Rayetta's Butterfies - CB BDS Update - Ceraunus Blue

Well now. I was very busy this past weekend with the CB BDS. Three, or possibly four butterflies new to the CB BDS showed up. One of those four, the panoquin is indicated below, somewhere. Two other ones are currently being sorted to species, Julia's skipper, Eufala skipper, or both. The fourth documentation is an especially tiny one, the Ceraunus blue (Hemiargus ceraunus). This is the tiniest regular butterfly, as opposed to some tiny skippers, to appear in the CB BDS. Tiny and tame, that's 3 - 1 on the Rayetta's scales. Furthermore, this Ceraunus blue provides more information on, what Aster subulatus is good for.

Of interest are the swarms of white-striped longtails. These characters have built up a high population density at the CB. At this nonce, they are possibly the second most common butterfly after the clouded skipper. Hmmm. Maybe they are third, after the dusky blue groundstreak. Anyway, they are everywhere one espies.

A troubling note regarding the white-striped longtail at the CB is the probable larval foodplant. That larval food plant is probably Rhynchosia minima, an aggressive vine that usually requires lots of management in these parts. Yet, a little too much snoutbean may be worth the trouble it causes for the sake of the longtails and their amusing antics.