Post by trehopr1 on Jul 31, 2017 15:46:24 GMT
Yesterday, I drove out to a field located 45 min. west from where I live. It was a field which I stumbled upon while hiking last year with family. At the time, and of coarse without net I noticed a specimen of the Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) pollinating a species of small purple flower which was only present here and there in the field. Unfortunately, with that being my last day there I never got back immediately to catch anything. A little over a week later when I re-visited the locale the field had been mowed over and my hopes of collecting cresphontes mowed over as well.
Of the 6 species of swallowtail which can be collected here in Illinois; cresphontes for me has always remained the most elusive of all. It is a species which is mostly found in the far western counties of the state along the Mississippi. Although, it does occur along the far northern counties bordering Wisconsin. Fellow collectors I've talked with have never seen it puddling like our other species; but we are sure it does. Sighting are singular individuals and usually on the wing which pretty much makes them an impossible capture -- unless at flower.
After leaving the car, I went to this field and was pleasantly surprised by the sight of 2 flowering cresphontes right before me ! All told I spent 2.5 hours at the field; during which I sighted a total of 9 cresphontes. The species appears to just now be hatching out on the 2nd brood as most looked very fresh. I managed to catch 5 of them and further released a sixth one as I knocked off one of it's tails trying to nab it ! There were "lulls in the action" of up to 25 min. before another was sighted. I hope to visit the field again before it gets mowed over.
I felt almost as exhilarated as A.R.Wallace did collecting his beloved O. crocus. And for a moment during a lull I looked over at a nearby tree line and thought of I.R. Heslop maneuvering his long net for that Iris capture.
Of the 6 species of swallowtail which can be collected here in Illinois; cresphontes for me has always remained the most elusive of all. It is a species which is mostly found in the far western counties of the state along the Mississippi. Although, it does occur along the far northern counties bordering Wisconsin. Fellow collectors I've talked with have never seen it puddling like our other species; but we are sure it does. Sighting are singular individuals and usually on the wing which pretty much makes them an impossible capture -- unless at flower.
After leaving the car, I went to this field and was pleasantly surprised by the sight of 2 flowering cresphontes right before me ! All told I spent 2.5 hours at the field; during which I sighted a total of 9 cresphontes. The species appears to just now be hatching out on the 2nd brood as most looked very fresh. I managed to catch 5 of them and further released a sixth one as I knocked off one of it's tails trying to nab it ! There were "lulls in the action" of up to 25 min. before another was sighted. I hope to visit the field again before it gets mowed over.
I felt almost as exhilarated as A.R.Wallace did collecting his beloved O. crocus. And for a moment during a lull I looked over at a nearby tree line and thought of I.R. Heslop maneuvering his long net for that Iris capture.
