A
bad day on a prairie can beat a good day in town. The picture above is
what I didn't see on my Regal Fritillary survey on La Petite Gemme
(LPG) Prairie today..... a Regal Fritillary.
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| RF male - note the hind wings white and yellow spots - Bob Moul |
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| RF from the side - Bob Moul |
Rhonda Rimer of the Missouri Department of Conservation is currently running a survey of Regal Fritillary (RF) butterflies (
Speyeria idalia)
on prairies in Southwest Missouri. This species can only survive on prairies and it is in danger of extirpation as our prairies
are few and far between. Missouri Prairie Foundation and other
organizations are focused on restoring, preserving and protecting our
remaining prairies.
Today
was hot (93) and yet comfortable with a 8 mph wind. RF are found
generally along moist or wet areas and LPG has a drainage running down
the middle that is always wet, and after recent rains was full of
water. That is where I concentrated my efforts. The prairie is thick
and required high stepping and concentration so I stopped at intervals
for 3 minutes.
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| "Chek"........"Chek" - Note the male's black "Y" on the throat. |
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| "Hush, what was that sound?" |
A prairie hike is always rewarding and today was no
exception.
Dicksissels traveled along my route, clinging onto slender
plants and grasses. They arrived several months ago from their Central American winter home. This male didn't offer his usual song, only an occasional
"chek" as there was no female around to impress. This bird named
Spiza americana was
an appropriate companion after last night's Fourth of July celebration.
It flew ahead of me and frequently seemed to be listening for
something.
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| Wood Nymphs |
There
were a lot of little Clouded Sulfur and a few Cabbage Whites flying,
usually dropping down into the plants to avoid the wind. A glimpse of a
butterfly with white spots across the prairie led me on a chase only to
find a pair of Common Wood Nymphs nestled in the grass. As this is a
family blog, I will leave it to your imagination as to what they were doing.
Marginated Leatherwings
were crawling on many of the flower heads, pollinating in their own slow way. This female rode
around on my arm for a long time, hitching a ride across the prairie until I was ready to leave.
Most
of the activity came from dragonflies patrolling the grasses. Each
time I got a glimpse of movement I thought it might be an RF but I did
get some good looks including
Eastern Amberwings (not photographed) and the
Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) below.
Even on a slow day, there are things to see if you take your time and stop often to look around.
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Thanks to Bob Moul for once again sharing his photographs.
Marginated Leatherwings
were crawling on many of the flower heads, pollinating in their own slow way. This female rode
around on my arm for a long time, hitching a ride across the prairie until I was ready to leave.
