Painted Lady migration

There have been numerous reports of Painted Ladies (Vanessa cardui) making their way north through Washington the past couple weeks.  The Painted Lady usually can't survive our winters and must migrate here from warmer regions in the southern states.  Depending on weather and population conditions, some years we may never see any Painted Ladies here, while other years they will be everywhere.  I haven't seen very many at all for the past couple years, but this year have already spotted two near Longview, and others have spotted them in places around Seattle, Ellensburg, and Spokane.  They are very fast and wary butterflies, often hard to catch or photograph.  Their larvae feed on thistles, so keep an eye out for spiny, lavender-gray caterpillars and shiny gold chrysalids whenever you see a patch of thistles!

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui - dorsal side

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui - ventral side

A cousin of the Painted Lady, the Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), is another butterfly that usually cannot survive our winters and must migrate here from warmer climates, although occasionally a lucky few will survive in garages or other protected areas.  Their larvae feed on stinging nettle, and form folded-leaf tents that I have described in a previous blog post (see here).  Red Admirals have been spotted near Yakima recently.

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta - dorsal side

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta - ventral side

Thank you Maupin!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk about butterflies to several groups of kids in the Maupin, OR school district.  It was a long day and my voice was a bit hoarse by the end of it, but it was a wonderful time and I was very impressed with all the kids.  I don't think I've encountered so many observant and interested kids before, a few really stood out to me with the things they picked up on, and I was particularly impressed with the high school group.  It was a great experience and I hope to have more opportunities like this in the future!
Many of you took my business card with my email address, so I hope to hear from you if you have any questions - I tried to answer as many as I could, but simply didn't have time to listen to everyone, so many wonderfully curious kids!  You also may comment on any of my blog posts here - I moderate the comments to eliminate spam, so keep in mind that when you submit a comment it won't show up right away, usually I'll see and "okay" it within a couple hours.
Several of you had questions about how I preserve the specimens, and some asked why I kill some of the ones I raise, instead of letting them go.  There are links on the left side of this page (Rearing Lepidoptera, Collecting Lepidoptera, Mounting Specimens, and others) where I have written answers to these questions, and there is information there about how to spread butterfly wings to preserve them for a collection, along with general guidelines about ethical collecting practices.  There is also a list of books and other resources I recommend.  In particular, The Butterflies of Cascadia by Robert M. Pyle is the best (at least my favorite) guide book to Washington and Oregon butterflies, although some of the scientific names have changed in recent years, and some new species have been described.  Life Histories of Cascadia Butterflies by David James and David Nunnallee is a newer book with the updated names, and is the first book to ever show all the egg-larva-pupa stages of our local butterflies.  It does not have as many photos of adult butterflies, so you will need to use other books and websites to help with the identification of some species, but there is a lot of information in that book about what plants each butterfly uses and what the caterpillars look like.
Also, following up on the two butterflies the kids found (Kindergarten class brought a dead Anise Swallowtail and the High School class brought a dead Indra Swallowtail), here are two blog posts I wrote a while back that talk about these two swallowtails and the similar Oregon Swallowtail:
Indra & Anise swallowtails
Oregon Swallowtail

Will touching a butterfly's (or moth's) wings kill it?

I hear this question frequently, and it came up again recently, but I don't think I've discussed it yet on my blog.  People are often taught that if they touch a butterfly or moth and rub any scales off its wings that it will die.  However, that is not the case.  

Butterflies and moths belong to the order Lepidoptera, a word derived from the Greek words lepis (scale) and ptera (wing).  Their wings are covered in tiny scales, overlapping like shingles on a roof.  These scales give the butterflies and moths their wing patterns, and make them more aerodynamic, a little like feathers on a bird's wing.  However, unlike birds, when butterflies and moths lose scales on their wings, they can still fly.  Depending on the amount of scales lost, it may make them less aerodynamic and affect their flight pattern slightly, but it will not kill them.  Some species of butterflies and moths actually have very few scales, resulting in partially or entirely clear wings. It's really not much different than most other insects with wings, such as dragonflies and wasps.

Butterflies and moths naturally lose scales throughout their lives.  They often rub some off in the course of emerging from their pupa, in addition to losing scales while flying, and from escaping from birds or other animals (nothing like a mouthful of powdery scales to make you change your mind about a meal!).

Although butterflies and moths are certainly delicate, they are much hardier than many people give them credit for.  So the next time you encounter a butterfly or moth, don't be afraid to coax it onto your hand if it wishes to cooperate! Handle it gently, don't try to pet it, and enjoy its beauty!

One of many species of clear-winged butterflies from South America

Close-up of the clear patch and surrounding scales on the wing of Rothschildia lebeau forbesi (see previous blog post)

