The Satyr Chase Concludes

My days of pursuing the Carolina Satyr have come to a close.  After chasing after several dozen small Satyrs, I have finally procured some decent shots of this elusive butterfly.

Each time I saw a small Satyr land, I would take a long distance shot and then zoom in on the display to see which Satyr I had found.  After a while I got pretty good at distinguishing between the three possible species just by their flight behavior.

Each stationary Carolina Satyr meant a stealthy approach to a good camera position.  This individual landed near a bushy Indian Hemp plant, so I used the plant to screen my approach.  By sticking the camera through the branches of the hemp, I was able to get close to the butterfly.  Each time the wind blew, I rocked the plant a little farther forward until my target was only a couple of feet away.  The down side to this plan was the fact that Allegheny Mound Ants had claimed that particular hemp plant and were doing their best to convince me to abandon my mission.  I persevered, but wrapped things up as quickly as possible.

Just a few feet away I stumbled into another opportunity to get shots of the Carolina Satyr.  I’m now satisfied that I have photos showing the distinguishing marks of this species.

Eighty percent of the small Satyrs I viewed were Gemmed Satyrs. I’ve never before seen this species in such large numbers.  Since I already had a few decent shots of this species, I didn’t pursue them any farther.

Apparently, this Gemmed Satyr didn’t like being left out.  While I was standing at the edge of a small clearing, the butterfly flew over and came to rest on the knee of my pant leg.

The butterfly was enjoying a little sweat treat.  The temperature was in the lower 90’s and I had been out for several hours.  Everything I was wearing was pretty much soaked in sweat.  I guess I’m lucky I wasn’t mobbed by butterflies and sweat bees.  While it was drinking, the butterfly opened its wings slightly to give a view of the upper surface of the hind wing.  A faint outline of the spot pattern can be seen.

I saw just one Little Wood Satyr.  Its wings were a bit battered and torn.  August first is about the end of the season for Little Wood Satyrs.  The flight period for the Gemmed and Carolina Satyrs runs on until around the first of September.  I’ll still be seeing them for a while, but my chasing days are over for now.

Gemmed Satyr Egg

Just so no one thinks the topic has to do with eggs of mythical creatures; I’ll begin by saying that a Gemmed Satyr is a species of butterfly.  I’m still trying to get a good picture of a Carolina Satyr, so my attention is diverted every time one of the small Satyrs flies past.  The Little Wood Satyrs have just about reached the end of their run, so any small Satyr I see is most likely to be either a Carolina or a Gemmed.  Most pursuits end with my being outdistanced by the butterfly.  They aren’t particularly fast, but their flight beneath the low branches of trees and shrubs makes it necessary for me to take my eyes from the butterfly and scan for broken off cedar branch stubs upon which I could easily be impaled.  Once you lose sight of the butterfly, it’s hard to reconnect.  I had a little bit of luck yesterday evening when the Satyr I was pursuing came to rest about 20 feet in front of me.

This individual turned out to be a Gemmed Satyr.  I didn’t get a great shot, but it was enough for a positive ID.  I’ve gotten a couple of good shots of Gemmed Satyr in the past, so missing this one didn’t matter.

During the chase, I noticed the butterfly land on and curl its body around a grass leaf.  The larvae of Gemmed Satyrs feed on various species of grass.  I suspected the butterfly was laying an egg.  It remained on the grass for only a couple of seconds before flying on.  I wanted to search for the egg, but I didn’t want to stop following.  I took a picture of the grass clump, so I could find the exact spot later.  I would normally drop my handkerchief on the spot, but the camera was already out and ready to go. 

I was right about the egg.  It wasn’t hard to find once I got close.

The slightly greenish color reminds me of a fluorescent bead.  As far as I could tell, the egg was a featureless sphere.  I guess there’s not much need for ridges or other structural features intended for strength if the egg only has to survive the short period prior to hatching. 

The grass with egg is within inches of the top of the creek bank.  A rather precarious position should we slip back into a flood pattern like those we had earlier.  I’m not sure in what form the Gemmed Satyr survives the winter.  Some sources say it overwinters as an older larva, but a few mention overwintering as an adult.  Which ever it is, I hope it happens in a more secure location than this.

Searching for Carolina Satyr

There are three species of small Satyr butterflies that can be found at Blue Jay Barrens.  They all fly low to the ground and share the same brown background color, so it’s sometimes difficult to identify them in flight.  The most abundant of the three is the Little Wood Satyr.

