Butterflies are closer than you think
June 24, 2001

Early morning bird surveys at Woodland Dunes have been enhanced by observing myriads of butterflies of many different species. A Two Rivers resident whose garden is designed to attract wildlife, reports that countless butterflies are being seen visiting nectar sources.

There are those of us who live in local urban areas for whom seeing a butterfly in the garden is an infrequent bonus.

Why?

The simple fact is that butterflies are different from anything else and there is no predicting the reason why they are so abundant in some places, some years.

The life history of a butterfly has four phases, egg, larval pupa, and adult. As larva and adult they can occupy two different ecological niches which enables them to adapt and cope with different environments.

Variety abounds among butterflies, making it a challenge to identify them. Commonly seen at present are the Red Admiral, Spring Azure, and the Painted Lady.

The Red Admiral is the common throughout Wisconsin. It is easily recognized as each fore wing is split by a large showy orange-red band.

The upper surface is a velvety brownish black highlighted by a number of white spots near each wing tip.

Life starts as an egg laid on nettle leaves. Nettle is a common weed best known for its prickly stinging hairs.

The newly hatched caterpillar climbs up the plant to the unfolding buds at the top, where it makes its first nest by webbing together the unfolded surface of the leaf. Here it is protected from weather and enemies and has an abundant supply of food.

After each molt it migrates to a new leaf, finally turning to a chrysalis and may emerge as an adult in the summer, or if from a late brood, may over winter as a chrysalis. Others hibernate as adults throughout the winter. Because the larvae are sometimes attacked by tiny parasites, at times this may deplete populations.

The Painted-Lady, also known as the "Thistle Butterfly", is a common wide-spread species, following its equally wide-spread food plant, the thistle, throughout the world.

During favorable years the butterfly may be found in numbers throughout the state, but may be equally scarce the next year.

Tiny blue butterflies were found in abundance in a sunny dunes clearing. Lumped as Spring Azures they are found throughout the country.

There are many variations, but they all have a blue surface, the lower part ash-gray, more or less spotted with dark brown. Wings are not tailed.

Those observed quickly disappeared under a leaf. It is the larva that have an unusual relationship with ants that swarm around the slug-like little caterpillar to feast upon the sweet tasting liquid which the larvae secrete.

The caterpillars feed on a variety of plants such as dogwood and sumac, blueberry and nasturtiums.

If there aren't any in the back yard, reading about them is equally fascinating