I took a trip to Berkshire county Massachusetts to join up with the Mass NABA chapter’s yearly trip to Mt. Greylock in search of Early Hairstreak, one of the most elusive hairstreaks in the east. Mt. Greylock is the state high point at 3,591 ft. The plan was to look for butterflies on Saturday and half of Sunday but the weather did not cooperate so everything was consolidated into one day. Despite the condensed schedule I still managed to see four lifers; Early Hairstreak, Mustard White, Canadian Tiger Swallowtail and the stunning Arctic Skipper. Additional searches for Bog Elfin did not pan out as the weather was terrible so that was left on the table for a future trip. The weather on Saturday was cool (upper 60’s) and partly cloudy. One very worn Early Hairstreak was seen and photographed. Later in the day in another location many Arctic Skippers were located. Arctic Skipper is a boreal (not an arctic) habitat specialist. Mustard White is only found in the western section of Massachusetts. Canadian Tiger Swallowtail is a smaller version and ancestor of our Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail. This butterfly is found in most provinces and territories in Canada, as its name implies. Its range extends north of the Arctic Circle, throughout Canada and the northern tier of the U.S. extending as far south in our region as the Poconos in PA.
5-29 / 5-30 Berkshire county, MA 2 Juvenal's Duskywing 8 Arctic Skipper 1 Long Dash 1 Hobomok Skipper 6 Pepper and Salt Skipper 7 Canadian Tiger Swallowtail 2 Mustard White 4 West Virginia White 1 Cabbage White 1 Early Hairstreak 1 Northern Azure 3 Silvery Blue 1 Sliver-bordered Fritillary 2 Red-spotted Purple 1 Viceroy 7 Pearl Crescent 1 Mourning Cloak 25 Common Ringlet
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