One Mourning in March

More warm air temperatures = more butterfly sightings.  Today (8 March 2026) I was in Cotati and came across a few Mourning Cloaks (Nymphalis antiopa), example above, and a couple of Pipevine Swallowtails (Battus philenor). 

Basking and nectaring

   

Air temperatures reached at least the high 60s in Bodega Bay today (7 March 2026).  I started seeing butterflies zipping by in the morning, so I went out after lunch for a short walk and took a few photos.

California Tortoiseshells (Nymphalis californica) were the most common butterflies I saw today (photo above), but I also noticed quite a few Margined Whites (Pieris marginalis) and at least one Western Pine Elfin (Incisalia eryphon).

Many of the tortoiseshells were nectaring on willow catkins:

 

 

West Coast from above and below

  

Air temperatures reached a balmy 65-70°F in Cotati yesterday (1 February 2026).  I took a quick look for butterflies in the afternoon.  Here's a West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella) from above (above) and from below (below).  :)

 

 

Warming up in the sun

  

I helped out with the Western Sonoma County Christmas Bird Count today (28 December 2025).  It was a very calm and warm day at the coast, with air temperatures reaching at least 56°F (13°C) and perhaps even higher.  (I think it's my first Christmas Bird Count wearing a t-shirt for part of the day!)  

Although it was a nice day for birding, I also saw quite a few insects — a half a dozen bumblebees, at least 4-5 butterflies, and possibly one dragonfly.  Some of the butterflies flew by too quickly for an i.d., but at least two of them were Red Admirals (Vanessa atalanta) basking in the sun. 

Satyrs and dragons

  

 Satyr Anglewing (Polygonia satyrus)

 

 

 

Close-up of a California Darner (Rhionaeschna californica)

 

Both photos from Cotati on 4 May 2025

 

May beauty!

  

Wow!  When Claire started to ask me if I could help with a moth i.d. today (1 May 2025), I had no idea she would be taking me to see this beautiful Ceonothus Silkmoth (Hyalophora euryalus)!

Claire and Emma spotted this amazing moth while they were eating lunch.  It was cool at the coast today and the moth was very still, so we were able to get some nice photos.

Here's a close-up of her very fuzzy body, including the wonderful striped pattern on her abdomen:

 

 

 

Eric captured a nice view of the markings along the wing margins:

 

 

 

 

Zooming in, it just gets better:

 

 

 

 

And here's the apex of the forewing, with pretty rose-pink coloring and the oval spot with its little crescent moon:

 

 

 

 

You can even see the scales making up the oval spot:

 

 

 

Welcome to May!

 

With many thanks to Claire and Emma for spotting this beauty, and to Eric for most of the nice close-ups!

Cloaks, admirals, and angles +

  

It warmed up quite a bit in Cotati today — at one point our outdoor thermometer was reading ~80°F (~26°C).  Butterflies were definitely taking advantage of the sun. 

Above, a Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa).

Next, a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta):

 

 

And, a Satyr Anglewing (Polygonia satyrus):

 

 

Also, we checked on the Anna's Hummingbird fledgling.  Eric spotted it very high, about 50 feet up in a tree adjacent to the nest site.  Mom flew in a couple of times to feed the fledgling, but only about every 20 minutes (see below).  In between feeding visits from mom, the fledgling probed nearby buds and leaves and practiced short flights among the branches.

 

 

The female might feed the fledgling for 1-2 weeks after they've left the nest, but it will likely be harder for us to locate them as time goes on and they spend time farther from the nest site.