Observation date: July 25, 2017
Submitted by: RMusgr
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: Sighted in gravel area near a small parking lot for an exurban wildlife management and wetlands area northwest of Washington, DC along the Potomac River. The area is a mixture of managed cornfields and other crops, as well as hundreds of acres of sunflowers grown as a tourist attraction for hikers and photographers who visit each year. The puddles along the maintenance roads attract small groups of butterflies, and this specimen was resting in the shade between the parking lot and one of the long trails leading to the sunflowers. Most of the time I observed it, it kept its wings closed, but occasionally it would open them as in the photograph, and hold this position for about 15 seconds. Today's weather was relatively cool for July, with a temperature only in the mid-80s after a cooling rain last night and heavy clouds this morning. This is the first observation of this species I have ever made after six decades of observing butterflies in Virginia and Maryland.
Status: Resident
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: November 06, 2021
Coordinator notes: None.
