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| List: MassLep Date: Sat, 28 Mar 2026 09:44:35 -0500 From: Joseph Wicinski <joewizvet...> Subject: Re: [MassLep] Swan Song |
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--000000000000ac356a064e16a85d Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Hi Frank, Joe forwarded me your post from Masslep. Thinking of you and all of our good times together, and hoping you are still enjoying what you can. Hopefully you keep sharing your photos. Your question about Columbine Duskywings is very interesting to me. Joe and I have small dark Duskywings breeding on Wild Columbine in our garden, every year for at least 10+ years (longer really). I got very excited when I first saw it happening. I corresponded with Mike Nelson about them and learned some interesting things, namely that Wild Indigo Duskywings can use Wild Columbine as a host plant. Also, pparently the two species are not distinguishable morphologically, even by genitalia! (I'm putting words in Mike's mouth, so he can correct me if necessary.) I raised a couple of caterpillars from eggs I watched a female lay on our Columbine. One of the butterflies that emerged (with crumpled wings) I transferred to Mass Wildlife to be preserved so that future DNA analysis might reveal something. I still wonder and hope that Columbine Duskywings might be breeding in our garden all these years. Maybe time will tell. Thinking of you, Bill On Thu, Mar 26, 2026, 16:52 '<fsmodel...>' via MassLep < <masslep...> wrote: > Greetings, > > After spending the first 12 years of my retirement in Massachusetts, I > have now spent the next 12 in Southern California, where it's much warmer > in the winter. I suffered a stroke in June 2025 during/after an aortic > valve replacement procedure. This has limited my mobility but I'm still > trying, especially wildflowers, which don't fly away. I also post my older > photos as Facebook memories, so many of you still hear from me. But it's > not the same. > > I would like to use this note to tie up a loose end. On June 29, 2013, I > was at Broad Meadowbrook in Worcester and saw a really tiny duskywing - > easily the smallest one I have ever seen. It was also rather dark. It was > likely just an aberrent Wild Indigo DW but I can't rule out Columbine DW, > whose host plant, Wild Columbine, grows in Massachusetts. According to the > field guides, Columbine DW would be only slightly out of range in Worcester > county, but not by much, its eastern limit being the Hudson River Valley. > And trust me - it was very dark and very, very small. > > I got one decent photo before the butterfly disappeared into the woods. > It's attached. I'd appreciate any and all opinions. I recognize that field > marks take one only so far. IDs based on a single photo are invariably > tenuous. > > Cheers, > Frank Model > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MassLep" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to masslep+<unsubscribe...> > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/masslep/<1386288389.378942.1774561913384...> > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/masslep/<1386288389.378942.1774561913384...>?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MassLep" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to masslep+<unsubscribe...> To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/masslep/CAGsF2MDg7SwLKK%2B1N7ZRBtOeCMoY70UnY6%<2BAY_oQR9xG3UcTUQ...> --000000000000ac356a064e16a85d Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"auto"><div><span style=3D"font-size:12.8px;background-color:rgb= (245,250,255)">Hi Frank,</span><div style=3D"font-size:12.8px;background-co= lor:rgb(245,250,255)" dir=3D"auto">Joe forwarded me your post from Masslep.= =C2=A0 Thinking of you and all of our good times together, and hoping you a= re still enjoying what you can.=C2=A0 Hopefully you keep sharing your photo= s.</div><div style=3D"font-size:12.8px;background-color:rgb(245,250,255)" d= ir=3D"auto"><br></div><div style=3D"font-size:12.8px;background-color:rgb(2= 45,250,255)" dir=3D"auto">Your question about Columbine Duskywings is very = interesting to me.=C2=A0 Joe and I have small dark Duskywings breeding on W= ild Columbine in our garden, every year for at least 10+ years (longer real= ly).=C2=A0 I got very excited when I first saw it happening.</div><div styl= e=3D"font-size:12.8px;background-color:rgb(245,250,255)" dir=3D"auto"><br><= /div><div style=3D"font-size:12.8px;background-color:rgb(245,250,255)" dir= =3D"auto">I corresponded with Mike Nelson about them and learned some inter= esting things, namely that Wild Indigo Duskywings can use Wild Columbine as= a host plant.