Question Mark Butterfly - James Steakley                                   Eastern Comma Butterfly - Aaron Carlson

Since it is technically spring, the weather is beginning to warm, flowers are starting to bloom, and I’m starting to see butterflies again.

The other day, I saw an orangish butterfly with black markings and scalloped edges. I was so excited because I knew it was a punctuation butterfly! I had never seen one before but had seen photos in my guide books. The trouble was, I saw it so briefly, I wasn’t able to get a good enough look to determine whether it was a Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) or an Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma).

The range of both butterflies includes Kansas. The Question Mark’s range is a little larger, extending further north into Canda, further west to Arizona, and further south into Mexico than that of the Comma. Both also over-winter in Kansas, although the Comma has a smaller Kansas range.

Both are about the same size, the Question Mark is slightly larger at 2 – 2.5 inches, whereas the Comma is 1.6 – 2.3 inches. The one I saw could fit in this range. They are both orange with black spots, the Question Mark being a little more red and the Comma being a little more brown. I felt like the one I saw was more reddish, but I think I still need more data.

Commas tend to prefer wet habitats such as marshes as well as deciduous forests. Question Marks also like forests, but are also found in suburbs, agricultural areas, and city parks. I saw this one at the Zoo.

Finally, let’s examine their diets. Comma host plants include nettles and hop vines, which I don’t think we have at the zoo, at least this time of year. The Question Mark lays eggs in elm trees, which we likely have. Adult Commas eat tree sap and rotting fruit, which we might have around as left over animal diets. Adult Question Marks also eat tree sap and rotting fruit, but, and I think this is the clincher, they also eat dung! I know we have plenty of that around the Zoo!
​
Based on the evidence at hand, I would have to surmise that the butterfly I saw was the Question Mark, but, considering it’s name, I may always be a little bit unsure.

Danaus gilippus
 
I’ve been participating in a Monarch Butterfly study because they are migrating. We catch them, weigh them, measure them, tag them, and then release them again. They are on their way to Mexico to overwinter.

While we have been attempting to catch the wily insects, we have to avoid accidentally netting some of their mimics. We see mostly Painted Ladies, but I would really love to see a Queen Butterfly.

To my knowledge, I have never seen one. They are large and orange and white and black like Monarchs, but they are more solid and more brownish orange. Like Monarchs, they use milkweed as their host plants along with dogwoods. Even the caterpillar looks similar to the Monarch caterpillar, but a bit darker.

Queen Butterflies also do not undergo the arduous migration that Monarchs do. They may move slightly south to warmer climes. They are found throughout the Americas, so much of their range has mild winters.
​
I’ll keep my eyes peeled as I’m netting Monarchs, but I would love to meet the Queen!

​Danaus plexippus

Happy Monarch Migration Season, everyone!

Monarchs are one of the most instantly recognizable butterflies, in my opinion, unless you are looking at a Viceroy or a Painted Lady, or any number of other mimics. Because Monarch caterpillars eat milkweed, the adults are toxic to birds, so looking like a prey item that will make you sick helps similar-looking butterflies not get eaten.

But back to migration! The Monarch migration is one of the most enigmatic events in nature. When birds migrate, one individual is born, spends spring and summer in one place, travels in fall to where they overwinter, returns to the area where they were born, raises their own brood, and the cycle continues for the life of that individual. In Monarchs, it takes four generations to complete a migration.

Generation one is born somewhere in the United States, living two to six weeks, during which time they mate and lay eggs of generation two. Depending on whether these are Eastern or Western monarchs, populations one and two may venture east or north. Generations two and three tend to stay in the summer breeding grounds. Generation three lays the eggs of generation four, which is significantly larger than those of earlier generations. Gen Four enters reproductive diapause, meaning they don’t mate and lay eggs right away. They begin the migration to Mexico if they are in the east or Coastal California if they are in the west. This generation lives for nine months! The oyamel fir forests in central Mexico have become an ecotourism hotspot to see thousands, if not millions of Monarch butterflies alighting in the trees. In the spring, Gen four returns to the north, and the cycle repeats.