Spring Silkmoths

This year I'm enjoying being nearly overrun by silkmoths; in past years, I usually only had three or four different species, but this year I decided to get a wide range and wound up with 1-3 cocoons each of ten species!  I've had four moths emerge in the past three days, and spent some time photographing them last night and this morning.  I have had 8 moths emerge so far this year, and have 11 more that should emerge between now and the end of April.  These species are mostly from the eastern half of North America, although the Rothschildia and Eupackardia species are from southern Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, south into Mexico.  Last November, I posted a photo of several of the cocoons I purchased (see here).  I ordered a few more after that.
All of these moths do not feed as adults, therefore they only live for about a week, just long enough to mate and lay eggs.  I always feel a little bad about putting these in the freezer after a day or two, but the reason I do this is twofold: 1) so I can photograph the cocoons and live adults and 2) so I have perfect specimens and can show people all the different kinds of cocoons and how beautiful moths can be.  It always surprises people to be told that these are moths, as many think of little brown things buzzing around a lamp, rather than such a large and colorful bug.
What has emerged so far:
February 15 - Hyalophora cecropia Cecropia Moth, male
March 9 - Automeris io Io Moth, male
March 12 - Automeris io Io Moth, female
March 18 - Actias luna Luna Moth, male
March 26 - Rothschildia lebeau forbesi Lebeau's Silkmoth, female
March 28 - Eupackardia calleta Calleta Silkmoth, female
March 28 - Actias luna Luna Moth, male
March 29 - Callosamia promethea Promethea Silkmoth, male
What is left to emerge:
Hyalophora cecropia Cecropia Moth x1
Callosamia promethea Promethea Silkmoth x1
Samia cynthia Cynthia Moth x2
Rothschildia cincta Cincta Silkmoth x1
Rothschildia lebeau forbesi Lebeau's Silkmoth x2
Eupackardia calleta Calleta Silkmoth x2
Agapema homogena Rocky Mountain Agapema x1
Eacles imperialis Yellow Emperor x1

Rothschildia lebeau forbesi - Lebeau's Silkmoth, female

Rothschildia lebeau forbesi - Lebeau's Silkmoth, female (underside)

Rothschildia lebeau forbesi - Lebeau's Silkmoth, female

Rothschildia lebeau forbesi - Lebeau's Silkmoth, female

Eupackardia calleta - Calleta Silkmoth, female

Eupackardia calleta - Calleta Silkmoth, female (underside)

Eupackardia calleta - Calleta Silkmoth, female

Actias luna - Luna Moth, male

Callosamia promethea - Promethea Silkmoth, male

Callosamia promethea - Promethea Silkmoth, male

Having fun with my silkmoths!

Coming soon to a land near you...

Spring is just around the corner, the daffodils are starting to bloom around town, and the crocuses on my porch are about to bloom.  Yes, I'm in southwest Washington and I know the other side of the Cascades is still blanketed in frost and snow, but even in those colder places some butterflies, such as the Moss' Elfin (Callophrys mossii), are known to emerge in late February or March when patches of snow are still on the ground.  The first butterfly of the year in Washington was reported on Friday in Seattle, a Milbert's Tortoiseshell (Aglais milberti) taking advantage of the sunny day to stretch her wings.  Several butterfly species, such as Milbert's Tortoiseshell, overwinter as adults and are often the first butterflies observed on warm days in late winter and early spring.  Other species, such as Echo Blue and Moss' Elfin, overwinter as pupae and are some of the first butterflies to emerge as fresh adults.  On sunny days when the temperatures start to climb, keep an eye out for some of the butterflies pictured here.

Many nymphalids, such as tortoiseshells and anglewings, overwinter as adults.  The following species are often the first butterflies seen each year in Washington.

Milbert's Tortoiseshell (Aglais milberti) at Reecer Canyon, Kittitas County, WA

Compton's Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis l-album) sipping water at the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, Okanogan County, WA.
It is larger and has a distinct white mark on the leading edge of each wing, compared to California Tortoiseshell (see below).

California Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica), dorsal view

California Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica), ventral view

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) basking in the sun at the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, Okanogan County, WA

Satyr Anglewing (Polygonia satyrus) basking in the sun at the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, Okanogan County, WA

Satyr Anglewing (Polygonia satyrus) at the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, Okanogan County, WA.  It is generally brighter orange dorsally and very brown ventrally, compared to the Green Anglewing (see below).

Green Anglewing (Polygonia faunus) basking in the sun at the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, Okanogan County, WA

Green Anglewing (Polygonia faunus) at the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, Okanogan County, WA.  It has two rows of sea green spots along the ventral wing margins and is darker than the Satyr Anglewing (see above).

Some butterfly species overwinter as pupae, allowing adults to emerge very early in the spring.  Examples of species you might see in Washington are shown here.
The Two-banded Checkered Skipper is very small and easy to miss, often appearing as a large fly or bee quickly buzzing about close to the ground, searching for low-growing flowers and mates.

Two-banded Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus ruralis), dorsal view

Two-banded Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus ruralis), ventral view

Margined Whites (Pieris marginalis, not pictured), Spring Whites and Sara's Orangetips are usually the first pierids (whites and sulphurs) to emerge in spring, sometimes in early March.  Margined Whites are common in forested areas of Western Washington, with smaller populations in the northeast and southeast corners of the state, while Spring Whites are found in drier, shrub-steppe habitats from the east slopes of the Cascades through eastern Washington and Oregon.  Sara's Orangetips are found throughout Washington and Oregon but are absent from most of the coast.

Spring White (Pontia sisymbrii), dorsal view

Spring White (Pontia sisymbrii), dorsal view

Sara's Orangetip (Anthocharis sara) basking in the sun at Deschutes River Canyon near Maupin, OR

Sheridan's Green Hairstreak is often the first butterfly to emerge in shrub-steppe habitats, sometimes competing for the early record with Spring Whites and Sara's Orangetips.  This and other green hairstreak species are generally called "greenies" by lepidopterists, and are mostly gray but have a beautiful dusting of sea green scales on the undersides of their wings, flashing emerald in the sunlight.

Sheridan's Green Hairstreak (Callophrys sheridanii) nectaring on desert parsley (Lomatium sp.) in Deschutes River Canyon near Maupin, OR

Echo Blues are usually the first butterfly I see each year near my home in Cowlitz County, only occasionally beaten by the Margined White that emerges around the same time.

Echo Blues (Celastrina echo) gathering minerals from mud near the Lewis River, Clark County, WA

Echo Blues (Celastrina echo) gathering minerals from mud near the Lewis River, Clark County, WA

If you have seen any butterflies this year, please comment on this post and let me know where and when!