Stuck inside? ID some NYC butterflies!

We should all be staying at home and away from other people to limit the spread of COVID-19. So if you have a few minutes this evening, why not get a little nature fix by identifying some NYC butterflies?

Here are the New York County butterfly observations that still need ID confirmation (and I've broken out various groups in more detail below): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?verifiable=any&project_id=49510&place_id=any (note: You can tick the "reviewed" checkbox to the right of the filter bar if you want to revisit observations you'd already seen in the past). Don't follow the herd, of course -- make the IDs in which you are personally confident.

For reference, here's the work-in-progress Manhattan Butterfly List (using a lot of Research Grade data from iNaturalist): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Y2mNKMNXqtk4Ms820YvKXaaTySSYoxtcGlq7znoCjtY/edit?usp=sharing

Some groups to explore for those of you who specialize:

• Larvae, pupae, eggs: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?verifiable=any&project_id=49510&place_id=any&term_id=1&term_value_id=4%2C6%2C7
• Swallowtails, just a few: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?verifiable=any&place_id=any&project_id=49510&taxon_id=49973
• Grass skippers: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?verifiable=any&place_id=any&project_id=49510&taxon_id=122493. Mostly, Sachems (which peak in September) and Fiery Skippers (which peaked last year in October), and Zabulon Skippers (similar Hobomok is not currently known from Manhattan) are represented here. Check the great ID video here: http://www.rkwalton.com/skippers.php (click "Southern Visitors" for Sachem/Fiery and "Summer Species: II" for Zabulon).
• Spread-wing skippers: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?verifiable=any&place_id=any&project_id=49510&taxon_id=51312. Mostly, these are the Erynnis duskywings. Wild Indigo Duskywing is by far the most common species in New York, but a few Horace's have been recorded. Some of these images lack the resolution necessary for ID, but others are identifiable.
• Cabbage Whites: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?verifiable=any&place_id=any&project_id=49510&taxon_id=209720
• Clouded yellows: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?reviewed=true&verifiable=any&place_id=any&project_id=49510&taxon_id=119556. Many of these are not identifiable because they are ventral shots lit from in front, but a few show dorsal surfaces.
• Two Eastern Tailed-Blues: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/16150212 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/32482392
• Azures: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?verifiable=any&place_id=any&project_id=49510&taxon_id=52485. Currently, the only azure known from New York County is Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta), as we explain here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/butterflies-of-new-york-county-manhattan/journal/31861.
• Brush-foots: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?verifiable=any&place_id=any&project_id=49510&taxon_id=47922. A few Pearl Crescents, ladies, and commas are still unidentified (which is how some will probably stay because of low image quality).

Below: a female sulphur butterfly that I observed last summer in Hudson River Park. I think she is a white form Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) based on the narrow black border on the dorsal hindwing that does not fully enclose pale spots, and only small spots in the dark forewing margin, but she is one of many butterfly observations in the city that still lacks ID confirmation.

Tagging some top identifiers -- thanks for all you do! @nycbirder @wayne_fidler @nlblock @greengenes @kdstutzman @sadawolk @maractwin @susanhewitt

Posted on 27 March, 2020 00:16 by djringer