The Butterfly season begins.

Warning! Viewing these photos could make you earnestly long for spring and strike out for early season butterflying.  Sane people do not look for butterflies in winter coat weather.  Now that we have established a definition of sane, we know that my friends and I fall through that crack.

Henry's Elfin, Callophrys henrici

 So who is Henry, and why does he rate a butterfly? That I do not know.

We do know it is one of our earliest butterflies, it is no bigger than a dime, and tends to be southern in Ohio.  It is common, locally.  Which means you can see numerous Henry's, if you find one.  You should look for them where you find naturally occurring stands of Eastern Redbud.

The bud on Eastern Redbud

 Henry's lay their eggs on the buds of Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis.  The adults emerge in time to mate and lay eggs on the flower buds. Butterflies emergence is not timed with the calendar as much as it is timed with phenology, or the blooming of plants.  The Redbuds are late to bloom this year, and you can bet the Henry's are perfectly timed with them.  That is how nature works.

Male Falcate Orange-tip, Anthocharis midea

 Falcate Orange-tip is of the butterfly Family Pieridae (the whites and yellows.)

This early spring emergent is a feast for the eyes, at least the boldly marked males are.

Female Falcate Organe-tip

 The females could be easily overlooked.  They are smaller versions of a Common Cabbage White, with an odd mottled coloring to their hindwings.

Mated Falcate Orange-tips, Male left, female right

Both male and female have the mottled underwing, but you will rarely see it.  In fact, this is the only time I have photographed the underwing.  It is difficult, if not down right impossible to get decent photographs of this hyper-active species.  The cold weather worked in our favor; these poor butterflies were moving in slow motion due to the chilly temps.

It is a rarity to find butterfly seekers in cold weather gear, but here we are: the Ohio Lepidopterists' sub-group called B.O.G. (Butterfly Observers Group.)  We watch, photograph, document and celebrate butterflies.

But we never, never pin.   Wishing you a great day in the field, even when you have to wear a jacket!

In Which Tree?

If you have ever found yourself birding with friends who are unable to competently state the location of a bird... you might relate to this little animated film by Laura Kammermeier.

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Laura is friend and past OOS Board member with many talents: web design, blogger extraordinaire, travel-meister, and now a cartoonist as well! Awesome.

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Anyway, you will want to see how she addresses the problem of a friend who can only say, "Over there. In that tree."

Do they all look the same to you?

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All the more reason for a little dendrology. Be kind to your botanical friends, and let's start with the basics. Is it an evergreen or deciduous tree? Winter tree with leaves? Probably an oak, or possibly a young beech. White and green flaky bark, growing along a river? Try sycamore.

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Tree identification is not only handy for locating and sharing birds (which are excessively fond of trees, I might add.) Trees greatly enhance our lives, and not just as lumber, paper or mulch.

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Eastern Redbud, Shawnee Forest

Think about the sap flowing in sugar maples this week and the tasty syrup you like to pour on pancakes. Or what about those beautiful spring-flowering trees- like Eastern Redbud?

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If you ever wanted to learn more about trees, especially some of the specialty species in southern Ohio, Jim McCormac has just the program for you. He'll be the kick off speaker for Flora-Quest, with another educational and entertaining program, 'The Forest from the Trees: Woody Players in a Sylvan Sea.'

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Trees won't all seem the same after Jim gives you the low-down. You might even begin to recognize the forest by its trees! Hope to see you there!