Speaking of Nature: Bouncing through the grass: The flight window for the northern pearly-eye is July
It is now “full summer” and, as many others might be tempted to do, I have gone on my first camping trip of the year. To be honest, it was more like a “glamping” trip. My brother has a new camp up in northern Maine and my sister traveled north to enjoy a sort of camping reunion. There were no spouses, no pets, and no responsibilities other than relaxing and having fun. My brother installed a wonderful array of solar panels, which gave us access to electricity. Only the absence of running water made this anything remotely related to camping.
The big attraction for the camp is access to a virtually pristine lake. Ninety percent of the shoreline remains untouched by humanity and has been given conservation status. The water is tinted brown by the tannins that leach out of the spruce and fir needles that carpet the forest floor and we saw common loons (Gavia immer) on a daily basis. To make a long story short, the place is simply gorgeous.
Fortunately, my brother has a small boat with a new, well-tuned engine that allowed us to move very slowly and quietly (relatively speaking) along the shore of the lake. While I was there I managed to take about 3,500 photos and that will take me quite a while to sort through and organize. But among those thousands of images there is one at the very beginning of the first day that just screams to be featured in one of my columns. So, here it is.
The northern pearly-eye is a member of the Satyr subfamily. Quoting directly from the book “Butterflies Through Binoculars: The East,” the Satyr group is described as “a group of brown, medium-sized butterflies with a characteristically bouncy flight. They tend to remain low and weave among the grasses and sedges that are their caterpillar food plants.” Another entry in the species’ account suggests that you, “Look for this elegant satyr near the end of the day in the dappled light of dirt roads and trails through rocky damp woodlands ... in the vicinity of brooks and other water sources.” One final note was the fact that this butterfly often alights on trees.
Well, that description of habits could not have been any more perfect as a general description of the habitat I was visiting when I found this particular individual perched on the trunk of a cedar tree. I captured this particular image on my way down to the boat, but three hours later, when we returned from our expedition, the butterfly was still in the same basic place doing the same basic things. I combed through all of the pearly-eye photos that I took that day and this one is the best.
Unlike the question mark Butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis) that I featured two weeks ago, the northern pearly-eye is a species that produces but one generation per year. Also, the adults are striking when their wings are closed (rather than open) and this gives the best view of the field marks that will allow you to identify the species.
Most prominent are the “eyespots” that line the margins of the forewings and hindwings. There are many members of the satyrs and nymphs that can be found in our area, but none have the number of large eyespots that the northern pearly-eye has. All of these spots have a gold outer ring, filled with black. Most of the spots then also contain a small white dot at their centers. But perhaps the most distinctive mark is the lowest double spot at the bottom of the hindwing, which contains two white dots and is almost heart-shaped.
The trick to finding one of these beauties is to be in the right place at the right time. Fortunately, this is the right time of year. Even more fortunate is the fact that the right place is a grassy area next to a lake with a wooded shoreline. Many places pop to mind, but the one that shines the brightest is Laurel Lake at the Erving State Forest. For readers closer to the Berkshires there is plenty of opportunity at either North Pond or South Pond at the Savoy State Forest.
In this particular situation it turns out that speed is of the essence. The flight window for the northern pearly-eye is July. There is a very slight chance that you might see one of these guys in the beginning of August, but the height of their flight time is right now, so get out if you can. Even if you don’t manage to find this specific butterfly, there are so many others that fit into the “brown with some spots on the underwings” model that you are likely to find something of interest.
July is a long, wonderful month that holds a special place in the hearts of all teachers. It is the only month of the year when there is no school and there seems to be no limit on the possibilities of what pursuits to engage in. So, for the rest of the summer I am going to focus on the plants and animals (specifically insects) that can be found in lakes, ponds, and bogs. Even the birds are on vacation for a while, but I promise to bring them back in the fall.
Bill Danielson has been a professional writer and nature photographer for 28 years. He has worked for the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, the Nature Conservancy and the Massachusetts State Parks and he currently teaches high school biology and physics. For more in formation visit his website at www.speakingofnature.com, or go to Speaking of Nature on Facebook.
Daily Hampshire Gazette
