El Dorado CNPS [discussion]

2010-02-28T13:02:00.000-08:00

A lucky day today; I found the first Sonoran Blues flying at Rock Creek Road. They may have been as many as two dozen individuals but how can I count them?

I also was quite happy to get my very first Sara Orangetip sitting for a photo! They fly by so fast but never seem to actually land. Today one did. I was so trying to get the shot that I didn't have a chance to adjust my flash, let alone get a good focus. Bummer.

2010-02-17T14:07:00.000-08:00

Finally! The year begins with a butterfly sighting: California tortoiseshells (Nymphalis californica) out in small numbers. I went out looking for Sonoran Blues, but found none; maybe in a week or two. There were scant few flowers to reward any early flyers.

A Little Too Early for Aspens

2009-10-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

9 Oct 09: Returning to Carson Pass and heading down into Hope Valley, I had expected to find that last weekend's snow had knocked the aspen leaves to the ground. Hah! I was more than surprised to find that not only were the leaves still in place, the actual color change hadn't really started in any big way.

The scene shown here was from Hope Valley, typically where the local aspen color starts looking its best. It was a nice bright day with temps around 65°, so actually it felt more like early September. In some ways I was disappointed that it wasn't more autumnal, but I had a beautiful drive, returning via Luther Pass to Hwy 50. It was pretty nice to see some decent color down around the slide area near the St. Pauli Inn, so all in all, a great day.

Visit Floralore.com.

First Local Snow of 2009

2009-10-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

3 October 09: A somewhat surprising Saturday with a decent first snowfall in the local mountains. I headed up Iron Mountain Road with a hope of getting to Carson Pass for some pictures of Round Top with snow.

It wasn't to be. I didn't even get to Leek Springs before the road was too slushy for me to feel comfortable in my little car with no snow tires.

I turned back, but stopped at a lower elevation to get a few pictures of the morning weather.

Does Anyone Want to Discuss Nature?

2009-10-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

My particular interest is learning about native plants, but most any part of Nature that I see while wandering will also catch my interest. In the past two years I have added butterflies to my list of reasons to head out with my camera, and I have had some success in finding a number of local species.

With learning to recognize plant families, I have also had some fun helping others with identifying interesting plants that they ask about. Mostly flowers, but sometimes a tree or shrub, as long as a photo shows a reasonable amount of specific characteristics, it is often possible to put them into a correct family, and with a little Google searching for a geographic area, sometimes a good guess at a species.

So I'm hoping to turn this snoozer of a "discussion" area into a place where anyone can comment or ask about native plants (distinguished from nursury plants), bugs and butterflies (moths too!), or critters of the forest. Post a photo. Ask a question. California topics are what I would hope for but the West in general is acceptable.

To pump this up I will now start using this as a travel blog, adding reports from any day trip I make to go see what's happening in the local Sierra.

First Local Butterflies of 2009!

2009-03-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

What fun. One of the butterflies I have wanted to find since seeing the images in my books is the Sonoran Blue (Philotes sonorensis). I was skeptical that I would see one in the Sierra foothills because the books suggest going to Anza-Borrego for an almost guaranteed sighting, but still, they are listed as showing up in a few spots this far north. These are early fliers and I held onto hope for a chance to find them.

Then I got a note that said many were flying near Auburn, specifically around where Hwy 49 crosses the North Fork of the American River. The note also said there were "a few" around Rock Creek Road on Hwy 193 near Chili Bar. I couldn't wait to go look. I drove out to the area, and while parking along the road for my first get-out-to-look stop, I saw a small blue bug flying by on the other side of the road. I grabbed my camera and walked over to wait for it to land, and when it did, I was staring at my first Sonoran Blue!

In fact I spend only half an hour walking around that same spot and saw many many of them. The air temp was probably around 65° and the day was perfect for flight. I was very pleased.

The only other species I saw yesterday were a few Propertius Duskywings (Erynnis propertius).

I had to go back today and look again. What a strange surprise! Today I saw only one Philotes but I saw many many of what I think were Lupine Blues (Plebejus lupini; they may have been Acmon...) and numerous Painted Ladies (Vanessa cardui). Heck, I even watched three Sara Orange-tips (Anthocharis sara sara) fly by, but none would park for a photo. Add one sighting of a bright yellow bug going by fast and I'll suppose it was an Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme) since there isn't anything else that color (at least commonly seen) that I can think of.

That makes a pretty good start for my year.

Visit my butterfly page on Floralore.com.

Looking for Spring...

2009-02-22T16:47:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting out the rain storms in NorCal and doing what I can to spruce up Floralore.com. With reports of several feet of snow higher up, and inches of rain here at 1700ft, I think it may bode well for a good start for seedlings and flowers. I drove down through Cameron Park today and noticed that the redbuds are starting to show faint signs of pink-tint buds. Another month or so and they will pop open.