How does this happen? How is Gen three able to produce an enormous Gen four? How is Gen four able to live so long? How do they know where to go? I have several friends involved in Monarch research, and the short answer is, no one really knows.

One thing we do know is Monarch populations are drastically declining due to habitat loss and insecticide use. You can support Monarchs by planting native milkweed. Native is the key. Please avoid tropical milkweed. Also, don’t use insecticides. This will help not just Monarchs, but loads of other species.

Keep your eyes peeled for Monarchs heading south and wish them a successful journey!

Pepsis spp
 
Tarantula Hawks are 100% #NatureIsMetal. They are neither tarantulas nor hawks but are actually a species of Spider Wasps. They can be quite large, up to five inches long! They are pollinators and normally dine on nectar, but the mother Wasps find a more morbid source of food for her offspring. She will sting a spider, paralyzing them, then lay her eggs inside the still-living spider, which the hatching larvae will eat from the inside out!
 
Last week, I saw one hauling a massive huntsman spider that was at least twice the Wasp’s size. I went in for a closer look because you don’t see that every day, and the Tarantula Hawk was having none of it. She started chasing me, even landing on my pants at one point. Since they have one of the painful stings in the world, I noped right out of there.
​
Tarantula Hawks are found from the Southern US through South America. While I don’t recommend keeping one as a pet, they are actually quite beautiful. They have iridescent blue or black bodies and bright orange or amber wings. I honestly enjoy seeing them, but from a distance!

Hemaris spp.
 
What’s that in the flowers? Is it a moth? Is it a hummingbird? Yes and no. It’s a Hummingbird Moth!

I love these massive moths. They do look and move just like hummingbirds and feed on the same nectar-producing flowers. Instead of a long beak, they have a long tongue which they can curl up and keep under their chin when they are not feeding.

They are often referred to as Hawk Moths and Sphinx Moths. The sphinx name comes not from the adults but the caterpillars. They are known to raise their heads off the ground like a sphinx.

As I mentioned before, they are large. Their wingspans can be up to two and a half inches. The antennae of moths, including Hummingbird Moths, are fuzzy, differing from those of butterflies. Their wings also usually have clear parts.

Like all moths and butterflies, Hummingbird Moths have specific host plants where they lay their eggs. These include honeysuckle, dogbane, and some stone fruit trees. And, to the frustration of many gardeners, the Five-Spotted Hawkmoth has a penchant for laying eggs on tomato plants. Yes, the tomato hornworm will turn into a sphinx moth, although they are a separate genus from the traditional Hummingbird Moth.

Still, Hummingbird Moths are fun to find! I love seeing their cubby, furry bodies flitting in and out of flowerbeds like their namesake.
​
Next time you see a Hummingbird, look twice. It might actually be a Moth!
  

I did something very silly. Last weekend, I went birding and forgot my binoculars. At first, I beat myself up about it, figuring I wouldn’t enjoy the outing at all. In the end, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

When I stopped micro-focusing on one bird, I realized there were lots of birds! I could spot them faster than everyone else. I could probably even see them better, too, because it takes a bit to be able to find them through the binocs. I know I struggle.

It wasn’t just about the birds, either. As I was looking for birds, I noticed all the trees and how many different kinds there were, and that they all seemed to merge together to make a giant wall of green. I could look down at the creek and see the rainbow of wildflowers, the iridescent green mayflies, black and white dragonflies, and various butterflies flitting about.
​
I often focus on identifying individual species, but I realized I also need to stop and soak in all the nature around me. I highly recommend taking some time and enjoying all that nature has to offer. 

Photinus pyralis

Well, friends, it finally happened. After almost 45 years of life, I saw a Firefly for the first time! In fact, I saw a whole bunch of them.

