Week 5 has been a huge improvement and I anticipate a much better report ahead, but in the meantime we move to....
Week 4's Butterfly of the Week!
While out and about, Michael O'Brien stumbled upon a rare find in the form of the Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes):
Appearance: Wingspan 3 3/8-5 1/2 inches; Dark from above with yellow banding forming a triangle across the Forewing and Hindwing; Yellow spots on the tails of the hindwings is a distinguishing mark.
Larval Food: Ornamental Citrus, torchwood, lime, and hoptree
Habitat: Semi-open to open areas, meadows, and river courses
Interesting Facts: This species is almost always found in association with citrus plants with the larvae feeding on the foliage. The species is common in the Southern Coastal U.S. making it a very uncommon one here in Cape May. Adults engage in 2 flights year-round southward.
Butterflies aren't the only critters wandering through the Cape these days...
Michael was also kind enough to do a dragonfly count on the Point on September 24th and found 9 different species total! Here were the results as a percent of the approximately 100 dragonflies/minute he saw between 1:15 and 3 PM that afternoon(~12,000 dragonflies total!):
Carolina Saddlebags-60%
Blue Dasher-12%
Black Saddlebags-9%
Green Darner-8%
Wandering Glider-5%
Spot-winged Glider-5%
Swamp Darner-0.75%
Twelve-spotted Skimmer-0.25%
And...our ninth species was a Great Blue Skimmer, the first one seen engaged in a migratory movement!
Today was a great day to spot Monarchs engaging in some small roosting. If you're on the hunt for a few of these roost areas, some great spots to look first can be found amongst the Ivy near the corner of Cambridge and Coral Avenue and out on the Goldenrod scattered along the dunes of Sunset Beach. Happy hunting!
Happy Sunday everyone!
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