dalemeister's Favorites

California Sister puddling by San Jose Creek in the Santa Lucia mountains. They have the most interesting eyes.

Link to fabulous Caterpillar photo/observation by INat @ earth_tide: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/207273140

California Sister (Adelpha californica) Some references call it Adelpha bredowii californica. It is a large butterfly in the Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae) with a wingspan of 2.5-3.0 inches. It is a puddler (sips minerals from moist sand or mud.) Habitat is oak woodland. Larval food plants are Live Oaks including Coast Live Oak and Canyon Oak. Adult nectaring favorites include California Buckeye, rotting fruit, and aphid honeydew. It has 2-3 flights per year, April-October. They are common in California, but can also be found in western Nevada and Oregon, as well as in northern Baja California. California Sister is unpalatable to predators.

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, Chris Tenney and Jan Austin, August 2023, pp. 144-145.

eButterfly: https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/species/profile/648

Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions, pp. 207-208, plate 24.

Butterflies and Moths of North America: "Identification: Superficially similar looking above to Lorquin's Admiral (Limenitis lorquini) but can be readily separated by the lower placement of the orange forewing patch and the blue lines on the ventral surface of the wings.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various Oaks (Quercus genus)
Habitat: Occurs in foothills and mid-elevation mountains in oak woodland and mixed coniferous forests, often along the edges of woods or in riparian canyons with small streams."

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Adelpha-californica

Bug photographs from the U.S/Canada for I.D: https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Adelpha+californica

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, pp. 192-193.
(calls it Adelpha bredowii)

Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America. Brock and Kaufman, 2003, p. 212.

Butterflies & Their Favorite Flowering Plants: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park & Environs, Lynn and Gene Monroe, 2004, p. 83.

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BUTTERFLY and CATERPILLAR (Annotated References):

In California, there are about 240 species of butterflies. There are more than 3,000 species of MOTHS, which represent 4 suborders in about 50 families. Butterflies have clubbed antennae, moths do not. Many moths are nocturnal, but not all.

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020 (Lepidoptera, pp. 347-426)

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney and photograher Jan Austin, August 2023 and companion website: https://www.montereybutterflies.online/

Glossary of Butterfly (and Moth) Terminology: https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/resources/glossary

Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions: A Field Guide, Arthur M. Shapiro and Timothy D. Manolis, 2007

Law's Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada, John Muir Laws, California Academy of Sciences, 2007

eButterfly: (2115+ species) https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/observations/explore

BugGuide: Butterflies and Moths (U.S. and Canada) clickable categories or use search bar: https://bugguide.net/node/view/57

Butterfly Wing Areas and Body Parts (diagram)
Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, p. 40.

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species_search

Butterflies of Central and Northern California, a laminated pamphlet (guide to common and notable species) by Jim Brock, 2023

Caterpillar Anatomy diagram and Butterfly Basics: https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/activities/printouts/caterpillarprintout.shtml Life Cycle of a Butterfly: Egg --> Larva (the caterpillar) --> Pupa (the chrysalis or cocoon) --> Adult.

Caterpillars: INaturalist Project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-caterpillars

Puddling Party: There were over 2 dozen Pale Swallowtail butterflies puddling (sipping minerals from sand) in a 6‘ x 6‘ area next to San Jose Creek in the San Lucia mountains.

COMPARISON of 3 Swallowtail butterflies: Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) COMPARED TO Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon) COMPARED TO Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon). All 3 are large butterflies in the Swallowtails (Papilioninae) subfamily and Swallowtails and Parnassians (Papilionidae) family.

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Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus a.k.a. Pterourus rutulus) is a large, native butterfly in the Swallowtails (Papilioninae) subfamily with a wing span of 2.75 - 3.5 inches. It is deeper yellow with narrower black stripes than Pale Swallowtail. It has 2-3 flights per year, March-October. It's a puddler where it sips minerals from wet or moist sand. It favors riparian canyons, city parks, and neighborhoods. Adult nectaring favorites include California Buckeye, Willows, Sycamore, Cottonwoods and garden landscaping plants.

