Pine Barrens for Early Spring Butterflies & More with Rick Cech, 4/28/2018

Report: Rick Cech 
Participants: 12
Weather: After early fog, pretty much sunny and mid-60s to lower 70s all day, somewhat breezy from NW. 

After postponing the trip due to exceptionally cold spring weather (4 so NJ species w/latest ever first flight dates), we had a strong outing. Foliage advancing rapidly, though still behind an ordinary year. 

Met at c. 9:00 at Lucille’s and drove straight to Tuckahoe, where PB Azures finally flying – in numbers! A couple of Henry’s left, including a quite-fresh mated pair. Unusual coloring may have reflected late cold temperatures during pre-eclosion period. Along with Blue Corporals, Fragile Forktails now in flight. A pair of loud Prothonatory Warblers were a group highlight, long with multiple singing Pine Warblers. EP had Worm-eating.

Several Falcate Orangetips patrolling in plowed-up fields on 2nd Tuckahoe road. Also a Wild Indigo Duskywing. 

At Dennisville Railroad tracks, no fence lizards still, but a couple of nice Juniper Hairstreaks and another odd-toned enry’s, looked Frosted-like (ambiguous individuals seen at this site before). Also first Juvenal’s DWs. At Lizard Tail, more active. Ran into Jack Miller, who noted that the site had been badly disrupted by power line crews last year (no Linnaean Society of New York trip in 2017). Lots of cricket frogs in new puddles, Eastern Tailed-Blues, one Pearl Crescent, 3-4 Frosted Elfins (seen mainly by others; I saw a probable dart-by amid newly-sprouted Baptesia). Also American Ladies, a couple of azures, another Juniper Hairstreak, and an odd, very worn Monarch-like fly-by we could not identify. Before leaving, we came across a Black Racer eating another, smaller member of its species. 

Next drove up to Warren Grove, arrived c. 2:50. At the patch where Emily and I were lucky a week earlier, we quickly added Hoary, Brown and Eastern Pine Elfins. Mike Freeman photographed a Sleepy Duskywing nearby. Some duplicates turned up as we walked around, but as to new species we only added a lone Northern Azure when driving off. Hessel’s lowland dead. 

Chatsworth still a week or so away from full Sand Myrtle bloom (emerged elfins were nectaring in the meantime on low-growing Pixie). Had Eastern Pine and Brown Elfins, 2 Northern Azures, and a Festive Tiger Beetle. But getting late, and Hessels were not in the cards. Still, in this cold year, 6 out of 5 was NOT BAD.