Interactive Butterfly CD
Butterflies of the
Carolinas & Virginias

I expected to be on my own on Saturday since Roger had work in Miami and nobody had contacted me. I left Miami at 5:30 AM hoping to beat the traffic on US1 returning to the Florida Keys. Once I got to Key Largo I stopped for breakfast and got a call on my cell phone from Dean Reynolds in Miami and we arranged to meet at Blue Hole in Big Pine Key at 9:30 AM.

I made it to Big Pine Key just before 8:30 AM and hoped to find Nickerbean Blues and/or Bartrams Scrub-Hairstreak. I wasn't able to locate either species but did get to see 2 Key Deer bucks and took photos of a Hammock Skipper. Dean was late because of traffic and I expected he would be so I just hung around till he showed up just before 11 AM.

We walked Big Pine Key some more and headed to Cactus Hammock hoping we would find Dean a Martial Scrub-Hairstreak, no luck either. We did walk out to the ocean and found huge clumps as big as cars of a flower we didn`t know that was covered in Great Southern Whites, Mangrove Buckeyes and Southern Broken Dashs. Dean spots a huge very orange sulphur trying to lay eggs on a Cassia species. I get photos of it very quickly as it quickly perches, my impression it was either a female Large Orange Sulphur or female Orange-Barred Sulphur, the film is still in my camera.... We leave and get on US1 again and I pulled over to show Dean over 100 Barred Yellows in the grass right along to highway.

Ok I`m thinking Dean has so far missed all the good stuff so we decide to try Bahia Honda State Park to look for Miami Blues. Now it`s hot and the Spanish needles aren't as nice as they were two days ago and the butterflies are harder to find also. We check every blue we see first a ceraunus then a cassius.. Then a Hammock Skipper flies by. Then we see a blue that`s a bit worn and we watch it flutter for minutes till it perches, I check it with binoculars and determine its a Miami Blue at least I`m 95% sure. We walk down the trail another 40 foot and see another blue, this one allows a decent look and photos with my film camera and yes it`s a Miami Blue female judging for a dorsal view we get. Dean decides the mid 80s heat is too much and decides to go home already having had a great day.

I decide to check more of Bahia Honda by myself and right off find a Martial Scrub-Hairstreak (sorry Dean), then several Mallow Scrub-Hairstreaks nearly all tailless unlike two days ago. Then I decided to check the park`s butterfly garden and find at least 15 courting Mallow Scrub-Hairstreaks that are very fresh and displaying with open wings! Could it get any better? Well I decide to make one last try at the Miami Blues and find a much fresher female and manage to get excellent dorsal shots with my D30 digital camera! Headed back to Miami sun burnt and very happy with the day I had and new friend made.

Here;s the List for Monroe County Florida 01-26-2002

Giant Swallowtail (2)
Great Southern White (60+)
Cloudless Sulphur (1)
Orange-barred Sulphur (1) Photo will tell?
Large Orange Sulphur (25)
Barred Yellow (120+)
Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak (20+)
Martial Scrub-Hairstreak (1)
Eastern Pygmy Blue (100+)
Cassius Blue (4)
Ceraunus Blue (4)
Miami Blue (3)
Gulf Fritillary (30+)
Zebra helicon (30+)
Mangrove Buckeye (40+)
Queen (4)
Mangrove Skipper (1)
Hammock Skipper (2)
Dorantes Longtail (4)
Florida Duskywing (3)
Fiery Skipper (8)
Southern Broken Dash (20)
Sachem (6)
Obscure Skipper (1)

Back to Day 1(Everglades National Park)


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Key Deer (buck) from Big Pine Key.

Hammock Skipper, polygonus leo from Big Pine Key.
Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak, Strymon columella
from Bahia Honda State Park
Female Miami Blue, Hemiargus thomasi
from Bahia Honda State Park.
Female Miami Blue, Hemiargus thomasi
from Bahia Honda State Park.

All above photos were taken on January 26, 2002
in the Florida Keys. Monroe County Florida

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