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, Chris Tenney and Jan Austin, August 2023, pp. 18-19. (Pterourus is the newer genus name used.)

(Note: Taxonomic name changes occur regularly following DNA discoveries. Tenny's excellent butterflies field guide follows the 2022 update to the Pelham Catalogue for both scientific and common name changes. For example, old name for Western Tiger Swallowtail is Papilio rutulus, Tenny uses newer Pterourus rutulus.
Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, Chris Tenney and Jan Austin, August 2023, p. 15.)

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, pp. 50-51.

Link to closeup profile views of Western Tiger Swallowtail: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/81632292 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/122248991 and top view: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/128078719

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Papilio-rutulus

BugGuide: https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Papilio+rutulus

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020, pp. 424-426.

Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America. Brock and Kaufman, 2003, p. 22-23.

Butterflies & Their Favorite Flowering Plants: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park & Environs, Lynn and Gene Monroe, 2004, p. 22.

My favorite Western Tiger Swallowtail photo/observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/81631274

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COMPARED TO

Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon a.k.a. Pterourus eurymedon) Large, native butterfly in the Swallowtails (Papilioninae) subfamily with a wingspan of 2.75 - 3.5 inches. Pale Swallowtail has one flight per year, March - July. It is common in chaparral and canyons. Wings are long and narrow. Male forewing is triangular. Ground color is white in males and pale yellow in females. The black vertical stripes are broader than those of Western Tiger, and it tends to have more pointed forewings than Western Tiger, and the long tails have a half twist. it is often seen puddling for mineral nutrients in groups, with heads all facing in the same direction. Larval food plants include Coffeeberry, Alder, and Ceanothus. Adult nectaring favorites are Mints, Thistle, Yerba Santa, and California Buckeye.

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, Chris Tenney and Jan Austin, August 2023, pp.20-21. (Pterourus is the newer genus name.)

Link to observation of large cluster of Puddling Pale Swallowtails: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/220613688 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/165606552

Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions, pp. 98-99, plate 2

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, pp. 50-51.

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Papilio-eurymedon

BugGuide: https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Papilio+eurymedon

My favorite Pale Swallowtail photo/observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/165606552

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COMPARED TO

Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon) is a large, native butterfly in the Swallowtails (Papilioninae) subfamily with a wingspan of 2.5 - 3 inches. It is smaller than Pale and Western Tiger Swallowtails. It has a black upper basal forewing with yellow bars, instead of alternating black and yellow tiger stripes. Yellow can vary from pale to deep yellow. Upper surface of hind wing has yellow-orange eyespot near tail with a round black center that is not connected to hindwing margin. Anal cell of hind wing is primarily yellow. It is a hilltopper where it is commonly seen on open, exposed hilltops. Larval food plants include native and introduced carrot family plants like fennel and poison hemlock. Favorite adult nectaring plants are native and non-native Thistles.

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, Chris Tenney and Jan Austin, August 2023, pp. 16-17.

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, pp. 48-49.

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Papilio-zelicaon

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020, pp. 424-425.

My favorite Anise Swallowtail photo/observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/208895983

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BUTTERFLY and CATERPILLAR (Annotated References):

In California, there are about 240 species of butterflies. There are more than 3,000 species of MOTHS, which represent 4 suborders in about 50 families. Butterflies have clubbed antennae, moths do not. Many moths are nocturnal, but not all.

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020 (Lepidoptera, pp. 347-426)

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney and photograher Jan Austin, August 2023 and companion website: https://www.montereybutterflies.online/

Glossary of Butterfly (and Moth) Terminology: https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/resources/glossary

Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions: A Field Guide, Arthur M. Shapiro and Timothy D. Manolis, 2007

Law's Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada, John Muir Laws, California Academy of Sciences, 2007

eButterfly: (2115+ species) https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/observations/explore

BugGuide: Butterflies and Moths (U.S. and Canada) clickable categories or use search bar: https://bugguide.net/node/view/57

Butterfly Wing Areas and Body Parts (diagram)
Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, p. 40.

