Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve: Butterfly Crossing

Sarah Orange Tip

Common Ringlet

We first went to Penesquitos last week. It was around 5PM but there were still western tiger swallowtails, Sarah orange tips, mourning cloaks, whites and blues about. Last Sunday, Rowshan went by himself earlier in the day and reported a butterfly tree. He took a photo of a butterfly I we hadn't noticed before, the common ringlet (Coenonympha tullia). He’d even seen a butterfly lay an egg. He took me there today. 

Lorquin's Admiral

California Sister

Umber Skipper

The butterfly tree was off a path leading to a grave. Almost instantly we caught sight of a Lorquin’s admiral (Limenitis lorquini) and a California sister (Adelpha bredowii). One perched in a tree and the other on a shrub next to it. But soon one chased the other away. At first glance California sisters and Lorquin's admirals look the same. In fact, it wasn't until I looked at the photos that I realized they were different. The orange spot on the California sister's wings is separated from the edge of the wing by a border. On the Lorquin's admiral's wings it stretches to the edge of the wing. The underside of the wings also looks different. A mourning cloak perched on the white fence around the grave. A white flashed by as well. At the foot of the butterfly tree, a skipper landed on a small plant. It also flew off then returned. Skippers are a bit overwhelming for me to identify but I think this one is an umber skipper (Poanes melane) due to the way the spots on the wings look Next to main path there was a patch of flowers. A mourning cloak had staked them out as its territory. Next to the stream, another mourning cloak had claimed a willow tree. 

California Buckwheat

Penasquitos has a patch of California buckwheat marked with a sign. I eagerly looked for all the butterflies that are supposed to love California buckwheat but didn’t find any.