Ruddy Daggerwing
Malachite, a beauty from Mexico. The upper side is twice as intense of color as the underside, which is essentially its camo mode. Above they are bright lime green and dark chocolate, color is much lighter below. Sometimes you take what you can get for photo docs. This was Sept. 23, 2016, and about the fourth I have seen locally (n~13 yrs.), but the first one since the drought started about 8-9 years ago.
Arizona Sister (Adelpha eulalia) - common to abundant in the Sabinal Valley was how I described it 2003-2008, it was absent 2008-2015 when they showed up again after a couple rainy seasons.
Ruby-spotted Swallowtail (Papilio anchisiades) at a lantana in Utopia.
The first Uvalde Co. Record, on November 20, 2007.
Often rarities that have travelled hundreds of miles are
torn and frayed as evident in several of the photos here.
This is the only one I have seen here.
Ornythion Swallowtail (Papilio ornythion) Sept. 2006 in Utopia, at the Senior Center lantana. ANY patch can have the butterfly of the month, or year !! Only a couple have been found in Uvalde Co. I saw one in summer of 2013.
Giant White (Ganyra josephina), the first Uvalde Co. record September 24, 2005 in our yard near Utopia. They have occurred about 3 years of 10.
The butterfly of the year in 2011 was late, on December 3, a Mexican Tropical (Florida) White (Appias drusilla) at the library garden was maybe the second ever documented in Uvalde County, and the only one I have positively ID'd, though thought I saw them fly by a couple times.
Great Southern White (Ascia monuste) I have only seen a few years of 10 here.
Julia Longwing (Dryas iulia) at a lantana in Utopia, Nov. 3. 2007. Related to the more familiar Zebra Longwing, but rarer here. Perhaps 2 of 10 years had a total of 4 individuals. Then one in 2016 was the first since the drought.
The Zebra (Longwing) is actually yellow and black, the yellow doesn't show in this photo. They invade some years, but absent sometimes multiple consecutive years. We have had good numbers 2 years of 10, a few two years of ten, and none seen 5 years of drought, and a very few the last two years as rains came back.
Ruddy Daggerwing (Marpesia petreus) at Lost Maples, August 16, 2008. This was the first Bandera County and Sabinal River Valley area record
Ruddy Daggerwing (Marpesia petreus) at the library garden, this was the second Uvalde Co. record, in October 2008. I photo'd another, about the fourth in Uvalde Co., on Frostweed, Sept. 2013 at Utopia on the River.
Blue-eyed Sailor (Dynamine dyonis) at Cypress Hollow, Sept. 23, 2007, the first Bandera County record. This image is a digiscope (old Mavica up to telescope) Thought I saw one other once, this the only documented one.
Crimson Patch (Chlosyne janais) was regular 2003-8 and has been absent since the drought started. They reappeared in 2016 in second year of rains returning.
The black morph of the western subspecies of Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia crocale) at Utopia Oct. 19, 2012. Thanks to Charles Bordelon for the ID confirmation and info, he says they are very rare east of the Pecos River.
A black and white (rare, winter) form
of the Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon)
at Utopia on December 1, 2012.
This is the only one of these I have seen.
Spot-celled Sister (Adelpha basiloides) ~ a "mega-rarity" even in
extreme south Texas,
this one photo'd Nov. 11, 2005 in our yard,
on an old birdseed bag ... of doggie doo. You never know where
the good bug will be, just keep your eyes peeled, and mind open.
I have seen Band-celled Sister here too, but no photo yet.
Red Rim (Biblis hyperia) staged its biggest most northerly invasion known. Dozens were in Uvalde Co. in 2007, a few made it to Utopia and one was seen in Bandera County. None seen any other year.
Gold-spotted Aguna (Aguna asander) Sept. 2006 at the dump in Utopia. Leave no flowers un-checked..... even at the dump. Have seen a few, this the only documented occurrence.
Coyote Cloudywing (Archalarus toxeus)
Common fall of 2007, otherwise it has been all but absent
until 2016 when 5 or so appeared in the fall butterfly invasion.
Two-barred Flasher (Astraptes fulgerator)
Nov. 4, 2007 at Library, Utopia.
Only one I've seen though one was photo'd at Lost Maples
about 2005 or so.
Panoquina lucas - Purple-washed Skipper
at Utopia Nov. 19, 2013.
First Uvalde Co. record.
I couldn't get the full monty
of purple iridescence to show well but you get a hint of it.
Dorantes Longtail (Urbanus dorantes) ...
the first Bandera Co. record,
Sept. 30, 2007.
Have seen a few others in Uvalde Co., one year they got nearly regular,
most years absent.
White-patched Skipper (Chiomara georgina) male, Sept. 16, 2005 Utopia. Uncanny how the white patch on dorsal wings (especially forewings) perfectly matches the frogfruit flowers. They are LTA - less than annual.
Zilpa Longtail (Chioides zilpa) May 11, 2004, the first Bandera Co. record at N. Thunder Creek Rd. Rare but regular, though they are not annual here.
Sickle-winged Skipper (Eantis tamenund) 1st Bandera Co. Record June 15, 2004. They are less than annual here, none in a couple years now, in the one bumper year of ten, I had 10 total individuals.
Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor) near Utopia, May 10, 2007.
This was the first documented record in Uvalde Co.
I have seen a couple.