Northern Bog Species of Michigan and Wisconsin

You would think after the hard work in Maine last year slogging through bogs that Barry and I would have chosen easier targets for our next butterfly adventure. Not so! We love to look for the harder to see species and so plans were made for another trip this year that included three bog species that occur in the most northern portions of the lower 48. It’s all about timing, weather, luck and preparation. In the preparation department we received excellent location info from our friend Mike Reese who runs the Wisconsin Butterflies website: Wisconsin Butterflies. I invite you to check out this excellent reference for many species we experience in our region as well as some we don’t. The three Northern Bog specialists on our list were; Frigga Fritillary, Freija Fritillary and Red-disked Alpine. If you time it just right you can see all three as their fights do overlap. To see what we where up against we consulted an article by Ann Swengel. She and her husband Scott have been surveying bogs and other areas of Wisconsin for many years. They have amassed a great deal of data. Ann’s article can be found at: The Fascinating Butterflies of Northwestern Wisconsin Bogs. Our other targets for the trip were Chryxus Arctic, Gorgone Checkerspot and Persius Duskywing which are all found in Pine Barrens or ridge lines within dry habitats.

So, armed with high expectations and praying for decent weather we headed out towards NE Wisconsin to our first stop at Dunbar Barrens State Natural Area located just west of Pembine, WI in search of Chrysus Arctic. The Sun was out when we arrived. The first species encountered was a beautiful Hoary Elfin. We started walking the Pine lands and after 20 minutes or so Barry located a Chrysus Arctic! It was not very cooperative however and very few photos were taken. We searched an additional hour until we located another one. In all we found five at Dunbar Barren SNA. Then it was off to another nearby location  where we hit the jackpot finding approximately 25 more! More Hoary Elfins and Eastern Pine Elfins punctuated a successful first day. We stayed overnight in nearby Iron Mountain, MI (area population ~ 8,000) and the next morning headed out towards Marquette, MI for some birding. Few butterflies species were seen during this time but we found about 100 Eastern Pine Elfins, trying very hard to turn one into a Western Pine Elfin. Then, it was off to Channing Bog in where else? Channing, MI (population ~ 550). We were directed to this location as possible Freija Fritillary and Red-disked Alpine habitat by avid Michigan lepster Jeff Pavlik Michigan Butterflies and Skippers. The bog proved way to deep to slog into and we figured that it was better to wait along the road bordering the bog and chase any butterflies that emerged than trying to chase down any leps in the bog, which would have been impossible. During our stay a few Red-disked Alpines came out and very briefly would sit in the grass along the road. I managed a few photos, not great, but good enough for ID. The Sun was out… Looking south toward Iron Mountain we could see a heavy cloud deck. We chose the right path once again.

The next day we headed west towards Riley Lakes Wildlife Management Area which is east of Fifield, WI. There are several very large bogs within this WMA. We arrived at our main area and drove slowly along the bog margin. Almost immediately, we spotted a Fritillary flying along the bog and road edge. The scene became a fire drill getting out of the car grabbing binoculars and cameras. You never saw two old guys move so fast. Upon examination it turned out to be a Frigga Fritillary, the first of three that we saw over five hours. A couple of Red-disked Alpines flew by and true to form stopped ever so briefly before disappearing back into the bog. We also located a Freija Fritillary during the first couple of hours. Numerous Brown Elfins showed up along with Northern Azures and Canadian Tiger Swallowtails. For a break we took a short hike bird watching. We saw/heard many warbler species including Golden-winged Warbler. Oh, did I mention it was partly sunny most of the day… After leaving the bog we drove to Park Falls, WI where we spent four nights using that as our staging area.

The last heavy duty butterfly day was done at the Bauer-Brockway Barrens State Natural Area just east of Black River Falls, WI. This dry habitat was perfect for out next couple of targets, Gorgone Checkerspot and Persius Duskywing. During our time there we saw scores of Gorgone Checkerspots and a few of the Perseus Duskywings. In addition, Sleepy, Wild Indigo, Dreamy and Juvenal’s were also present. Several Olympia Marbles played tag and a few Hoary Elfins were seen. Azures included a Silvery Blue. The Sun was out… We had completed our quest in four days. On the way back to Park Falls we stopped in northern Taylor County, WI west of Westboro and found Pepper and Salt Skipper and a few Mustard Whites.

The remaining couple of days were spent chilling out and playing tourist. We ventured to Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, MI on one of the days and saw Lake Superior. Our birding highlight was an eye level Bald Eagle fly by (photo below).

On the way home we drove through the upper peninsula of Michigan across the Mackinac Bridge into the lower peninsula. We stayed in Grayling, MI and early the next morning searched for Kirland’s Warbler in nearby Jack Pine habitats for a couple of hours before driving home. The Sun was out… All in all, a fantastic trip.

Click on any image below to enlarge

BUTTERFLIES

BIRDS

We crossed the Mackinac Bridge coming back. It is the 20th longest suspension bridge in the world: