was a familiar butterfly that was quite scarce last year – a Monarch (Danaus plexippus). I believe it was a female and I found it nectaring at red clover (Trifolium pratense). I watched her closely to be sure she steered clear of any Black Swallow-wort in the area. As I walked further up the slope, and tripped through the massive tangled patches of Black Swallow-wort, I became increasingly worried about the Monarch’s chances for choosing a proper milkweed host to lay her eggs on. I took some time to uproot one small patch, but I can only hope that a more thorough and effective method to eradicate this threatening invasive is found soon.

A female Monarch (Danaus plexippus) nectaring at red clover (Trifolium pratense).

Large patches of Black Swallow-wort (Cynanchum louiseae) on the main slope.

I did not see any adult Satyrium species today but I did observe two worn Gray hairstreaks (Strymon melinus), American Coppers (Lycaena phlaeas), a few Common Ringlets (Coenonypha tullia) and a good number of skippers.

Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) on Vetch (Vicia sp.).

American Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)

Common Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia).

European Skipper (Thymelicus lineola).

Skipper (?Polites sp.)

Skipper (Poanes sp.)

June 22: New caterpillars and First Adult Hairstreak

Two friends and fellow nature enthusiasts accompanied me to Blue Hills today. I’ve always believed natured is better observed with multiple sets of curious eyes. Among the all-too-familiar collection of Gypsy Moth caterpillars, the burlap housed 1 Intractable Quaker (Himella intractata), 1 Ruby Quaker (Orthosia rubescens), and surprisingly 2 new species for me: a Lithophane sp and a prepupal Catocala possibly of the amica complex.

Catocala amica complex

Lithophane ?innominata

Having multiple eyes paid off as we walked the trails. Though it’s unrelated to the study, we chanced upon a White Furcula caterpillar (Furcula borealis) on cherry and got a great show as it whipped its “tails” about to ward off a curious finger.

White Furcula (Furcula borealis) on Cherry

We walked down the main ski slope to look for nectaring adults and I photographed my first Satyrium butterfly! After flipping through Gypsy Moth larvae for so long, I was overwhelmed with excitement to see this little Hairstreak sitting on the Yarrow. It was windy on top of the slope and I watched as the flower swayed dramatically in the breeze and hoped that my find would not be swept away. Luckily, it was a tenacious butterfly and held on for more than enough time for me to get plenty of photographs.

I believe this one was a Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus) and it was one of only two I saw as I came down the slope. There were also quite a number of European Skippers (Thymelicus lineola) nectaring on the purple Vetch flowers all over the slope. Adult observations will be the main focus of my fieldwork for the remainder of the season.

Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus) nectaring on Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

European Skipper (Thymelicus lineola) nectaring on Vetch