Shadow and I went for a slow walk this afternoon in Shannondale Springs WMA. This is located in Jefferson county. It was a nice break from work which has been hectic as of late. The first full bloom patches of Bloodroot where seen. Also seen were the first Azures of spring. As most butterflyers know the Spring Azure complex can be just that, complex but thanks to many individuals including David M. Wright and Harry Pavulaan (who has taken his time via email coorespondence to help educate this lepster on these species) we have begun to unravel and find out more about what was once though to be “Spring Azure” only. Indeed, during much of the spring there is overlap with the various Azure flight periods. However, depending on where you are, the habitat and time of year you can get some idea of what species to expect. Learning the species “hosts” helps a lot. Last year I presented a time table for the Celastrina species in our area: Celastrina Time Table.
You can find more in depth articles by David and Harry here.
Rick Borchelt also has some nice Azure articles on his Lep Log here and ID help here.
I found 4 “Spring Brood” Summer Azures (Celastrina neglecta) along with 4 cooperative Eastern Commas and 3 Mourning Cloaks today. Finally, a sign of things to come. Are you ready?
