Red admiral photo’d by Will Kerling on 12-4-12 at Cape May Point. This species will apparently be the last recorded this year — on 12-23-12, also by Will.
Will Kerling has been carefully following the persistence of four species of butterflies he has dubbed “The Fab Four”: orange sulphur, common buckeye, red admiral, and mourning cloak. All were recorded each month of this year January to November, and only the last did not appear for us this month. Their persistence goes back longer than that, however, as he notes here:
We had an orange sulphur entry on 3.26.11 which lead to records for them every month since, through December 2012: 22 straight months for this species!
The red admiral had a mid-April 2011 entry (4.14.11) which lead to records for them every month through December 2012: 21 straight months for this species!
The common buckeye had an entry on 4.11.11 which lead to records for them every month through December 2012: 21 straight months for this species!
Will 2013 continue any of these streaks?
December 23, 2012 was my last Butterfly Day unless a total miracle happens (Butterfly Days for 2012 = 299*). Unless someone finds a mourning cloak in a tree well, a shed or something of the sort we will miss it only in December of this year.
My entry of red admiral on December 23rd, 2012 in the Cape May Point State Park (2:05 pm) will probably be the last butterfly entry of 2012.
* Butterfly Day = a date with at least one observation of butterfly.
Will has recorded at least one butterfly, and usually many more, on 299 days in 2012. That is an amazing record. Congratulations and big thank-you to our leading contributor!
jc