Jeffrey Belth

Tawny Crescent

Jeff Belth June 22, 2018 Butterflies

“If you need to stop, stop! You’re not forty anymore you know…” With this advice Sandy sent me off to Huron National Forest in Michigan to look for Tawny Crescents. Crescents in the eastern United States are a confusing bunch, with possibly several species hidden… Read more

Goat’s Beard

Jeff Belth June 26, 2017 Butterflies

I recently spent a week watching the Goat’s Beard growing by our front door. Goat’s Beard (Aruncus dioicus) is member of the Rose Family (Rosaceae). I first became aware of the plant when searching for Dusky Azures in the early 2000s. Goat’s Beard… Read more

Bog Butterflies

Jeff Belth June 19, 2017 Butterflies, In The Field

As I mentioned in my previous post about searching for the Chryxus Arctic (May 28, 2017), I’ve always wanted to see some of North America’s “northern” butterflies. A quintessential habitat of the “north country” is the bog. A bog is a water-filled depression with a… Read more

Chryxus Arctic

Jeff Belth May 28, 2017 Butterflies, In The Field

I’ve always been interested in wildlife of the “far north.” Whether Musk Ox, Narwhal, or the butterflies of the tundra, I have always hoped to pay them a visit someday. However, getting to the far north is expensive, and while working on my book I… Read more

White M Hairstreak

Jeff Belth April 3, 2017 Butterflies

“It’s a White M!” is a phrase I dream of crying out every year. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen very often, and my wife Sandy had never heard me say it—until yesterday. The White M Hairstreak (Parrhassius m-album) is one of the holy grails… Read more

Hovey Lake

Jeff Belth November 6, 2016 In The Field, Skippers

I recently made two trips to Hovey Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area, in extreme southwestern Indiana. I visited Hovey Lake regularly from 1999 to 2011 while working on my book, primarily to photograph immigrant species. Immigrant species are not permanent residents in Indiana but… Read more

Hercules Club

Jeff Belth September 22, 2016 Butterflies

As I mentioned in my post about Skunk Cabbage, I am attracted to odd or strange plants. So it has never been a surprise—to me at least—that Hercules Club is one of my favorite plants. Hercules Club (Aralia spinosa) is a 10 to… Read more

Gravel Magic

Jeff Belth August 21, 2016 Butterflies

As I mentioned in my previous post about Zebra Swallowtails, gravel roads can be great places to look for butterflies. After rain, when the gravel is damp and mud forms in bare spots, many opportunities arise for close observation of butterflies. Last week I finally… Read more

Zebra Swallowtail

Jeff Belth June 17, 2016 Butterflies

Last Wednesday I had a few spare hours before a routine eye exam. My plan was to drive down Tower Ridge Road, one of Monroe County’s better gravel roads, to a spot where I have seen hairstreaks in the past. I have found Banded Hairstreaks… Read more

Olympia Marble

Jeff Belth May 12, 2016 Butterflies

On Sunday, May 8, Sandy and I led a butterfly walk at Miller Woods and Miller Beach in Lake County as part of the Indiana Dunes Birding Festival. We met the outing participants at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, gave a brief PowerPoint show to… Read more