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September 30-October 6, 2012
Omaha, Nebraska
Backyard butterfly weekly list. Number indicates the number of days sighted. Names in bold represent new sightings for the year.
Butterflies:
Monarch(1)
American Lady(1)
Moths:
Venerable Dart(1)
Not a lot of butterflies last week. But what it lacked in quantity it more than made up for in quality. I finally got some good photos of Monarchs(Danaus plexippus). The Monarch pictured above the fold can be identified as a female by the thick black lines around the wing veins. The pictured specimen is one of blackest I can recall seeing. This can be compared to the male(pictured left), which has much thinner black lines. I waited patiently for the male to open his wings so I could get a better comparison, but he wouldn't oblige me. The male can also be identified by the thickened scent pouches on the hindwing, which are more visible from the upperside.(The best example I have of this can be seen here.)
The other butterfly spotting I had last week was an American Lady(Vanessa virginiensis, pictured right) American Lady has been my favorite new butterfly in the yard this year and this one is the first I've seen since July. It was good to get a chance to see and photograph one more before the season ended.
I also had a new moth in the garden this year. I often see moths hovering around my flowers during the day. Most of the time they are fairly plain and they never stop flapping their wings so I could probably never get a good photo or an ID. I don't usually bother with those. But the Venerable Dart(Agriotis venerablis, pictured below) was a bit more interesting and an excellent photo subject.
So, those are my butterfly spottings for the week. What are you seeing in your area?