I was cleaning up after an event at Sunset Zoo, and my boss came up to me and asked, “Did you see them?” He said there were fireflies all over the cheetah habitat. His lovely wife, Marla, took me over to where they had seen them, and we waited. And then suddenly, one little flash. And then another. And then another. And soon, it seemed like they were everywhere, ethereal little lights floating in the night sky. They reminded me of embers from a campfire, shining for a moment before disappearing. I’ll admit, I teared up. I realize people who grew up in areas where Fireflies live take them for granted as a part of summer, but for me, this was something truly special.

It turns out, no one should be taking Fireflies for granted, as their numbers are declining at great rates. This is due to a number of factors, including habitat loss, pesticide use, and light pollution. If it is too bright at night for them to see a potential mate’s flashes, they can’t make the next generation of fireflies. The facility where I used to work is breeding them to try and help restore their population. Much more research needs to be done on these luminary insects.

I think the species I saw was the Big Dipper or Photinus pyralis, and this is just judging by the color and length of each flash and the time between them. I was never able to see an insect up close. They are apparently the most widespread firefly in North America, so there is a good chance this was my species. They are often seen in years, meadows, and pastures, so a cheetah habitat is not a great leap.
​
I think I’m addicted now. I want to see more! I want to see other species – different colors and flash patterns! If you can’t find me some evening, I’m probably out wandering a field somewhere searching for Fireflies!

Vanessa Sp.

The first time I became aware of Painted Lady Butterflies was shortly after I moved to Los Angeles, maybe 2016. There was a massive Painted Lady migration. They were everywhere!  You couldn’t walk outside without feeling like you were in a Disney movie. I had always assumed that all orange and black butterflies were Monarchs, the only butterfly I knew by name. I was sure wrong. West Coast Ladies (Vanessa Annabella), the species I saw migrating, were much smaller than Monarchs, and have a different range and ecological niche. West Coast Ladies are found in Western North America, and their host plant, the one on which they lay their eggs and caterpillars eat, is usually a species of mallow.

American Ladies (Vanessa virginiensis) are found in the Southern US, south to Central America, as well as on the West Coast. I’m likely to see this species of Lady here in Kansas. Their host plants are often sunflowers.

Painted Ladies (Vanessa cardui) are one of if not the most widespread butterfly in the world. They are found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. It is crazy to think I may have seen one when I was living in the UK, Africa, or Italy and not known it! They are very adaptable. They have over 100 known host plants!
​
I have no idea how to tell the three species apart, especially as they are flitting by my face. The differences can be a subtle as a single white spot. Maybe if a butterfly was sitting on a flower with their wings open long enough for me to snap a photo to later compare to my butterfly books, I could tell them apart. For now, I just appreciate that a beautiful Lady has just passed my way.

Nymphalis antiopa
I saw my first butterfly of the season and it just happened to be my favorite - the Mourning Cloak!

Mourning Cloaks are very dark and are described as purple-black, but they appear red in the sun. They have what looks like yellow lace with bright blue ribbon around the edges of their wings. They are also rather large, up to four inches across!

Butterflies have specific host plants. These are plants where they lay their eggs and that the caterpillars can eat. In the case of Mourning Cloaks, these plants are willows. Adult butterflies apparently prefer oak tree sap as their food of choice.

Mourning Cloaks can be found across most of the US, so keep an eye out near oak and willow trees. However, they are incredible at camouflage. When their wings are closed, they blend in perfectly with tree bark, so your best bet to find them is when they are in flight.

Why do I love them? They are goth butterflies! If Victorian funerary practices were a butterfly, it would be a Mourning Cloak, as evidenced by their common name. My goal is to wone day make a cloak the same coloration as a Mourning Cloak Butterfly. Of course, now I have no idea where to get fabric.

If butterflies aren't really your thing and you are more into spiders and bats and things, the Mourning Cloak may convert you.