Little Wood Satyrs fly during late spring and early summer.  They’re just now reaching the end of their run, so it’s not uncommon to find individuals with torn or ragged wings.

This species stays to the shade and seems to prefer open wooded situations that allow for a thick ground cover of forbs and grasses.  I find it from creek bottom to ridge top as long as the preferred shade conditions are present.

The second of the small Satyrs is the Gemmed Satyr.  This is an uncommon species whose northern range just makes it into southern Ohio.  If you can get close enough to see them, the four small eye spots tightly grouped at the back edge of the hind wing make identification easy.  I’ve found this species occasionally on ridge tops, but most often along the creek corridor.

All three small Satyrs spend the majority of their time in flight, so it’s hard to catch them at rest.  When they do set down on a plant, it’s usually just for a period of a few seconds.  If you can find one that has settled for a longer stay, it is easily spooked by any movement, so getting close can be difficult.  If you have the patience, you have better luck by staking out a likely area and waiting for a butterfly to come to you.

My goal for the day was to get a decent picture of the Carolina Satyr, the third of the small Satyrs.  This is also an uncommon species whose range just makes it into southern Ohio.  My first photographic attempt was less than satisfying, but at least I could tell I was after the correct species.

I usually got just one shot before the butterfly took off.  This is getting better, but I’ve still got a long way to go. 

I finally got a shot that did a pretty good job of showing the distinguishing marks. 

This Carolina Satyr flew over and lit right in front of me.  It’s my best shot of the day, but the upper wing surface is rather blah.  The surface of the wings looks worn and scratched, but that’s the way most published photos of this guy look.  The butterfly flew as soon as I began to crouch down for a side shot.  My search for Satyrs took place in the warm afternoon.  Maybe I’ll have better luck if I go out in the cool of the morning.  I’ll give that a try.

Butterfly Tree

A sap oozing oak tree has become a local butterfly hangout.  Bright red and orange flashes decorated the tree each time the butterflies took flight and then resettled.

 

There were half a dozen Red Admirals present.  I hear that Red Admirals are showing up in record numbers across the eastern United States.  I’ve only seen a total of ten of this species so far this year.  It looks like Blue Jay Barrens is missing out on the big event.

Coloration on the outside of the Red Admiral hind wing is perfect camouflage for sitting  unnoticed on tree bark.  They suddenly pop into view when the front wing is raised.

There’s no hiding when the wings are fully opened.  Red Admirals are usually quick to fly when approached, but these were more focused on the tree sap than on approaching photographers.

Question Marks made up the other half of the tree visitors.  The white question mark marking is plain to see on the hind wing.

Sap flow was the butterfly attractant. There were several of these seeps on the trunk. Judging from the positions of the butterflies, there were sap flows as high as 30 feet up the trunk.

This American Lady wasn’t interested in the tree sap. She was busy visiting Pussytoes on the ground near the tree. Pussytoes are the primary food plant for this butterfly and there were several females hurrying about laying eggs.

I found a Gemmed Satyr resting on the leaves beneath the oak. This normally uncommon species seems to be doing especially well this year. I’ve already seen several individuals. After this shot was taken, a second Gemmed Satyr came by and both butterflies took off on a wild chase. Even though a few individual species are quite abundant, total butterfly numbers have been lower than normal so far.

Butterflies - Early April

Butterflies are certainly out in impressive numbers and a first impression might indicate this to be the beginning of an outstanding butterfly year.  Olive Hairstreaks are certainly making a superb showing.  They showed up weeks earlier than expected and may be the most common butterfly species currently in the air at Blue Jay Barrens.  Every gravel bar in the creek seems to have one or two of the colorful creatures.

Many have staked out territories on their host plant, Eastern Red Cedar.  I’ve seen this butterfly in every prairie opening here.  I’ve probably seen more Olive Hairstreaks this year than I’ve totaled in all of my years prior to this.

They’re the only small butterfly I’ve seen at the Redbuds.  While I’m enjoying the bounty of this uncommon species, I’m wondering about the absence of other species.  Henry’s Elfin, which I mentioned earlier, usually appears a couple of weeks prior to the Olive Hairstreak.  So far this year, I’ve seen no Henry’s Elfins.  I’m wondering why.

