Tiger Swallowtails of NY: Finger Lakes, Part II

[eurytides]

I hear you on the lack of time issue Chuck. Take care of your home and family. I hope there aren’t any more bumps in the road. Also, I hope your brand new deck wasn’t damaged!

[Chuck]

I hope there aren’t any more bumps in the road. Also, I hope your brand new deck wasn’t damaged!

The irony, and I do have to laugh while crying, is that the storm created a new drainage path which is right into the basement window...which is under the deck which took me 4 weeks to restore and is only 18" high at the house, so some of the decking has to come up.

There are always bumps in the road. "I can't wait until..."

I get a part time job, then I won't be poor anymore
I can drive, so I'll have freedom
I graduate college and can make big money
I can buy a house of my own and be my own king
The kids are out of the house and we're free
Mom and Dad don't need the care as they age
I can retire and be free

All along the road of life there are bumps. We often look for that great ray of sunlight right around the corner, when life is easy. Yet somehow, the sun comes, then the storms, and we never really have it easy. There may be a perfect day, maybe even a perfect week, but there is no perfect year.

The optimist waits eagerly to overcome that "final" hurdle.

The pessimist knows there's always another train around the bend.

The realist realizes today isn't so bad, and you don't get it back; don't wait for the easy life to enjoy life.

[Chuck]

16july2024: storms all day. Lucky for us the tornados hit Rome NY instead of us again.

17july2024: all day rain.

18july2024. 73F/22C, mostly cloudy, breezy
4 observed, one fresh M captured. missed a fresh F. The F and other 2 observed stayed in the trees. This was my primary study hilltop, which did get the downpours and wind, but not the hail. No apparent damage to hilltop plants. P troilus more common, Speyeria common.

Checked a couple other fields w/ the yellow cup plant, still only 10% bloom. Fields with Teasel as well. Nothing.

[adamcotton]

one fresh M captured

Is this also MST?

Adam.

[Chuck]

one fresh M captured

Is this also MST?

Adam.

Yes Sir, yesterday's male captured is MST. From early July, COI says everything in our area (likely all of Finger Lakes) is MST. That said, I've been unable to determine why there seems to be a decrease in the population in late July, followed by a population explosion in early August. Until there is a more thorough genetic analysis of these Tigers they'll all be lumped under "MST"(I'm not inferring there is another taxon, but it's possible that MST has two back-to-back univoltine flights- other taxa do.)

In most of southern Ontario Canada it's a simple dichotomy- they have canadensis and then MST. Around the Toronto area it gets more complex, with canadensis, MST, and glaucus all within a very small area.

In our area it's really a train wreck. Ranging from the warmer lakeshore near Rochester, east along the lakeshore and wrapping around the end of the lake, and then down to Pennsylvania there's warm shore, cold shore, low-level farmland and mountains...all within two hours from my home.

Within this area is reported canadensis, Spring Form, MST, and glaucus. On glaucus, there are no black form females, and while some specimens have COI as glaucus it's no doubt heavily interbred with canadensis.

Where I live, 70km south of Lake Ontario we have Spring Form. Not canadensis, though the flight periods are the same. 70km due north around Sodus Bay on Lake Ontario I call it Spring Form though they are much smaller and universally paler, and easily confused with canadensis which they are NOT (well, at least not pure canadensis.) I cannot imagine they are anything more than hybrid between Spring Form and canadensis.

Working east 60km along the lakeshore from Sodus Bay and around the end of the lake up to eurytides' Kingston there must be a transition zone from hybrid Spring Form/ canadensis to pure canadensis. I do not know where this is. Fortunately, I just located a private collection from that transition area that may help define it.

We know that 300km due east of my location (Adirondack mountains, not Finger Lakes) canadensis occurs. I don't know if there is a hybrid Spring Form/ canadensis zone somewhere in between, though it would make sense.

Of course, we don't know what Spring Form in Finger Lakes is either. We don't know if it's the same as Spring Form in Virginia. We don't know if Finger Lakes Spring Form is closer to glaucus or canadensis or MST. And, of course, with obvious hybridization it's hard to put things into boxes.

