Day 266: Another score for Team Biota! During one of our recent botanizing exploits, we were minutely examining a rock wall near Box Canyon when something near ground level caught my eye: a white butterfly on an inflorescence of Buckhorn, Plantago lanceolata. The similarity in colour to the individual Buckhorn flowers was striking, a pale yellowish green which seemed almost luminescent. The butterfly was perfectly motionless, so I sneaked in for a close-up even though I figured I wouldn't be able to identify it without a dorsal view. When I got home, I submitted the photo to BugGuide.net. Their response took a little longer than usual, and before I received it, I got a note from Joe and Sharon (my botany partners) saying that they had shown their photos to an entomologist who had identified it as Pontia beckerii (Becker's White). A few minutes later, I had confirmation from BugGuide. Joe later got an email from a contact at BAMONA (Butterflies and Moths of North America). In his words, "...this is probably a first county record for Pontia beckerii in Lewis County, so it's a great find!"
When you're out hiking, don't just look at the broad views. Sometimes the greatest sights are those within arm's reach.
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