December 16, 2011 Butterfly monitoring

December 16, 2011 
Butterfly monitoring at Transect A (from the Environmental Education Center to the Trailhead, on both sides of the road - along the estuary and along the lake, passing the dam.)


A calm and clear day.  So many birds at the dock and on the water!
In Guana river, little fish heads were popping out of the water.  
We believed them to be juvenile flounder.


There are a few Spanish needle (Bidens alba) blooms and some Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella)) but overall very few blooms.  Some thistle popping up but not blooming.  East of the dam was recently mowed.


We saw the Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) on dried grass, and the Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon) on the Spanish needle.  These are in the Brush-foot Family (Nymphalidae).

Common Buckeye

Phaon Crescent

Two Ceraunus Blue (Hemiargus ceraunus) with wings closed resting very still for a long time, and two Cassius Blue (Leptotes cassius), also at rest on the dried out grass.  These species are of the Blues and Hairstreaks (Lycaenidae) family.

Ceraunus Blue

Cassius Blue

As we headed east on the lake side, the wind picked up suddenly.