How to find early spring butterfly

WILDLIFE WATCHING HOW TO FIND 8 SPECIES OF EARLY SPRING BUTTERFLY By Bob Danley March 22, 2021

FINDING BUTTERFLY THREE VARIABLES Cover photo looks inhospitable for butterflies. Spring climate modifying 3 variables: microhabitat, hibernation space, weather. Butterfly activity now begins.

FINDING BUTTERFLY MICROHABITAT APPEARS Snow melts first on slopes with an east or south exposure. Areas become important for sunning, resting and food source (sap, scat, rotten fruit).

FINDING BUTTERFLY MICROHABITAT APPEARS Sap flows from "wells" drilled by sapsucker woodpeckers in Rocky Mountain Maple is ingested. This provides dietary starch.

FINDING BUTTERFLY MICROHABITAT APPEARS Scat from wild mammals or from pets is a magnet for early spring butterflies. It's an important source of amino acids.

FINDING BUTTERFLY MICROHABITAT APPEARS Runoff affecting trails and gravel roads very important. Mud provides "food" in form of organic salts. Salts also important for successful reproduction.

FINDING BUTTERFLY HIBERNATION SPACES Cracks and crevices of rock faces are one space where adult butterflies overwinter. Note the snow free condition from sun and air temperature.

FINDING BUTTERFLY HIBERNATION SPACES Tree bark also provides hibernation space. Most old conifers have deeply furrowed bark.

FINDING BUTTERFLY HIBERNATION SPACES Root wads and hollowed old tree stumps are another space for hibernation. When will hibernating adult butterfly exit from these spaces?

FINDING BUTTERFLY WEATHER CONDITIONS The third variable for finding early spring butterflies are March weather conditions. Air temperatures need to be near 60 F degrees for hibernation emergence.

FINDING BUTTERFLY WEATHER CONDITIONS Full direct sun with few/no clouds is important factor for adult butterfly activity @ ~60F air temperature. What butterfly species become active?

4 Tortoiseshell species (Nymphalis genus) winter as adults (l.>r., top>bottom): Mourning Cloak, Compton Tortoiseshell, Milbert's Tortoiseshell, California Tortoiseshell. FINDING BUTTERFLY WHAT SPECIES?

Four species of Comma (Polygonia genus) over winter as adults (l. to r., top to bottom): Green Comma, Satyr Comma, Hoary Comma and Oreas Comma. FINDING BUTTERFLY WHAT SPECIES?

Pictured roads represent a variable (microhabitat, hibernation space, weather) or subset (sap, etc.). Wild intersections at local nature site. FINDING BUTTERFLY HOW TO LOOK

Roads, driven or walked, adjacent or cut through microhabitat or hibernation spaces allow you to peruse large quantity of possible 3-variable intersections. FINDING BUTTERFLY HOW TO LOOK

Trails that are adjacent or cut through microhabitat or hibernation spaces are even better for closer proximity to potential three-variable intersections. FINDING BUTTERFLY HOW TO LOOK

California Tortoiseshell is pictured sunning on dead grass, but easily detected by color. FINDING BUTTERFLY HOW TO LOOK

Easy to note these butterflies even with distant views. Green Comma is pictured. FINDING BUTTERFLY HOW TO LOOK

And while you are looking down to not step in it...you might be rewarded for being conscientious. FINDING BUTTERFLY HOW TO LOOK

Even when all three variables are present in excellent quality/quantity, you can get skunked. FINDING BUTTERFLY HOW TO LOOK

FINDING BUTTERFLY HOW TO LOOK Members of the community might notice your failings. Give you the avian "what for" (Clark's Nutcracker vocalizing).

No matter the outcome of your butterfly finding field trip, you still take home the aesthetics of your efforts. Discovery greatly ;-) FINDING BUTTERFLY HOW TO LOOK