I wonder if any butterflies will start to appear with the redbud? I don't expect anything around here for awhile, but I did get my first of the year while visiting Novato; a Mourning Cloak was visiting the pittesporum hedge in the backyard.

Rain predicted for the next solid week. I guess I'll catch up on some reading.

I'm Underwhelmed!

2008-06-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

Months have passed and not a single remark from anyone. Are there no people in the Sacramento area who are even just a little enthusiastic about butterflies? I joined one group that is based out of the Pacific Northwest because they said they included northern California. After many months it seems to be only Washington and Oregon. One person mentioned a vacation to Napa Valley and listed some bugs found there. Then I joined a national group and so far it's all dragonflies from the East!

This is a little disappointing.

Oh well, ... I'm having fun!

–Steve

A change in method...

2007-09-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

First, the change in method: I started this blog section because I wanted to try generating some discussion of butterflies. After several weeks it finally occurred to me to simply make this space a place to allow feedback from any of the pages from the Floralore site.
. . .

What a surprise! Yesterday was cloudy and threatening, then last night a quick but intense storm moved over the foothills with strong wind and hard rain for 30 minutes or more. Then this morning, the sky was clear and blue, making for a promising day for a Sierra hike.
Just yesterday I spent some time with a friend to show her how to use a GPS. She and a friend of hers are going to try for Red Lake Peak today. This Carson Pass 10,000' summit is a great place for views that extend from Lake Tahoe to the north and Yosemite's Minarets to the south. Presuming that there may have been a little snow above 7000' from that storm, this should still be a great day to go look out over the landscape.
The GPS went on the trip because I know that the cross-country travel up the slope will make it hard to keep track of just where "up" is, so a waypoint will keep them aware of just where they should be heading!
[Read about GPS on Floralore.com]

--Steve

Strange Coincidence...

2007-08-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

After a couple of Sierra trips that produced no new sightings, and only a few butterflies at all, I just finished telling somebody that I guess the season has wound down and that I'd have to start planning for a trip to the coast to see the monarchs.

This morning, as I sat here in my office talking on the phone, I saw an orange butterfly bouncing around over some flowers at the edge of the parking lot. I picked up my camera and, still talking on the phone, went out to see what I had? I could hardly believe my eyes: it was a monarch, come to see me!

Even as I continued answering questions on the phone, my autofocus Nikon did the job as I tried to get a shot with the wings open. I snapped a few before the bug went off for another nectar source, and I was pretty surprised by this event. I should have told the customer I'd call them back!

Can you identify this moth?

2007-08-17T08:07:00.001-07:00

Photographed at about 7000' in the red-fir forest along Iron Mountain Road, this appears to be a Large Lace Border (Scopula limboundata), but it is confusingly similar to a Plain Wave (Idaea straminata). To see a larger image, click on the image.

To see other recent butterfly photos from El Dorado County, go to the Butterfly Gallery on Floralore.com.

Including Pictures

2007-08-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

Talking about butterflies will be enhanced if you will include a photo of the subject. This is a Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides).

Shall We Discuss NorCal Butterflies?

2007-08-07T14:58:00.000-07:00

Are you interested in identifying the butterflies found around El Dorado County? Whether you're totally new to this activity or maybe a long-time fan, I thought it would be nice to have a space to share comments and pictures.
Disclaimer: I'm only just discovering the fun of butterfly photography, and while I can't answer questions, the hope would be that others will come along who want to share their knowledge. Northern California, from Point Reyes to Carson Pass, and points north to Shasta and south to Yosemite,...all fair territory.

I will introduce myself as Steve, author of my own site, Floralore.com, which started out as a site to explore native plants of El Dorado County, CA, but has grown to include information about habitats and fauna that relate to the flora.

As you will see on my site, I have recently started learning to identify the butterflies, and while August may be a bit late in the year, there are some species that will only just now start to fly in places like Hope Valley and other areas on the east side of Carson Pass.
As you can see on my Butterfly Gallery page, I have "discovered" about two dozen species in just a few weeks, and I anticipate many more as Autumn comes on.

So far, with just a few books and some help from a friend, I have managed to get a photo of an uncommon species (California Crescent, Phyciodes orseis herlani), and a photo of a Ruddy Copper (shown, left) flying at an unexpected elevation (10,000' at Saddlebag Lake). In other words, it so happens that right into the mix an amateur can contribute information that may be useful to others. That is, after all, the fun of getting to know the plants and critters.

This is an experiment! Will others find this blog and choose to participate? I hope so. That's why I started this "extra addition" to my own site: it allows for your participation.

Please do.

–Steve