This sleepy orange, found and photo’d by Jim Dowdell in his yard in Cape May County 8-23-12 and 8-24-12, gives us 91 species for 2012 and seems to complete our sweep of the pierids possible in South Jersey, unless…..
Will we be able to repeat this year’s success with the pierids in any future year? It will be a challenge. Eight species of pierids occur in South Jersey, three of them only rarely, and all have been recorded this year.
Three are whites: cabbage white, falcate orangetip, and checkered white (the last a species we had not recorded on our log until this year).
Five are sulphurs: orange sulphur, common [clouded] sulphur, cloudless sulphur, and two genuine rarities — little yellow and sleepy orange.
Jim Dowdell find in his yard above completes our sweep of the family, it seems….
…unless there is another pierid out there, lingering somewhere…. one we have never before recorded on our log….
….and maybe it’s winging its way toward you and your binocs or camera right now….
Keep alert, everyone!
Some other recent pierid shots for inspiration:
Cloudless sulphur in flight, photo’d by Tony Leukering, Cape May Co, 8-22-12.
Cloudless sulphur at rest, photo’d by Will Kerling, Cape May Co, 8-24-12.
A cloudless sulphur caterpillar feeding on flowering partridge pea, photo’d by Pat Sutton in her garden, 8-21-12.