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species_search

Butterflies of Central and Northern California, a laminated pamphlet (guide to common and notable species) by Jim Brock, 2023

Caterpillar Anatomy diagram and Butterfly Basics: https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/activities/printouts/caterpillarprintout.shtml Life Cycle of a Butterfly: Egg --> Larva (the caterpillar) --> Pupa (the chrysalis or cocoon) --> Adult.

Caterpillars: INaturalist Project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-caterpillars

Link to host plant Coyote Mint (Monardella villosa) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/221378882

Gray Buckeye was the most common butterfly on our Big Creek butterfly survey today.
When approached from behind, the Gray Buckeye sometimes folds up its wings to display a “Predator Face.” Here's the closest I've come to catching that pose: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/218038685

Gray Buckeye (Junonia grisea) is a medium-large butterfly in the True Brushfoots (Nymphalidae) family. A.k.a. Peacock Butterfly, Grey Buckeye, or Western buckeye. It is found in North America, west of the Rocky Mountains. Like the common buckeye, the gray buckeye is a brown butterfly with eyespots on its wings that distract predators from its body. It has a characteristic flight of gliding between wing flaps. Larval food plants: Plantains, Snapdragons, Monkeyflowers, and others.
Gray Buckeye sometimes partly closes it's wing to make a "Predator Face" to scare off potential predators from behind. The photo I saw of that behavior looked like a "cat" face.

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, Chris Tenney and Jan Austin, August 2023, pp. 142-143. and companion website to this field guide: https://www.montereybutterflies.online/

Bug photographs from the U.S/Canada for I.D: https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Junonia+grisea

eButterfly: https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/species/profile/17159

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, p. 190-191.

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/junonia-grisea

Butterflies & Their Favorite Flowering Plants: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park & Environs, Lynn and Gene Monroe, 2004, p. 80.

Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America. Brock and Kaufman, 2003, pp. 206-207.

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BUTTERFLY and CATERPILLAR (Annotated References):

In California, there are about 240 species of butterflies. There are more than 3,000 species of MOTHS, which represent 4 suborders in about 50 families. Butterflies have clubbed antennae, moths do not. Many moths are nocturnal, but not all.

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020 (Lepidoptera, pp. 347-426)

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney and photograher Jan Austin, August 2023 and companion website: https://www.montereybutterflies.online/

Glossary of Butterfly (and Moth) Terminology: https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/resources/glossary

Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions: A Field Guide, Arthur M. Shapiro and Timothy D. Manolis, 2007

Law's Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada, John Muir Laws, California Academy of Sciences, 2007

eButterfly: (2115+ species) https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/observations/explore

BugGuide: Butterflies and Moths (U.S. and Canada) clickable categories or use search bar: https://bugguide.net/node/view/57

Butterfly Wing Areas and Body Parts (diagram)
Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, p. 40.

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species_search

Butterflies of Central and Northern California, a laminated pamphlet (guide to common and notable species) by Jim Brock, 2023

Caterpillar Anatomy diagram and Butterfly Basics: https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/activities/printouts/caterpillarprintout.shtml Life Cycle of a Butterfly: Egg --> Larva (the caterpillar) --> Pupa (the chrysalis or cocoon) --> Adult.

Caterpillars: INaturalist Project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-caterpillars

Male. Large. One of two on the summit, this one was the fresher one. Both these and the indra were keeping to their respective small areas of the peak, chasing each other only, not coming into any contact with the other species.

This is not the first time I have found rudkini on Sunset; I first did nearly twenty years ago. I am sure they are breeding on the Tauschia, but for some reason they never fly down to the road to puddle or nectar the way the indra regularly do.

I wondered how this would turn out...This is Lil Red's territory, (that's her tree home in the 1st frame). The turkey slowly & cautiously approached closer & closer to within several inches of the squirrel, then the turkey just quietly turned & moved away! The squirrel never said a word, just stood her ground. "Wild" animals never cease to amaze me!

Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) – male

23 June 2015: Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) by the sheer nature of its rainbow colors is one of those birds that once you’ve seen it you’ll never forget. We refer to the male of the species, though the female dressed in its green-yellow feathered garb has a striking presentation all its own. Painted Bunting is a species of bird that belongs to the Cardinal family, Cardinalidae. The male presented in our observation like the males of its species obtain their brightly colored plumage during its second year of life. During its first year the male can hardly be distinguished from that of the female’s plumage except upon close review. There are two recognized subspecies of the Painted Bunting, a Western Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris pallidior) (“breeds in the southcentral United States and northern Mexico”) and an Eastern Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris ciris) (“breeds in southeastern United States”). The two separate individuals we present in our observation are most likely Western Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris pallidior). These individuals were clearly resident in this region and were breeding in the immediate vicinity where our photographs documented their activity.

Our encounter with Painted Bunting this past summer occurred at Elm Fork Park which is administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). Most of the major nature preserves in the region including the nearby twin branches (Isle du Bois and Johnson) of the Ray Roberts Lake State Park were closed due to the historic rainfall and flooding that ensued this past spring in Texas. End-of-the-year reports in 2015 noted how the year had been both the wettest in Texas since records have been kept starting in 1890. The TPWD personnel over at the Ray Roberts Lake State Park were directing people who came to their gates toward Elm Fork Park, about three miles down the road from their own location. Both parks are identified officially as being located in Pilot Point, Texas, which is at the northern edge of the North Texas metropolitan area in Denton County. Needless to say Elm Fork Park was filled with people who had been turned from numerous regional nature preserves and city, county and state parks as well due to the flooded conditions. Especially present were literally hundreds of people fishing. The fish were apparently biting due to the conditions in the Elm Fork Trinity River. The Ray Roberts Lake Dam’s water outlet at this location was at record high levels as well, as the US Army Corps of Engineers worked to release as much water as possible from the 29,000-acre Ray Roberts Lake, a surface area equivalent to nearly 46 square miles. In the North Texas area there are a total of 22 reservoirs that harvest the water of the Trinity River. In any case, this was the context under which we took these images. Through it all, flood or no flood, the songbirds present during the summer in the area continued their activity including Painted Bunting.

Painted Bunting is a North American songbird. It claims no permanent range and is entirely a migratory bird with wintering, breeding, and migratory ranges in the area roughly from the Atlantic Coast of the United States where North Carolina is located south to Florida, west to Texas and thence south through Mexico, and in Central America its wintering range falls short of reaching the northern edge of the South American continent. Painted Bunting also claims Cuba and other Island nations as its wintering grounds. Its breeding range happens to occur in Mexico’s Northeast bordering with the Río Bravo/Río Grande from El Paso south almost reaching that portion of this great river associated with the so-called Río Grande Valley, aka El Valle (the southernmost stretch of river before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico). Its wintering range extends east in Texas in the area of the Llano Estacado, the Edwards Plateau, continuing into the entire North Texas and East Texas area of the state and thence east and north into the following states: Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. A discontinuous breeding ground (presumably the range of the Eastern Painted Bunting) is found on the Atlantic Coast associated with the states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina as indicated previously. It is Eastern Painted Bunting that most likely then winters in the south of Florida and the Caribbean, especially Cuba. Its wintering migration into Mexico avoids the Baja California Peninsula entirely except as a vagrant. Habitat loss is one of the greatest threats facing Painted Bunting especially along the Atlantic Coast (of the United States) as well as their capture to sell in the pet trade particularly in Central America. And Brown-headed Cowbirds parasitize Painted Bunting nests to a significant extent and thus also represents part of the complex explanation of its declining number during the latter half of the 20th century. We are indeed fortunate to have this long distance visitor take residence with us in the North Texas region during the late spring and summer months. Because of its clearly large range in the middle of the Americas, Painted Bunting is certainly one of the most colorful and precious authentic residents of the Western Hemisphere. Elm Fork Park is administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Sources:

