2011

Summer ButterfliesPosted 9/10/11

The last time I reported about our butterflies we had just finished the rainy months of April and May. I have to say the summer did straighten out and gave us some great butterfly days. In June we had 21 species reported with a total of 1743 individuals. Now that’s better! Twelve, new for the year, species were added for that month.

July turned out to be a gem, kind of like the Hope Diamond. We added a new species to our checklist---Giant Swallowtail. This beauty showed up at Bill Cogswell’s butterfly garden in Liberty and hung around for three days. Two weeks later a very worn one also showed up. I’m thinking it was the same one, so for two weeks it flew around the Liberty-Walnut Mountain area. These butterflies have been expanding north and have been reported in Ulster regularly the past three years. I knew it would only be a matter of time before we had them here. Thank you, Bill!

Another butterfly that has been seen this year in good numbers is the Common Buckeye. It too has been expanding its range. Usually one or two might be seen in certain years but not this year! They made it on both butterfly counts and have been seen regularly all season. I had five at my house the other day.

Getting back to how good July was, we had 46 species reported with 1916 individuals. Twenty more were added for the year which now brings us up to a whopping 44 species and one hybrid.

The days are growing shorter and sun’s rays are not as strong but they’re still out there, lots of them. Please take a stroll along a weedy roadside or visit some of the beautiful village gardens in your area and take a look at these winged beauties. They’re only here for a short time, so get going!

Renee Davis
Warblings,Fall 2011

The Monticello CountPosted 9/10/11

Common Buckeye, photo by Renee Davis
Click to enlarge

I couldn’t wait for July 3rd to roll around as it was going to be our 18th annual NABA butterfly count for the season. I had all the teams lined up like ducks in a row and we were ready---- It rained. It rained a lot. It rained so much that it made a severe impact on the count when we finally had it on Wed the 6th. Many adult butterflies were drowned or killed so most of the ones we dealt with were fresh specimens or very lucky individuals.

We had four groups out scouring the circle and they came up with 36 species along with our orange/clouded sulphur hybrid again. A new species was added to our annual count list, Common Buckeye. These little beauties are popping up all over the county this year. I love ‘em! Oak and Gray Hairstreaks were seen this year, first time since 2006. An Atlantis Fritillary made a showing. This is the first since 2004. Orange Sulphurs were the most abundant with 125 individuals, next were European Skippers with 121 individuals. Delaware Skippers and Cabbage Whites numbered in the 90s. Eastern Tiger-Swallowtails have had a great year with 75 being seen that day.

All the teams ended the day finding 723  butterflies. This number is not far off other years, in 2009 we had 720, in 2004 we had 788, and in 2003 we had 766. Our high count was in 2006 with 1683 butterflies being seen. Weather plays such an important role and I think it bit us this year. The days prior to the count were superb, but it took many days after the count to return to normal. I would like to thank Team Ruth—Shursky and McKeon, Team Scheirer-Russ and Walter, along with Marge Gorton, Arlene Borko and John Haas for all the dedicated work and time they put into this project. I can’t wait till next year!                       

Renee Davis
Warblings, Fall 2011

The Halls Mills CountPosted 9/10/11

Stu Alexander led a very successful Halls Mills Butterfly Count on July 10, with 5 teams searching the northern parts of the county and up to Frost Valley. When all results were combined we had counted 1202 butterflies of 32 different species, with 295 E. Tiger Swallowtail the most common. A total of 40 Atlantis Fritillaries were found by 4 teams. A usually uncommon species, the Buckeye, was found by 3 teams. (The most common species last year, 540 Red Admirals, was not found at all this year!!)

Participating teams included Stu Alexander and Bud Angelotti, John Haas, Renee Davis and Afton Lazier, Ruth Shursky and Ruth McKeon, and Russ and Cathy Scheirer. Many thanks to all!