Ecological zones on mountains are relatively easy to comprehend. But we're seeing the same thing around Lake Ontario, which is largely rectangular. With cities at each corner (Toronto NW, Buffalo SW, Kingston NE, Watertown SE) the weather each experiences is markedly different: Toronto v. Buffalo- Toronto is colder in winter than Buffalo, but Buffalo gets snow; Kingston v. Watertown- Kingston gets colder a bit, but Watertown gets tons more snow, is slow to warm in summer, and gets extremely violent summer storms. The north shore (Ontario- Toronto to Kingston) is cooler in winter than the south shore (Buffalo to Watertown) but prevailing NW winds over the lake keeps the south shore much cooler in spring and summer [canadensis emerges in Ontario before Spring Form emerges on the south shore]. Scriber and others have published extensive studies on Tigers and seasonal high/low temperatures in the area, but no mention has been made of snowfall or moderation/ delay of warmer weather in spring.

So the complexities around Lake Ontario are extensive, and south and southeast you throw in low mountains. In the Finger Lakes area these "mountains" have 60km long N-S lakes, the west shore which is moderate but prone to flash flooding, and the east shore which gets hammered by snow in winter and sun baked in summer. So where any particular taxon/ form/ whatever may occur, perhaps islanded, is variable and really undefined.

[Chuck]

19july2024: 71F/ 22C cloudy, breezy
1 observed

I didn't go to the field today, too much work for too little payoff on a day like this. Lazy citizen scientist.

Did see one driving through the village, it ran into my vehicle and few off.

[Chuck]

20-21july2024: 80F sunny, no rain
1 observed in Wayne Co, I did not go afield.

22july2024: 84F/29C, sunny.
3 observed: 1F (worn) on Bergamot; 2 fighting a while in forest, primary hilltop. Where are they? I checked the Teasel and Yellow Cup Plant fields, nothing. This low count would jive with with a drop in population in late July that I've observed previous years; we will see.

Also captured a large fresh P cresphontes, the first I've ever seen in NY nectaring (on Bergamot) in a field.

[Chuck]

23july24: didn't go out, rained in afternoon.

24july24: 82F/28C, partly sunny T storm looming
Observed 5, capture 3 (1M 2F all on Bergamot) the two I didn't catch were on the forest edge; those I did catch exhibited the End-of-Bergamot-Blues: hopping 10m again and again to find a bloom they like.

This week reflects the same week of 2023, and I copy/paste: "But I checked the Teasel fields, and the Cup Plant field, nothing. Where are they?? This day last year [2022] was the second-highest capture of 2022. Where are they? Where did they go?"

But if this year follows past years, this week's low will be followed by next week's increase. However I'll not be afield then.

Only saw a few troilus, both M and F, which is way down from the 2022 population explosion.

[Chuck]

Wondering where these MST are feeding and if there is indeed a drop in population, I looked at iNaturalist.

Since July 11 there are only 17 observations of Tigers in NY state north of the 42nd parallel (NY/PA border) and they seem to be nectaring on "whatever."

Interestingly, in NY south of the 42nd (i.e., NYC area) there are plenty of iNat observations, and they (1) look like glaucus and (2) are nectaring on Butterfly Bush. We have BB up here, but I don't see them on it, and there's no photos of them on it.

Hibiscus is well in bloom, but I don't see Tigers on that either; in my experience mid-August is when they really hit the Hibiscus. Why? I dunno.

One more note from iNat, there's a good photo of a Tiger from the Buffalo area that sure looks like glaucus https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/231052630

[Chuck]

25july2024: 73F/23C, partly cloudy; winds to 15knots; cold front.
Observed 4 (perhaps only 3), captured 2F

Took the decoy up, placed in field, nothing. Moved it next to the forest just before clouds came in, nothing.

Both females captured on Bergamot, the uncaptured (whether it was the same one or two?) flying on forest edge.

Once the dark low clouds came in poof no more butterflies.

This may have been my last day on the primary hill; if I go tomorrow that will be the last day. Ever. I'm off elsewhere for a while, when I get back they'll be on the Cup Plants. Next year we won't live here. Somewhat melancholy.

[Chuck]

26july24: Wayne County; three observed

27july24: Cayuga Co, lakeshore. Four observed, flying about.

28july24: Cayuga County. Four observed, one M captured. This was literally on the shoreline of the lake; a rare calm day allowed us to use a small motorboat to travel east along the shore to reach remote stone beaches.

Talk about good luck- as we approached one beach my wife pointed out a Tiger Swallowtail feeding on the beach. Of course, I had my net in the boat. Though the Tiger was only 6 meters away, I couldn't just jump out and run ashore, the bottom is cobblestone and pretty much guaranteed to bust a toe or ankle, so first I had to don my shoes. Then, I went to pull the Bioquip National Park Special out of the fanny pack, and the net bag was stuck in the zipper- that's a first! Dammit! I did finally get ashore and dropped the net over the Tiger, and of course (as I now anticipate) it dropped and tried to go under the net ring- they don't fly up. While I was processing the specimen my wife reported three more flew overhead. I walked the beach but saw no more puddling.



