Missing in American Memorial
Prepping for the Indy 500
Dancing With The Stars finalists
Home > Blogs > Birds and Butterflies > Archives > 2008 > November > 06 > Entry
Last Orange Sulphur this Year? Not necessarily!
On this past Election Day, I had a meeting with some fellow naturalists at Germantown MetroPark. We decided to meet at our local park shelter to take advantage of the day. You’d be surprised how much of our jobs require us to be in our offices unless we are leading a program, so meetings outdoors are productive and more enjoyable. The wind was blowing gently, the sun warm and an orange sulphur butterfly flew past going on west. Orange sulphurs are one of our most common butterflies and they like to feed on clovers and vetches. The Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies lists that other foods are used less frequently. We didn’t see very many flowers for it to nectar upon; its wings looked a bit old and tattered but its flight was strong. I’m sure it will find something until this weekend’s cold may return its body to the cycle of life. I wondered when I would see another and a quick reference check showed me that a little further south they commonly fly throughout November and in our area they may even emerge during warm spells in midwinter. What would they eat? I know I’ve seen dandelions blooming all year here, I’m sure they would find something. I hope to see on if we get that warm winter spell and then I’ll laugh and think of spring.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Butterflies
Comments