Valerie Freer and Stu Alexander
Warblings, Fall 2011

2010

Summer ButterfliesPosted 11/30/10

We had a great summer for butterflies in Sullivan County this year. August heat produced 15 different species adding 660 individuals to our year count. September was another story.

On September 2 we were tagging Monarchs in the fields at Wurtsboro Airport when Tannar Bunting-Cliffe found a Wild Indigo Duskywing. That was a new butterfly for Sullivan County. Thank-you Tannar! Also that day, Isabel Arter and Maya Bunting-Cliffe helped tag 5 Monarchs and sent them on their way to Mexico. (See photos in the December 2010 - February 2011 issue of Warblings, showing Renee sharing her tagging knowledge with these young butterfliers .)

September turned in 20 different species and added 867 individuals, bringing our total up to 4961 butterflies for the summer.

My thanks also go out to Valerie Freer, Rick Bunting, John Haas, Kate Hyden, Russ Scheirer, Marge Gorton, Ruth Shursky, Ruth McKeon and Paul Cliffe for all their help with butterfly records for the county.

Up to October we now have 49 species reported for Sullivan, but again no Milbert’s Tortoiseshell this year. Maybe next year we’ll find them again!

Renee Davis
Warblings, December 2010 - February 2011

Hall's Mills Butterfly Count 7/11/10Posted 9/3/10

Red Admiral on Dogbane, photo by Valerie Freer
Click to enlarge

The highest number for a single species was 540 Red Admirals after 0 last year.  After consulting Cech and Tudor’s Butterflies of the East Coast, the Red Admiral numbers tend to spike about every 10 years and then crash.  The last big year was ’01.  Other big numbers were for Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - 323, Clouded Sulfur – 224, Great Spangled Fritillary – 183, and Pearl Crescent – 393.

Team Ruth, Shursky and McKeon, counted 75 Clouded Sulfur and 75 Pearl Crescent.  Team Sheirer counted 130 Red Admirals, 120 Pearl Crescent, and the only American Copper.  Valerie Freer and Mary Collier counted the only Tawny Edged Skippers, Question Mark, Eastern Tailed Blue, and new to the count a Dion Skipper.  Valerie was quite excited as she was on the lookout for the Dion Skipper with its distinctive “rays” under the hind wing.  Renee Davis and Arlene Borko counted the first Painted Lady since ’04 and 123 Pearl Crescent.  Team Alexander counted    (Continued on page 7) (Continued from page 2) 4 Canadian Tiger, and Delaware Skippers.

Having 5 teams for the first time and great weather helped make this a monster of a count.  We can only hope for the same conditions and participation in ’11. For the full count check naba.org.                                         

Stu Alexander
Warblings, September-October 2010

June and July Butterflies - 2010Posted 9/3/10

June brought us some nice summer weather and some nice butterflies. We held our 17th annual NABA butterfly count on June 30th. Ten hardy members got out and counted 1087 butterflies of 36 different species. New to our count was Pipevine Swallowtail. We all noticed how many Red Admirals were migrating at this time. It seems that this was an irrruptive year for this species. In Toronto, Canada, they were being counted at over 1000 an hour migrating by one lookout post. The watchers here in Sullivan County reported 402 in June and July. The last time we had numbers like this was in 2004.

June produced 1315 different individuals of 38 species and one hybrid found by Stu Alexander, Valerie Freer, Mary Collier and  Rick Bunting. It seems Clouded Sulphurs are crossing with Orange Sulphurs and producing a white hybrid. Keep your eyes peeled; there may be more to come.

July brought us some of the hottest, muggiest weather we’ve seen in a long time. Good for the butterflies; tough on us! We viewed 1785 butterflies consisting of 32 species along with one more hybrid. White Admirals will cross with Red-spotted Purples and produce Red-spotted Admirals. They are not uncommon and can usually be found with some searching. Valerie Freer and Mary Collier also found a new species to our Sullivan list, a Dion Skipper. They spotted a “larger” skipper on Aden Road wildflowers and recognized it immediately. The week prior they had worked and worked on a skipper that Valerie’s brother-in-law, Rick Bunting had photographed in Bainbridge. It turned out to be a Dion Skipper, so needless to say they were “pros” when it came to this little beauty.