=C2=A0 Also, pparently the two species are not distinguishabl= e morphologically, even by genitalia!=C2=A0 (I'm putting words in Mike&= #39;s mouth, so he can correct me if necessary.)</div><div style=3D"font-si= ze:12.8px;background-color:rgb(245,250,255)" dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div st= yle=3D"font-size:12.8px;background-color:rgb(245,250,255)" dir=3D"auto">I r= aised a couple of caterpillars from eggs I watched a female lay on our Colu= mbine.=C2=A0 One of the butterflies that emerged (with crumpled wings) I tr= ansferred to Mass Wildlife to be preserved so that future DNA analysis migh= t reveal something.</div><div style=3D"font-size:12.8px;background-color:rg= b(245,250,255)" dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div style=3D"font-size:12.8px;backg= round-color:rgb(245,250,255)" dir=3D"auto">I still wonder and hope that Col= umbine Duskywings might be breeding in our garden all these years.=C2=A0 Ma= ybe time will tell.</div><div style=3D"font-size:12.8px;background-color:rg= b(245,250,255)" dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div style=3D"font-size:12.8px;backg= round-color:rgb(245,250,255)" dir=3D"auto">Thinking of you,</div><div style= =3D"font-size:12.8px;background-color:rgb(245,250,255)" dir=3D"auto">Bill</= div><br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir=3D"lt= r" class=3D"gmail_attr">On Thu, Mar 26, 2026, 16:52 '<a href=3D"mailto:= <fsmodel...>"><fsmodel...></a>' via MassLep <<a href=3D"mailto= :<masslep...>"><masslep...></a>> wrote:<br></div= ><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1= px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div style=3D"font-family:arial;font-s= ize:16px"><div dir=3D"ltr">Greetings,</div><div dir=3D"ltr"><br></div><div = dir=3D"ltr">After spending the first 12 years of my retirement in Massachus= etts, I have now spent the next 12 in Southern California, where it's m= uch warmer in the winter. I suffered a stroke in June 2025 during/after an = aortic valve replacement procedure. This has limited my mobility but I'= m still trying, especially wildflowers, which don't fly away. I also po= st my older photos as Facebook memories, so many of you still hear from me.= But it's not=C2=A0 the same.</div><div dir=3D"ltr"><br></div><div dir= =3D"ltr">I would like to use this note to tie up a loose end. On June 29, 2= 013, I was at Broad Meadowbrook in Worcester and saw a really tiny duskywin= g - easily the smallest one I have ever seen. It was also rather dark. It w= as likely just an aberrent Wild Indigo DW but I can't rule out Columbin= e DW, whose host plant, Wild Columbine, grows in Massachusetts. According t= o the field guides, Columbine DW would be only slightly out of range in Wor= cester county, but not by much, its eastern limit being the Hudson River Va= lley. And=C2=A0 trust me - it was very dark and very, very small.</div><div= dir=3D"ltr"><br></div><div dir=3D"ltr">I got one decent photo before the b= utterfly disappeared into the woods. It's attached. I'd appreciate = any and all opinions. I recognize that field marks take one only so far. ID= s based on a single photo are invariably tenuous.</div><div dir=3D"ltr"><br= ></div><div dir=3D"ltr">Cheers,</div><div dir=3D"ltr">Frank Model</div><div= dir=3D"ltr"><br></div></div></div> <p></p> -- <br> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups &= quot;MassLep" group.<br> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an e= mail to <a href=3D"mailto:masslep+<unsubscribe...>" target=3D"_= blank" rel=3D"noreferrer">masslep+<unsubscribe...></a>.<br> To view this discussion visit <a href=3D"https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/= masslep/<1386288389.378942.1774561913384...>?utm_medium=3Demail= &utm_source=3Dfooter" target=3D"_blank" rel=3D"noreferrer">https://grou= ps.google.com/d/msgid/masslep/<1386288389.378942.1774561913384...>= com</a>.<br> </blockquote></div></div></div> <p></p> -- <br /> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups &= quot;MassLep" group.<br /> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an e= mail to <a href=3D"mailto:masslep+<unsubscribe...>">masslep+uns= <ubscribe...></a>.<br /> To view this discussion visit <a href=3D"https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/= masslep/CAGsF2MDg7SwLKK%2B1N7ZRBtOeCMoY70UnY6%<2BAY_oQR9xG3UcTUQ...>= l.com?utm_medium=3Demail&utm_source=3Dfooter">https://groups.google.com/d/m= sgid/masslep/CAGsF2MDg7SwLKK%2B1N7ZRBtOeCMoY70UnY6%2BAY_oQR9xG3UcTUQ%40mail= .gmail.com</a>.<br /> --000000000000ac356a064e16a85d-- |
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