May butterflies in Manhattan

In May, butterfly flights begin in earnest in our region. The swallowtails and some of the skippers begin to appear, and several brush-foots are on the wing. Red Admirals become common, and the first of two American Lady broods is on the wing. The American Lady butterflies we are seeing this month (like the one shown above) are individuals that have either overwintered here as adults or have moved north from more southern areas. They will mate and lay eggs and begin to die, so we'll see fewer of them in June and July until the second generation takes to the wing in mid-summer.

Here are some things to look for this month:

1. Look for Juvenal's Duskywing (https://nhpbs.org/wild/juvenalsduskywing.asp) in May. This oak-loving duskywing appears to be very rare in Manhattan -- there are actually no records in iNaturalist so far. It's a single-brooded butterfly that flies in May, before most of our other duskywings appear. Inwood Hill Park and Central Park, given their forest cover, would be good places to look. An important field mark for this species is two pale spots on the ventral side (underside) of each hind wing.
2. The Eurasian ornamental shrub Prunus laurocerasus (cherry laurel) is a butterfly magnet in May. The American Lady in the photo above is nectaring on the sweet-scented flower spikes of this species. The peak bloom is starting to fade now, but keep an eye on plantings of this shrub for nectaring butterflies as long as the flowers last.
3. Look for Celastrina azures. My current hypothesis is that only Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta) occurs in Manhattan and that adults begin to emerge in late May after overwintering as pupae. But if we did have any Cherry Gall Azures (Celastrina serotina) in the city, we should see them now. I've been checking Black Cherry trees in my neighborhood with no luck so far. Here's an article on this topic: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/butterflies-of-new-york-county-manhattan/journal/31861

Have fun and stay safe during these challenging times.

Publicado el mayo 12, 2020 06:22 TARDE por djringer