Cox Arboretum, Dayton, Ohio

With the nice weather today I rode over to Dayton to the Cox Arboretum.  With lots of Red Cedar (Juniper) over there, I was in hopes of finding Juniper Hairstreak.  The trip did not take as long as I thought, only two and a half hours.  Saw some interesting things along the way, such as a big black and white St. Bernard dog sitting on the front steps of a small rural Methodist church.  Those Methodists are so innovation with their service opportunities.  Not sure if the dog was a greeter or an usher, but I am sure he made all visitors feel welcome.
  Also saw a guy chasing three pigs around his front yard with a broom or mop or something.  As I rode past I heard someone talking about their chinny chin chin, but not sure who it was.  I saw no wolves or little girls with curly blonde hair during the ride.  Pickaway County is always so entertaining!
  Cox is very nice, but from a butterfly perspective I was rather disappointed.  No Juniper Hairstreaks, despite lots of juniper.  I wish I had a dollar for every juniper I shook trying to scare something up.  I was also surprised by the lack of butterflies in general, despite a variety of habitat and loads of nectar.  Had a total of 16 species and 70 individuals, totals which would rank this site very slightly better than average.  Compare this to The Ridges in Athens County the Tuesday before which yielded 24 species, second place for the year, and a record number of individuals at 161.
  With that said though, I did add a new species today, Swarthy Skipper.  I did not get excited about it initially because I honestly thought I had already found a Swarthy this year, but as I reviewed my records when I got home, apparently I was wrong.
  Stopped at Calamus Swamp in Pickaway County on the way home.  Still very disappointing.  The dead raccoon is still on the boardwalk, only now he is reduced to a little fur and a pile of bones.  Calamus was no better with butterflies than it had been in June.  In June had six species and seven individuals, today had seven species and ten individuals.

Cox Arboretum

Inside butterfly house at Cox

Butterfly signage

Swarthy Skipper

Common Wood Nymph (sorry for the blur)

Pretty pic from our property in Hocking County.  American Copper with two Eastern-tailed Blues.

  All in all, slightly disappointing but a good day.  No rain, only one near death experience on the bike and 80 butterflies.  Good day!