May 5, 2025 – Fairhaven and Marion, MA

I went quickly to a couple places today, mainly to see if I could get a Least Skipper at one of them.

In Fairhaven, the location I went to is called Carvalho Farm and run by the Buzzards Bay Coalition. It is a really nice area with a very large field at the beginning (photo above), and a path that winds through the woods down towards a saltwater marsh. The area I was interested in today was the back end of the field where I had seen Least Skippers last year, just before it turns into the marsh grasses.

On the way down to that end of the field, I had expected to see a lot of grass skipper activity amongst the buttercups and clover flowers which are all over the place here. I saw two Peck’s Skippers and 5 Clouded Sulfurs. Pretty disappointing overall.

It took me some time to find a Least Skipper, but I eventually flushed one out of hiding and followed it as it flew for probably 5 minutes straight. Eventually it landed and gave me a clean look at it for a few photos. My first of the year!

I also saw one nice looking Viceroy while chasing the Least Skipper all over the field and was able to get a couple photos of it.

Since it was super hot today (upper 80’s and humid) I decided to pack it up after finding the Least Skipper and head over to a place that I check out every year despite having over 100 ticks on me the first year I went there. I haven’t had even one tick since so I figure I must have just stepped in a “nest” at some point on that first walk.

The area I went to is called Grassi Bogs in Marion, MA. It is a very nice piece of property. Old Cranberry bogs with a nice pond and great trails around and through it all.

Well, that is until Mower McKillsItAll comes by and mows the entire width of the path from tree line to tree line and leaves not one shred of nectar plant. I haven’t been to a place where there were no bees OR butterflies ever, until today. What a disaster. A true 0/10 rating for butterflies. I won’t be returning this year.

All in all a bit of a bummer of a day, but I am quite happy with the little Least Skipper and Viceroy!