Monarda Returns

It’s been a few years since Monarda fistulosa has bloomed so prolifically in this opening at Blue Jay Barrens.  Something about the environmental conditions during the winter or spring of 2011 caused a massive die-off of Monarda plants in this patch. 

During the past few years, Monarda has returned and is now approaching its earlier abundance.  With the return of the plants comes a return of the butterflies.   Monarda attracts a variety of pollinator species, with large butterflies being the most notable.

At the small end of the size scale is the Silver-spotted Skipper.  Smaller butterflies, which includes the other skippers and many butterfly species, seem to find the Monarda flower head difficult to handle.  As if in celebration of the return of the Monarda, Silver-spotted Skippers are around in record numbers this year.

The showiest of the butterfly visitors are the Swallowtail species.  This is the Spicebush Swallowtail.  Its habit of constantly fluttering its wings while feeding makes it difficult to photograph.

Blooming of Monarda seems to coincide with the emergence of the summer brood of Tiger Swallowtails.  Summer brood individuals are typically larger than those found earlier in the year and they are quite showy as they glide between Monarda blooms.  There are those that exhibit the typical yellow coloration and …

… others that are colored a silky black.  Despite their black coloration, the tiger stripes still show through.

I found it interesting that the swallowtails all seemed to feed while hanging from the side of the flower head.

Great Spangled Fritillaries, however, tended to do their feeding while perched atop the flowers. 

The Monardas have even attracted a few Giant Swallowtails.  The Giant Swallowtails quickly move from flower to flower, spending so little time nectaring that I sometimes wonder if the act is even beneficial.  Finding them at flowers is about the only way to get a decent look at these fast fliers.

The Monarda is most famous as an attractor of Clearwing Sphinx Moths.  Using their front legs as anchors, Hummingbird Clearwings hover next to the flower as they draw nectar.  This species is currently outnumbering butterflies in the Monarda patch.

A few Snowberry Clearwings are also present this year.  Slightly smaller than the Hummingbird Clearwings, the Snowberries feed in a similar manner.  This is a species that I don’t often see here.

The Monarda’s attractiveness is not diminished by darkness.  A variety of moth species visit the flowers through the night.  The lack of multiple examples of nocturnal visitors more accurately reflects the photographer’s skills than it does the true number of night-time pollinators.

Dry Pond Butterflies

The tadpole stew that was left behind after the pond went dry is attracting a wide range of butterfly species. A Giant Swallowtail spent over an hour sucking up the nutritious goo. This is the first time I’ve ever seen one of these super sized butterflies sit still.

The Buckeye is an immigrant species that can’t survive Ohio winters and must reestablish itself from southern populations each year. I typically see this species in September as it suns itself in open areas. It’s not a normal pond bottom feeder.

Spicebush Swallowtails are regular visitors to mud puddles. Spicebush, the host plant of this particular butterfly, is not very common at Blue Jay Barrens. Fortunately, the butterfly also utilizes Sassafras as a larva food source and Sassafras grows here in abundance.

Pearl Crescents are always common visitors to the damp pond bottom. Sometimes found with the Pearl Crescents is the similar, but slightly larger Silvery Checkerspot. That’s the Silvery Checkerspot with its wings partially opened. Silvery Checkerspots tend to standout in a crowd of Pearl Crescents because of the sharp detail of the pattern on the underside of the hind wing. They are also slightly larger and display a flight pattern that seems more under control than that of the Pearl Crescents.

Pearl Crescents and Eastern Tailed Blues are the most dependable pond bottom visitors. They’ll visit every year even when the mud hasn’t been enhanced by a mass of decomposing amphibian larvae. Butterflies haven’t been overly abundant this year, so I have to think that the presence of the tadpoles has been a factor in attracting the more uncommon species to the pond bottom.

Several Skipper species have also swarmed into the mud flats. Peck’s Skippers numbered in the dozens. I like the skippers that show a little bit of recognizable patterning. It helps a lot with the identification.

There were also several unadorned skippers flitting about. This type and another with a more golden coloration were quite abundant. I’ve not yet mastered all of these skippers, so this one will remain unnamed today. Skipper ID is just another interesting thing I can look forward to pursuing in the future.