Eastern Tailed Blue made its appearance early this year and is also common on the wet gravel along the creek.  A common butterfly that I haven’t seen this year is the Spring Azure.  Spring Azures are usually seen several weeks earlier than Eastern Tailed Blues.  What happened to the Spring Azures this year?  I’m out often enough that I shouldn’t have missed seeing them, no matter how early they emerged.

Clouded Sulphurs are all over the place.  Populations of this species always increase as summer progresses, so this may indeed be a record year for Sulphurs.

The white form of Clouded Sulphur is also abundant, but once again there’s a similar looking butterfly that is conspicuous by its absence.  I counted just a single Falcate Orange-Tip this year.  Falcate Orange-Tips show up about a week before the Clouded Sulphurs and I usually count dozens of them before the sulphurs begin adding their numbers to the mass of white butterflies.  This absence of regularly seen species makes me wonder if the weird winter weather is somehow responsible.  Warm wet winters have been known to cause fungus and disease problems in some overwintering insect species.  I hope that hasn’t happened to these butterflies.

Some species are here on their normal schedule.  Gemmed Satyrs show up early and are never very numerous.  It’s also hard to catch them sitting still, so I don’t have an excess of quality photos.  This is about my average shot for this species.

Swallowtails are around in near normal numbers.  Most stay on the wing and are just seen briefly as they pass.  This Zebra Swallowtail was visiting a damp spot along the creek.  Now that we’re in the season when rain is to be expected, all the rain storms seem to be giving us a miss.  We’re getting the wind, but the water has stayed away.  Most damp spots have turned dry and the creek is the only suitable area for puddling.

Juvenal’s Duskywings have flocked to the creekside.  This is a large skipper that is quite conspicuous in flight.  I saw up to a dozen of these sharing the same gravel bar.  Having them all take wing at once was quite an impressive sight.

This Mournful Thyris is a day flying moth, not a butterfly.  The tiny little thing was feeding on a bird dropping in the gravel along the creek.  If it hadn’t flown in just as I walked up, I would never have noticed it.  It’ll be interesting to see how things develop this year with our typical summer time butterflies.

Butterflies and the Seven Day Rule

I’ve had several people ask me why I have imposed a rule upon myself prohibiting the posting of any photo on this blog that is over seven days old. I expect the Blue Jay Barrens blog to accomplish certain things and following the seven day rule is just one of the ways I believe I can meet the goals I’ve set. Making my posts as current as possible gives people a chance to get out and look for the same things I’m seeing. The Gemmed Satyr pictured above is one of Ohio’s uncommon butterflies that is out in record numbers right now. Anyone who has ever wanted to see a Gemmed Satyr should be out searching today.

I get annoyed with people who think you have to go some place special to experience nature. I’ve lived many places, both urban and rural, and could go outside at any time and find something interesting going on. Following the seven day rule makes me go out any time of year in any weather and find something interesting to photograph and talk about. There have been many times when I’ve gotten home from work, grabbed the camera and headed outside in the last few minutes of daylight to find a good subject and get some photos. The Buckeye is a common butterfly that could be flying through any urban backyard.

Some people scoff and say it’s easy for me because I have a special place, but I point out that before I bought it and began looking around, this was just considered another run down farm. There are many highly acclaimed sites that were nothing special until someone took an interest and started studying the plant and animal life in the area. A good example is the old New Jersey farm bought by C. Brooke Worth, my favorite naturalist, as a place to retire and study mosquitoes and whatever else the farm had to offer. The decision to buy was made simply because the size and apparent diversity of the property made him think there would be plenty of interest for him there. His farm is now The Nature Conservancy’s Eldora Nature Preserve that supports several rare species, particularly rare moths and butterflies. It doesn’t necessarily take rare species to make a property interesting, as Monarch butterflies prove to us every year.

By following the seven day rule, I get a pretty good record of how things progress through the year. Now that I’ve been blogging for over a year, it’s easy to check the blog archives to see what was going on last year at this time or to look ahead at what you might want to be watching for. I hope that my blog posts will motivate people to get outdoors to see what’s happening and to make their own discoveries. Knowing that blooming thistle is attracting Tiger Swallowtail butterflies should be motivation enough to get outdoors.

So the seven day rule is self imposed and is not something that They, as one person assumed, make me do. There’s nothing really special about seven days. I chose that number because during the winter I often spend all of my weekday sunlight hours at work and can only get my photographs over the weekend. Saturday or Sunday shots could then carry me through the next week. Wood Nymphs are becoming a little worn, so you’d better get out right away if you want to see any of these.