Sullivan’s butterfly list for the year is doing well. We are up to 48 species with a total of 3434 individuals. We are still missing Milbert’s Tortoiseshell this year. No one saw one in Sullivan last year and Stu Alexander has only seen one in Frost Valley this year. My thanks go out to those of you already listed in this article and Ruth Shursky, Ruth McKeon, Arlene Borko, Marge Gorton, Russ and Cathy Scheirer, Valerie Alexander and everyone who has contributed to Sullivan’s butterfly database. Keep up the good work!

Renee Davis
Warblings, September-October 2010

2009Posted 7/30/09

May-June 2009 Butterfly Count

May turned out to be a terrific month for butterflies but June left MUCH to be desired. We actually had sun and warmth in May but a lot of rain and cooler temperatures for June. Still in all butterfly watchers in Sullivan County found 37 species with a total of 931 butterflies. Six new species of butterflies have been added to the checklist so far this year thanks to the efforts of Stu Alexander, Tom Fiore, Christine Wallstrom, Valerie Freer, Marge Gorton and myself. Our overall total number of species found in Sullivan stands at 66, and this year reports have totaled 36 species. Thanks also go to Lois Head, John Haas, Ruth Shursky and Ruth McKeon for their efforts in reporting sightings. Report your sightings here on our website. Now get out there!          View Photos of Some of Our New Species

Renee Davis
Warblings, Early Fall 2009

Butterfly Count #16

Wednesday, July 1, was not our best butterfly count due to the weather. Almost daily thunderstorms left everything very wet and the Bashakill fogged in well into late morning. The sun finally poked its face out and warmed everything up including the butterflies.

Team Ruth, Shursky and McKeon, found the only Viceroy on that day, while Russ Scheirer found the only Long Dash in his area. Marge Gorton and I found the only American Lady, White Admiral, Northern Pearlyeye, and Little Glassywing. Stu and Valerie Alexander hit a gold mine on their route producing terrific pictures of a Crossline Skipper and Hoary Edge Skippers. Both of these are new to our count! They also saw the only Banded hairstreak, Eastern Comma, Red Admiral, and Little Wood-satyr. Among the four teams we drove a total of 173 miles in 20 hours and walked 5 miles to produce 27 species totaling 720 butterflies. And one of the best things------ I can’t wait for next year

Renee Davis
Warblings, Early Fall 2009

2008Posted 8/30/08

Several SCAS members participated in two separate butterfly counts in Sullivan County during July.   Photos of some of the species found can be seen on the color  insert of the September-October issue of Warblings.. Both of our butterfly count leaders, Renee Davis and Stu Alexander, will be tagging Monarch butterflies again  this year.  See Coming Events and consider joining one of  Renee’s  tagging trips. Spicebush Swallowtail, photo by Rick Bunting   (Click photo to enlarge)

2008 Christmas Count Circle Butterfly Count

Five teams set out on July 2 to count as many butterflies as they could find within our Christmas Count Circle for the North American Butterfly Association. The 15 mile diameter circle center is within the Neversink Gorge and covers an area from the Bashakill to Mongaup Reservoir, and Thompsonville to Cuddebackville.

Stu Alexander found 4 Hickory Hairstreaks (this is only the third time these have been found on our count) and 18 Delaware Skippers. He had the highest count of 19 Silver Spotted Skippers, and 3 Spicebush Swallowtails.

Team Ruth (Shursky and McKeon) found one of the two, new to our list, Least Skippers. In their travels they also found 45 Cabbage Whites and 14 Clouded Sulphurs. They had the highest count of 6 Peck’s Skippers and 5 Tawny-edged Skippers.