“Painted Bunting,” All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, range map, photographs, description, resource links, accessed 1.4.16, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Painted_Bunting/id

“Painted Bunting,” Wikipedia, photograph, range map, description, bibliography, taxonomy, accessed 1.4.16, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painted_bunting

“Passerina ciris - (Linnaeus, 1758) – Painted Bunting,” NatureServe Explorer: An Online Encyclopedia of Life, range maps, description, resource links, bibliography, accessed 1.4.16, http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Passerina+ciris

“Ray Roberts Lake State Park,” Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, history, description, photographs, accessed 1.4.16, http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/ray-roberts-lake/park_history

Checkered White (Pontia protodice)

7 March 2020
Anzalduas Park
6400 Anzalduas Dam Road
Mission, Hidalgo County, Texas 78572

Several Checkered Whites nectaring on Tridax Daisy (Tridax procumbens)...

Hedgerow Hairstreaks and other butterflies on a steep, sandstone hillside slope lined with Manzanita, Chamise, and Salvia, off Pine Canyon Rd.

Link to Arctostaphylos (Manzanita) host plant: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/219562570

Hedgerow Hairstreak (Satyrium saepium) is a small, native, common butterfly in the Gossamer-winged Butterflies (Lycaenidae) family with a wingspan of 1.0-1.25 inches. It has one flight per year, May-August. It is found in chaparral, forest edges and openings, and occasionally in coastal shrub. Larval food plants are Ceanothus. Adult nectaring favorites include Buckbrush, California Buckeye, Thistles, Buckwheats, Yerba Santa, Chamise, and Coffeeberry. There are several subspecies with resulting color variations.

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney, pp. 60-61.

Butterflies of San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions: A Field Guide, pp. 133-134, plate 11.

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BUTTERFLY and CATERPILLAR (Annotated References):

In California, there are about 240 species of butterflies. There are more than 3,000 species of MOTHS, which represent 4 suborders in about 50 families. Butterflies have clubbed antennae, moths do not. Many moths are nocturnal, but not all.

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020 (Lepidoptera, pp. 347-426)

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney and photograher Jan Austin, August 2023 and companion website: https://www.montereybutterflies.online/

Glossary of Butterfly (and Moth) Terminology: https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/resources/glossary

Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions: A Field Guide, Arthur M. Shapiro and Timothy D. Manolis, 2007

Law's Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada, John Muir Laws, California Academy of Sciences, 2007

eButterfly: (2115+ species) https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/observations/explore

BugGuide: Butterflies and Moths (U.S. and Canada) clickable categories or use search bar: https://bugguide.net/node/view/57

Butterfly Wing Areas and Body Parts (diagram)
Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, p. 40.

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species_search

Butterflies of Central and Northern California, a laminated pamphlet (guide to common and notable species) by Jim Brock, 2023

Caterpillar Anatomy diagram and Butterfly Basics: https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/activities/printouts/caterpillarprintout.shtml Life Cycle of a Butterfly: Egg --> Larva (the caterpillar) --> Pupa (the chrysalis or cocoon) --> Adult.

Caterpillars: INaturalist Project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-caterpillars

MALE
Orioles are usually seen in the vicinity of tall palm trees because they weave their nests behind the dead palm fronds. There are several tall palm trees in the neighborhood.

Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus) is a migratory perching bird in the New World Blackbirds and Orioles (Icteridae) family. It is long and slender with a long and slightly decurved bill. Both sexes have white bars on black wings. Breeding males are more orange or orange-yellow than females. Males have a black bib, that appears oval when viewed from the front. They seem to enjoy visiting hummingbird feeders. They also enjoy the nectar of sliced oranges attached to feeders.
Hooded Orioles are sometimes called "Palm-leaf Orioles," because they "sew" their hanging nests onto the undersides of palm fronds. These nests are almost never visible from below. That’s why old palm fronds should never be cut down from the palm trees--to help preserve Oriole habitat.

