More Butterflying at Bentsen and Beyond

7/9/16 

            With the Erato Heliconian still hanging around (and with a buddy no less) and the possibility of a life butterfly if the Telea Hairstreak was still there, decided to revisit Bentsen and the National Butterfly Center today, and despite the gusty conditions, it was another wonderful adventure!  Ranger Karla showed me the area the Erato had been hanging out in (basically the cleared area by the dragonfly pond), but after a quick walk-through I checked the gardens by the offices where the highlight was an Altamira Oriole right over my head!  There were still tons of Snouts and Large Orange Sulphurs around (along with both a Mimosa and Little Yellow), plus several Thornbush Dashers.  A Roadrunner also was making off with something big in its beak, but went into hiding before I could get a good look!

Altamira Oriole

Female Thornbush Dasher

Making my way back towards the dragonfly pond I ran into a sunny spot that had a Mexican Bluewing sunning on a palm frond and a Banded Peacock, among other things.  Heading down to the pond I was amazed by all the Banded Peacocks as they tend to be somewhat of a rarity!  But as I was standing along the little culvert they have there, suddenly the Erato flitted by!  Couldn’t get a shot, but was glad to have seen it, at least! 

Female Tawny Emperor

Roseate Skimmer

Beat-up Snout

Banded Peacock

Female Band-winged Dragonlet

Female Large Orange Sulphur

Mexican Bluewing

After finally finding Karla to tell her it was still around, she was actually showing a young man named Ernest where the bug had been hanging out!  He had found a Spot-celled Sister at the McAllen Nature Center previously, so he was excited about finding new bugs!  I actually ran into him again as we had both circled around to get a better view of the Turk’s Caps, and he actually had the Erato in his sights as it rested in the shade!

Erato Heliconian, or "Common Postman", so called because it tends to "make the rounds" visiting the same flowers!

I then went to circle the trees by the tram stop as Dan Jones had had a Telea Hairstreak back there last week, and I couldn’t believe my eyes when a little green butter fluttered up in the ebony and landed – had it not been flying I never would have seen it!  I got a couple of shots and went running to find Ernest, and we were both thrilled to see this life butterfly, only when I examined the photos later I wasn’t convinced it wasn’t a Clench’s Greenstreak (which is still a rare bug, but not new for me – it thankfully was for Ernest, though), as Telea has a lot more “purple” on the trailing edge of the hindwing and a more zig-zaggy median line to boot.  Oh, well – someday!

Clench's Greenstreak - still a rare bug, but just not a lifer!

Last week’s “sunny spot” that was so productive still had Gulf Fritillaries, but also a pair of Red-bordered Metalmarks, along with a Sickle-winged Skipper that kept trying to bully them!  The rest of the garden still had its Celia’s Roadside Skippers, Cassius and Ceraunus Blues, and more White Peacocks than you could shake a tick at, so wrapped up there and headed over to the NBC. 

Gulf Fritillary

What might just be an elderly Thornbush Dasher

Same bug after it came closer

Female Red-bordered Metalmark

Crimson Patch

Sickle-winged Skipper dwarfs a male Red-bordered Metalmark

Love the golden eyes on this Thornbush Dasher!

Tropical Checkered Skipper

White Peacock

Turk's Cap White Skipper

There was lots of activity in the front gardens but nothing out of the ordinary:  lots of Queens, Snouts, White Peacocks, a few Brown Longtails, and lots of Clouded Skippers along with a couple of Whirlabouts and Fiery Skippers (plus a Desert Firetail in the ode department).  After finally caving and getting a membership, headed into the back gardens, which don’t get nearly as much attention from butterfliers apparently as the old gardens by the levee, but they’ve done a great job back there!  No Zilpa Longtail this time, but aside from tons of Tawny Emperors and Queens, managed to scare up a stunning Two-barred Flasher, a couple of Mexican Fritillaries, a cute little Common Mellana, both Mallow and Lantana Scrub Hairstreaks (the latter which I haven’t seen in years), Giant Swallowtails, a Great Southern White (which is usually more common on the coast), and a Soldier amongst the Queens.  Checking out their new little stream added a Kiowa Dancer to the “ode list”.

Desert Firetail

Two-barred Flasher

Tawny Emperor

Common Mellana (with a Tawny Emperor behind it)

Common Mellana

Gray Hairstreak

Pearl Crescent

Giant Swallowtail

Soldier

Mexican Fritillary

Large Orange Sulphur

Kiowa Dancer

It was getting late, so after driving down to the old gardens and finding a shady spot to park, I headed straight back to the shady bird feeding area where they also but out butterfly bait in hopes of spotting the Silver Emperors that had been seen.  Had several Mexican Bluewings along with the tons of Tawny Emperors (perhaps the friendliest butterfly on the planet – I had several land on me), and on a bait log hidden along a little “horseshoe” trail there was a Band-celled Sister enjoying the brew!  Walking along the trees next to the gully only kicked up more emperors and a few Tropical Leafwings along with a Band-winged Dragonlet or two, but no crackers or rare emperors.  Checking the other bushes added a few things to the list, such as a pretty Crimson Patch.  It was noon and I was shot, so headed back to the car, but not before spooking yet another Glazed Pellicia in the bush next to the parking lot! 

Band-celled Sister

Female Band-winged Dragonlet

Glazed Pellicia

Lep list:

Giant Swallowtail
Great Southern White
Southern Dogface
Cloudless Sulphur
Large Orange Sulphur
Lyside Sulphur
Tailed Orange
Mimosa Yellow
Little Yellow
Dainty Sulphur
Gray Hairstreak
Mallow Scrub Hairstreak
Lantana Scrub Hairstreak
Dusky-blue Groundstreak
Clytie Ministreak
Clench’s Greenstreak
Cassius Blue
Ceraunus Blue
Fatal Metalmark
Red-bordered Metalmark
American Snout
Gulf Fritillary
Mexican Fritillary
Variegated Fritillary
Zebra Heliconian
Erato Heliconian
Theona Checkerspot
Bordered Patch
Crimson Patch
Phaon Crescent
Pearl Crescent
White Peacock
Banded Peacock
Common Mestra
Band-celled Sister
Mexican Bluewing
Tropical Leafwing
Tawny Emperor
Queen
Soldier
Brown Longtail
Two-barred Flasher
Glazed Pellicia
Sickle-winged Skipper
White Checkered Skipper
Tropical Checkered Skipper
Laviana White Skipper
Turk’s Cap White Skipper
Clouded Skipper
Southern Skipperling
Fiery Skipper
Whirlabout
Common Mellana
Celia’s Roadside Skipper
Eufala Skipper

55 SPECIES