Valerie Freer and Mary Collier found the other Least Skipper along with our only Spring Azure, Baltimore Checkerspot, and Juvenal’s Duskywing (also new to our list).  They found 1 of 2 Common Ringlets and 1 of 2 Eastern Tailed Blues.

John Haas and Arlene Borko combed their area with a fine tooth comb and found 1 of two Aphrodite Fritillaries along with the only American Copper, White Admiral, Long Dash’s, and Mullberrywings. They got into a big hatch of European Skippers and counted 250 on Forestburgh Road and 300 on Baer Road. Their total of Europeans for the day was 697. They had the other Eastern Tailed Blue and Common Ringlet, along with high counts of 9 American Ladies, 35 Orange Sulphurs, 28 Great Spangled Fritillaries, and 52 Dun Skippers.

Afton Lazier and I found a Bronze Copper which was new to our list along with a high number of 45 Little Glassywings. We had 5 Black Swallowtails, 6 Banded Hairstreaks, 8 Eastern Commas, 4 Compton Tortoiseshells and 6 Little Wood Satyrs.

Our day started off a little cool at 65 degrees but warmed up to 85 degrees by midday. Between the ten of us we walked only 3.5 miles but drove 193 miles (that hurt at the gas pump). After spending 28.5 hours in the field we tallied 36 species with 1592 individuals, a little behind our best year of 2006 were we had our highest total of 40 species, with 1683 individuals.    
— Renee Davis

2008 Hall’s Mills Butterfly Count

Renee Davis and Marge Gorton reported the only Baltimore Checkerspots and found 25 of them!  Valerie Freer and Mary Collier counted 2 Coral Hairstreaks and discovered a new milkweed field where they counted hundreds of adult butterflies.  It was a big day for Fritillaries with 93 Great Spangled, 57 Meadow, 38 Atlantis, and 6 Aphrodite.  One notable omission is zero Red Admirals after counting 109 a year ago.  For information please call Stu Alexander 985-2485.
Stu Alexander
Warblings, September-October 2008

2007Posted 9/2/07    

On June 24, 2007 three Sullivan Audubon teams set out to do the 14th annual Butterfly Count for the North American Butterfly Association. The day started out cool, only in the high 40’s but did get to the mid 70’s by early afternoon. Fortunately the sun was bright and it was a clear day.

Stu and Valerie Alexander covered the western area of the count circle and identified 17 species. European Skippers were the butterfly of the day and they found 163 in that area. They had the only Baltimore Checkerspot, Little Wood Satyr, and Long Dash.

Valerie Freer, Arlene Borko and Mary Collier covered the eastern part of the count circle and found a total of 18 species. They had a whopping 222 European Skippers. They had the only Meadow Fritillary, Compton Tortoiseshell, Little Glassywing, and Delaware Skippers.

Ruth Shursky and I covered the southern part of the count circle and ended up finding 16 species. Our butterfly of the day was the Cabbage White, we found 427 of them. We had the only Eastern Comma, Black Swallowtail, Great Spangled Fritillary, Painted Lady, Northern Pearly-Eye, and Silver-spotted Skippers. Amazingly we did not have any European Skippers!

Between all the teams, 96 miles were driven, 3 miles were walked and a total of 13.5 man hours were put into this project. It produced 28 species of Butterflies with a total of 1173 individuals, our highest count ever. This was also our highest count ever of Monarchs, 22 and 1 egg. It’s a good feeling to know that they have made a comeback since the freeze a few years ago that killed many of them in their Mexico wintering grounds. This fall we will be tagging Monarchs on their southward migration (see article on Monarch Watch).

The Hall’s Mills butterfly count coordinated by Stu Alexander was held on July 7th. Four teams racked up 14.5 hours, 89 miles by car, and 7 miles on foot. The morning started out at 68 degrees and warmed up to 82 with the sun shinning all day.