Ebird with species description, range map and sound recordings: https://ebird.org/species/hooori/

Xeno-canto Bird songs, sound recordings, and species range map:
https://xeno-canto.org/species/Icterus-cucullatus

Audubon Guide to North American Birds https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/hooded-oriole

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 7th ed., 2017. pp. 540-541, 575.

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 2008, pp. 396-397.

Monterey Birds, Don Roberson, 2nd ed. 2002, sponsored by Monterey Peninsula Audubon Society. p. 458.

The Cornell Lab (Birds in U.S. and Canada) https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Oriole

Compare to Scott's Oriole (Icterus parisorum): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/199062614

Merlin Bird ID (great app available for Iphones) by The Cornell Lab (Bird ID help for 8,500+ species) https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/

Comprehensive Feather I.D. tools and more: https://foundfeathers.org/resources/

Found Feathers (Worldwide): https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idtool.php

BABIES!!! 1 set in 2 yrs! I saw this pair earlier hanging around in my south east bay, so I didn't go out in the canoe, not wanting to disturb them, 5 little ones! This is a new pair that decided to nest in close this year. All told I had 3 pairs in my bay this spring. :)

Western Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris) A.k.a. Tiger Whiptail. Native lizard in the Teiidae family that is found in a variety of habitats, including mountainous chaparral, deserts, and semi-arid shrubland. It lives in underground burrows. Skin is much smoother than Blue-belly lizards (Spiny Lizards (Sceloporus) genus).
"Aspidoscelis tigris as a species is 2 3/8 - 5 inches inches long snout to vent (6 - 12.7 cm), up to around 13 inches (33 cm) total length.
Appearance: A slim-bodied lizard with a long slender tail, a pointed snout, and large symmetrical head plates.Scales on the back are small and granular, and scales on the tail are keeled. The belly is made of large, smooth, rectangular scales in 8 lengthwise rows. The tail can reach up to two times the length of the body. The back and sides are gray, tan, or brown, marked with dark spots or bars or mottling, which is often very sharply defined. Dark marks on the side don't form vertical bars. Usually 8 faint light brown stripes are present, but stripes on the side are sometimes indistinct. The throat is pale with with large black spots. Often there are reddish patches on the sides of the belly. The tail tip is dark or bluish."
There are several subspecies in California.

Californiaherps: https://californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/a.t.munda.html

California Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris munda) is generally found north of the Channel Islands.

Range maps for this subspecies: https://californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/a.t.munda.html

HerpMapper https://www.herpmapper.org/taxon/Aspidoscelis_tigris

The Reptile Database https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Aspidoscelis&species=tigris

Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California: https://californiaherps.com

There were many Gray Buckeye butterflies stopping to rest along the sandy trail. When approached from behind, the Gray Buckeye sometimes folds up its wings to display a “Predator Face.” Here's the closest I've come to catching that pose: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/218038685

Gray Buckeye (Junonia grisea) is a medium-large butterfly in the True Brushfoots (Nymphalidae) family. A.k.a. Peacock Butterfly, Grey Buckeye, or Western buckeye. It is found in North America, west of the Rocky Mountains. Like the common buckeye, the gray buckeye is a brown butterfly with eyespots on its wings that distract predators from its body. It has a characteristic flight of gliding between wing flaps. Larval food plants: Plantains, Snapdragons, Monkeyflowers, and others.
Gray Buckeye sometimes partly closes it's wing to make a "Predator Face" to scare off potential predators from behind. The photo I saw of that behavior looked like a "cat" face.

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, Chris Tenney and Jan Austin, August 2023, pp. 142-143. and companion website to this field guide: https://www.montereybutterflies.online/

Bug photographs from the U.S/Canada for I.D: https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Junonia+grisea

eButterfly: https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/species/profile/17159

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, p. 190-191.

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/junonia-grisea

Butterflies & Their Favorite Flowering Plants: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park & Environs, Lynn and Gene Monroe, 2004, p. 80.

Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America. Brock and Kaufman, 2003, pp. 206-207.