29july-03Aug 2024: toward the most northerly part of New York state, Jefferson Co. and St. Lawrence Co. Saw a few Tigers every day, none alighted. However, Giant Swallowtails were abundant; surprising for this far north.

[Chuck]

Spent the last two weeks on the road. Returned home finally, and a stormy cold front has arrived so no local field work will be possible for the next few days.

I spent the last week in KY and grabbed a number of Papilio glaucus, some of which had interesting markings. They're on ice right now, so as I get time I'll get into more detail.

Given that this was August, the Bergamot is long finished blooming. Oddly- and I've written on this before- some of the Milkweed is still full bloom, while here that ended a month ago. Still, I saw nothing on the Milkweed. Some of the Tall Ironweed was still blooming, but I saw few Tigers on that; most were on some white flower I have to ID, followed by Thistle.

Interestingly, while in July 2023 the dark morph females greatly outnumbered the yellow females, last week (August 2024) the yellow morph was far more common- probably 80% plus. Has anyone ever noted or read about the proportion of dark morph females changing seasonally?

[Chuck]

Has anyone ever noted or read about the proportion of dark morph females changing seasonally?

OK, so I had a chance to pull my recent KY Papilio glaucus off ice. One thing I noticed is all the dark morph females are flight worn. Some of the yellow females are freshly emerged.

I do recall a study that demonstrated that dark morph females are more prone to predation by birds. That might explain the flip-flop in ratios from July 2023- IF none had emerged lately; but why then did I see so few fresh dark morph females? It's almost like the yellow females continue to emerge but the dark morph are not.

[Chuck]

Returning to behavior, but not of Papilio glaucus, but rather Papilio troilus and Battus philenor.

July 2023 all three species were in great quantity nectaring on Bergamot. They acted as one would expect- glaucus and troilus landing on flowers, with philenor fluttering while nectaring. They all seemed primarily focused on nectaring except the male philenor which were harassing all dark females of all three species.

August 2024 the glaucus acted like glaucus. However, both troilus and philenor acted more like Limenitis arthemis astyanax (which were also common): blasting around at high speed, chasing each other, looking for fights; both were nectaring in the style typical of philenor, that is. fluttering while feeding from the side of the bloom.

L. a. astyanax stayed primarily along the forest, though accounted for perhaps 5% of the dark butterflies blasting through the field. In all, it was very difficult to differentiate between astyanax, troilus, and philenor based on flight behavior, and also difficult to differentiate between troilus and philenor based on nectaring behavior.

In all, I found the behavior of troilus and philenor to be unusual and I have no explanation.

[Chuck]

22Aug24: 21C, mostly sunny. Cup Plant field. Zero observed.

Last few days were very stormy and cool.


^^ copy/ paste from same day one year ago, all I did was lower the temperature a few degrees. It almost seems that weather patterns are a lot more predictable than we consider.

[Chuck]

26aug24: One observed; Wayne Co., lakeshore. 73F/23C mostly sunny.

[Chuck]

27aug24: One observed at Cup Plant patch. 85F/23C. The Tiger was very light, meaning old and worn. Following horribly cold (highs 63F/17C) and stormy days early last week the weather has slowly improved. Surely, there was sufficient time now to eclose a new batch of Tigers; but this is not the case. We do know, thanks to @eurytides, that MST can dipause two winters.

So it looks like the MST in Finger Lakes region of NY have hung it up. With that, I hang up my NY field work and have tossed the well-seasoned field clothing into the washer.

That marks 112 days (elapsed) for Tiger Swallowtail field work in 2024. That's 101 days from first to last Tiger Swallowtail in the Finger Lakes region, during which there was not a week without some Tiger (or another?) being present; this is notable because some areas, or maybe most, with multiple taxa have a period between the different flights, making it easier to differentiate between taxa.

[Cabintom]

Just came across this paper: "Determination of a New Spring-flying Species of the Pterourus glaucus Complex (Papilionidae) in Southern New England" https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/view ... ext=taxrpt

[bobw]

Already posted at viewtopic.php?t=1811.

[adamcotton]

Cabintom,

See the thread
viewtopic.php?t=1811
where there is a lot of interesting discussion about this paper and related issues.

Adam.