Sunny day with highs near 90 today.
I arrive around 11am - sunny skies with temps in the mid-70s.
As I exit the mucky woods to the actual trail, there are more daisies in bloom and flying around them are 2 Pale Crescents! (New for this season.)
While photographing them, I find out that my camera battery is flashing low battery at me. Oops! I'll have to milk that little power on new (or interesting) things. Means I'll have to be even more stealth to get some IDs.
Continuing on, the lupine and clover are starting to blooming as are these red flowers.
Back to butterflies, I see Two-tailed, Western and Pale Swallowtails. Lots of Rocky Mt Duskywings still flying although their numbers seem a little lower than last time. I see one Sleepy Duskywing and a Northern Cloudywing.
Tons of Ringlets bouncing a bout.
For the Blues, seeing Spring Azures, Western Tailed Blues and Boisduvals Blue (including a mated pair).
Also seeing a few Orangetips, Large Marbles, Checkered Skippers, a Milbert's Tortoiseshell and my Reflict Frit. Definitely more Weidemeyers Admiral today. A little scat brings them together.
Juba Skippers are also more prevalent today and the Mourning Cloaks are still numerous past the pond/camp to the 2 mile mark.
What's really noticeable today is the amount of small orange flyers that are out. Besides the Pale Crescent, there's Northern Crescents, Field Crescents and Northern Checkerspots (also new for the season)!
So what else is new for the season? At the pond, I find my 1st Copper (a Purplish Copper) of the year
and one of my favorites, the Clodius Parnassian.
I add a couple new Blues for the season: an Acmon Blue (I've never seen this species here over 5 seasons. Very cool!)
and Dotted Blue (Ancilla).
(I only see one each of the Acmon and Dotted. Hopefully, more to come.)
There are definitely more Dragonflies (Dot-tailed Whiteface - I think) flying and mating.
I stop at the muddy spots on the opposite side of the dam. Lots more activity here today than last time. There are Blues, Northern Checkerspots, a Mourning Cloak in a moose tracks and tons of Crescents!!!! They are everywhere I turn having little parties.
A couple of Blue parties as well.
It's at that mud spot that my battery runs out - shoot! But I think it's time to try the back-up, my cell phone. The zoom isn't nearly as good but it could just work.
But I can freely take photos now - just some bugs on flowers.
Past the camp, I stop at the little creek and see a Blue. It looks different and I do believe that's an Arrowhead Blue!!! It's the first time I've ever seen one here! Actually, probably in Utah as well!!
(A bit grainy... if I had only charged my batteries... but at least, I had my camera phone!)
On the way back, I watch a thin tan snake cross the trail a few feet in front of me.
Awesome visit!
To continue my search for butterflies, I stop at the Lambs Canyon parking. The number of butterflies is much lower than last time but that could be due to the fact the sun is lower as it's 2:30pm. But from the drive and searching around, I find Two-tailed and Western Swallowtails, Western Tailed Blues, Rocky Mt Duskywings, Sleepy Duskywings, Field Crescents, Northern Checkerspots, and Northern Crescents. I also get up close with 2 Anise Swallowtails
Weidemeyers Admiral and a Dotted Blue (Ancilla) and finally a Mustard White (first of the year).
Nice way to end my day.