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BUTTERFLY and CATERPILLAR (Annotated References):

In California, there are about 240 species of butterflies. There are more than 3,000 species of MOTHS, which represent 4 suborders in about 50 families. Butterflies have clubbed antennae, moths do not. Many moths are nocturnal, but not all.

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020 (Lepidoptera, pp. 347-426)

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney and photograher Jan Austin, August 2023 and companion website: https://www.montereybutterflies.online/

Glossary of Butterfly (and Moth) Terminology: https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/resources/glossary

Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions: A Field Guide, Arthur M. Shapiro and Timothy D. Manolis, 2007

Law's Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada, John Muir Laws, California Academy of Sciences, 2007

eButterfly: (2115+ species) https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/observations/explore

BugGuide: Butterflies and Moths (U.S. and Canada) clickable categories or use search bar: https://bugguide.net/node/view/57

Butterfly Wing Areas and Body Parts (diagram)
Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, p. 40.

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species_search

Butterflies of Central and Northern California, a laminated pamphlet (guide to common and notable species) by Jim Brock, 2023

Caterpillar Anatomy diagram and Butterfly Basics: https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/activities/printouts/caterpillarprintout.shtml Life Cycle of a Butterfly: Egg --> Larva (the caterpillar) --> Pupa (the chrysalis or cocoon) --> Adult.

Caterpillars: INaturalist Project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-caterpillars

Variable Checkerspot butterfly Golden Yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum) A.k.a. Yellow Yarrow blossoms. These Checkerspots have such photogenic little faces and they usually stay in one place for an extended time so it’s easier to get their photo.

Link to my favorite adult Variable Checkerspot nectaring with tongue extended: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/209000095
Link to observation of Variable Checkerspot caterpillars on Orange Bush Monkeyflower plant: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/107807408

Variable Checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona) is a medium-size butterfly in the Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae) family with a wingspan of 1.5-2 inches. The antennae are always orange, including the club. It's wing appearance is "variable," dependent on subspecies (and there are many ssp.) It has one flight March-July. It is found in open areas in oak woodland and chaparral, often along trails. Larval food plants include monkeyflowers and Paintbrush (Castilleja). It is a puddler.

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney and photograher Jan Austin, August 2023, pp. 118-119.

eButterfly: https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/species/profile/247

Link to observation of caterpillars on Orange Bush Monkeyflower plant: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/107807408
My favorite photo/observation of Variable Checkerspot face: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/112100146 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/75128788

Butterflies Through Binoculars: pp. 170-173.

Butterflies and Moths of North America: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Euphydryas-chalcedona

BugGuide: https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Euphydryas+chalcedona

Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America. Brock and Kaufman, 2003, pp. 194-195.

Butterflies & Their Favorite Flowering Plants: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park & Environs, Lynn and Gene Monroe, 2004, p. 73.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

BUTTERFLY and CATERPILLAR (Annotated References):

In California, there are about 240 species of butterflies. There are more than 3,000 species of MOTHS, which represent 4 suborders in about 50 families. Butterflies have clubbed antennae, moths do not. Many moths are nocturnal, but not all.

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020 (Lepidoptera, pp. 347-426)

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney and photograher Jan Austin, August 2023 and companion website: https://www.montereybutterflies.online/

Glossary of Butterfly (and Moth) Terminology: https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/resources/glossary

eButterfly: (2115+ species) https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/observations/explore

BugGuide: Butterflies and Moths (U.S. and Canada) clickable categories or use search bar: https://bugguide.net/node/view/57

Butterfly Wing Areas and Body Parts (diagram)
Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, p. 40.

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species_search

Butterflies of Central and Northern California, a laminated pamphlet (guide to common and notable species) by Jim Brock, 2023

Caterpillar Anatomy diagram and Butterfly Basics: https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/activities/printouts/caterpillarprintout.shtml Life Cycle of a Butterfly: Egg --> Larva (the caterpillar) --> Pupa (the chrysalis or cocoon) --> Adult.

Caterpillars: INaturalist Project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-caterpillars