Tag: butterflies of Eliza Howell Park
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Giant Swallowtail: # 17 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
Leonard Weber May 15, 2023 It is always a pleasure to watch a Giant Swallowtail in Eliza Howell Park. It is the largest butterfly here, with a 6-inch wingspan. Most years, it can be seen from time to time in the park, especially in late July and early August. It is not common or numerous…
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Tawny Emperor: # 16 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
Leonard Weber April 26, 2023 Tawny Emperor, a butterfly with a 2-inch wingspan, is not one of the most common butterflies of Eliza Howell Park. In a typical year, however, it can be seen occasionally from late June to August. It is quite irresistible, especially when it is positioned with the wings open. Tawny Emperors…
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Eastern Tailed-Blue: # 15 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
Leonard Weber April 22, 2023 It is a tiny blue butterfly, but the blue disappears when it alights and closes its wings. This description fits a couple of different butterfly species that are present in Eliza Howell Park, but the one featured here is Eastern Tailed-Blue. It is the little blue butterfly seen most often…
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Common Wood-Nymph: # 14 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
Leonard Weber April 11, 2023 Common Wood-Nymph is in the same family as Little Wood-Satyr, # 6 in this series. They are present sequentially in Eliza Howell Park. Little Wood-Satyr is seen in May and June; Common Wood-Nymph is present from late June until late August. Common Wood-Nymph has a wingspan of about 2 and…
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Pearl Crescent: # 13 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
Leonard Weber March 31, 2023 The Pearl Crescent is a small orange and black butterfly that flies in Eliza Howell Park from the middle of May into September. Perhaps because of its size (wingspan of 1 1/2 inches), it does not seem to get the attention some other common butterflies get. There are sometimes differences…
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Black Swallowtail: # 12 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
Leonard Weber March 22, 2023 Black Swallowtail is one butterfly that I can usually count on seeing frequently in Eliza Howell Park from mid-May to mid-September. Over the last 10 years, the average date of my first sighting of the year here has been May 18. It is a large butterfly, with a wingspan of…
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Common Buckeye: # 11 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
The Common Buckeye is not “common” in Michigan in the sense of numerous, but I usually see one or more each year in Eliza Howell Park in Detroit And it is definitely not “common” in the sense of uninteresting or ordinary. Seeing one is always a special occasion. The Common Buckeye is called “common” as…
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Mourning Cloak: # 10 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
Leonard Weber March 8, 2023 The Mourning Cloak is one of the earliest butterflies of the year, often the very first. And it probably has the longest adult lifespan of all North American butterflies. I usually see the first Mournibg Cloak in Eliza Howell Park in April, but have seen one as early as March…
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Red Admiral: # 9 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
The Red Admiral is another butterfly present every year in Eliza Howell Park that is attractive and easy to spot. When it visits flowers, it often lets watchers and photographers get quite close. It will nectar with the wings open as well as with wings closed. The wingspan is about 2 inches. Their season in…
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Common Checkered-Skipper: # 8 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
It is called “common” and frequent visitors to Eliza Howell Park can expect to see it several time from late May into September, but the Common Checkered-Skipper is not as numerous as many of the others in this series. It is a small butterfly, with a wingspan of about 1 1/2 inches. As the only…
Eliza Howell Nature Walk 