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Wildlife and Other Sightings: Butterflies & Moths, and Yellow-rumped Warbler

August 11, 2012 Posted by: AH - Mather District Interpretive Ranger

Butterflies and Moths on Pennyroyal and Groundsel
Mondardella odoratissima and Senecio triangularis
    
 

 

August 5, 2012
Trail from White Wolf to Harden Lake and a bit beyond

There were an incredible number of butterflies and moths out today. Many of them were favoring the light purple Pennyroyal flowers. Pennyroyal is a pungent member of the mint family that is currently in full bloom.

Greater Fritillaries (Speyeria sp.) - top left and bottom right photos - are very difficult to identify to species, but I noticed a variety of different wing patterns on the abundant numbers of these that I saw along the trail.

Hesperia Skippers (Hesperia sp.) are also difficult to identify to species and though they look quite a bit like butterflies (seeming to have clubbed antennae), their bodies are a bit chunkier in relation to their wings. Skippers get their name from the way they dart quickly around and getting a photograph of one proved tricky.
 
Sierra Pericopid (Gnophaela latipennis)
This black and white moth with fairly showy wings has little orange tufts at the front of its thorax.

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Pine White Butterfly on Goldenaster
Neophasia menapia on Aster breweri
   


August 5, 2012
Trail between Harden Lake and Pate Valley

Different species of the variety of butterflies and moths out today tended to be seen more often on some flowers over others. A few Pine White Butterflies were clustered around the composite flowers of this Goldenaster plant.

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Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dendroica coronata
    


August 5, 2012 - around 2:30pm
Trail to Harden Lake from White Wolf

I was very excited to catch a glimpse of a colorful male Yellow-rumped Warbler along the side of the old Tioga road (now part of the trail to Harden Lake from White Wolf). Being nearsighted and a very novice birder, such a distinctively marked bird is always a treat to see. Trying to learn more about this bird after returning home, I discovered that several different species of insect-eating warblers may live together in close proximity by looking for food in different parts of the same forest. Yellow-rumped warblers focus on the outer foliage of conifers. Sure enough, this little guy was hopping from branch to branch up in one of the many Lodgepole pine trees along the edge of this trail.

wildlife

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