Stu and Valerie Alexander along with Randy and Nick Golemboski found 22 species from Frost Valley to Blue Hill.

Russell and Cathy Scheirer found 9 species in the 1 mile that they walked between the New Age Health Spa and Curry.

Renee Davis
Warblings, September-October 2007

2006Posted 9/11/06       

For the fourth year, Sullivan Co Audubon sponsored two very successful “Fourth of July” butterfly counts. The first one, led by Renee Davis & Valerie Freer on July 2 in the southern part of the county, produced 41 species, and the second on July 8 led by Stu Alexander in the northern part found 36 species. Four teams took part in each count. Both counts featured small butterflies called Hairstreaks this year, as 5 kinds were found on each count including three not found before on these counts: the Coral Hairstreak, Gray Hairstreak and “Northern” version of the Southern Hairstreak. “Fourth of July” butterfly count results are sent to the North American Butterfly Association which publishes them annually.

Photos see our Warbler insert Great Spangled Fritillary photo by Valerie Freer (328KB, Requires Adobe Reader) Download Acrobat Now

European Skippers (231) were also most abundant on the July 8 count, followed by 161 Delaware Skippers and 98 Little Glassywings. Other interesting species on that count included 19 Canadian Tiger Swallowtails, 29 Atlantis Fritillaries and 2 Hickory Hairstreaks.

Participants in the two counts included Stu and Valerie Alexander, Arlene Borko, Mary Collier, Gordon Czop, Renee Davis, Valerie Freer, Randy Golemboski, John Haas, Jamie Lo, Russell and Cathy Scheirer, Ruth Shursky, and Richard and Marilyn Stein.

Valerie Freer
Warblings, September-October 2006

2004Posted 9/11/06       

Once again Sullivan Co. Audubon sponsored two “Fourth of July” butterfly counts–one on July 3rd in the same circle we use for Christmas Counts, and the second on July 10 in a circle centered in Halls Mills. Both had good sunny weather, and were very successful.

The first count was held for the 11th consecutive year. Four groups of butterfliers found 37 species altogether, the second highest count we have had in this circle. The team of Bill Cutler, Scott Graber, and Beth Barker led with 25 species, which they found in essentially only three areas: the landfill in Monticello, the Concord ski hill, and Rubin’s Farm. A second team consisted of Stu and Valerie Alexander, Russ Shierer, and Marshall and Nancy Shnider, who searched the Bashakill and Yankee Lake areas. They had a great day, adding a Mulberrywing to our cumulative list. (The Cutler team and the Alexander team each found five Striped Hairstreaks, another new species for our butterfly count list.) The Freer/Collier team went to Rock Hill locations, and they found a Zabulon Skipper and four Atlantis Fritillaries, both new butterflies for this count. Ruth Shursky and Irene Warschauer drove the western part of the circle where they found a good variety, including the only two Black Swallowtails of the day.

The following week the Halls Mills count, organized by Stu Alexander, was held for the second year. Three teams participated, finding a total of 38 species. Stu and Valerie Alexander, Susan, Claire and Leo Sherf, Russell Schierer, and Alex Huncosky and Ashley made up one team. They had a fabulous day at Frost Valley, Claryville and Blue Hill, and came up with a great total of 33 species! Their best butterfly by far was a Buckeye, a wanderer from the south. Russell and Cathy Schierer made up another team, and they searched Wildman Hill, Neversink to New Age Health Spa to find 17 species, including the only Striped Hairstreaks for this count. The third team of Valerie Freer and Phyllis Jones covered Aden Road to Willowemoc, finding 24 species and contributing the only Coral Hairstreaks and Black Swallowtails of the day.

These counts are projects of the North American Butterfly Association, which publishes the results from about 500 such counts from around the continent. Contact one of the leaders if you would like to join us next year, and check our website (Sullivanaudubon.org) to see an updated list of butterflies of Sullivan County.

Valerie Freer
Warblings, September-October 2004