Snout - Butterflies of the Sabinal River Valley - Utopia

Snout

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American Snout (Libytheana carinenta) are a unique brushfoot with odd long palps projecting forward creating a 'snout'. They are the most abundant migrant butterfly here, some flights numbering in the millions. Usually coming from SW moving to NE in direction in general. They are small to medium mostly about 2" of wingspan. They are rain chasers looking for Hackberries to lay eggs on. Some places they end up laying at end up defoliated of Hackberries.

Closeup of head and palps, er, snout. Note underwing is very
variable and can be plain unmarked gray, or granite like this.

Yer basic Snout. (Libytheana carinenta)

Snout is named for the projecting palps at front of head. Once they hit your windshield, they become snots. Flights have been thick enough to make you stop the car and wire brush the radiator to not overheat. This is a scan of a specimen.

We had a nearly week long flight of a billion Snout
in September 2016, this gives an idea of their numbers.