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| List: Carolina-Leps Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2025 20:08:29 -0400 From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinaleps Mailing List) <carolinaleps...> Subject: Re: a couple goodies on the MST, Ashe/Wilkes line |
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--0000000000008075b6063d3979b4 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Guy, Nice photos. I have/had to study the skipper photo a little bit, to make sure it isn't a Dun, but Dun isn't small and Swarthy is. No, Swarthy is not as small as a Least, normally. It is certainly as small as any other of the smaller Skippers, maybe about as small as Peck's. I checked records of Swarthy for Ashe -- and many in the late August or September time frame for the scarce second brood up there. The Gemmed is VERY rare up there, with just one record -- in 2004, on Mount Jefferson. I embarrassingly see that one record is repeated two additional times, and thus making it appear to be three records! I'll have Tom Howard remove two of them. I am sure one was entered by appearing on carolinaleps listserve, and because it was in a state park, a second record came from that database. The third -- who knows?! As for "my several references don't mention an actual size for Swarthy", the size IS mentioned in the *Butterflies of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia: A Field Guide* book -- "1 - 1 1/8 in.", on page 392. I'll shamelessly plug our -- Jeff Pippen, Derb Carter, Pierre Howard, and my -- book, published in 2024, here: Butterflies of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia <https://uncpress.org/9781469678566/butterflies-of-north-carolina-south-car= olina-virginia-and-georgia/> Harry LeGrand Raleigh On Mon, Aug 25, 2025 at 7:47=E2=80=AFPM <badgerboy...> wrote: > Along with tons of Summer Azures and Tiger Swallowtails, I was surprised > to see a Gemmed Satyr (inat > https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/309115257) and a Swarthy > Skipper (inat https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/309115242) at > about 3300 feet atop the Blue Ridge this morning. They were both lifers > for me. The Swarthy was the smallest skipper I've ever seen up here > other than Least Skippers, and it was definitely very close to their > size, perhaps even smaller than some. > > Question: my several references don't mention an actual size for Swarthy > Skippers, but some online references were quite variable. Is it expected > for them to be this small? > > Approximate list: > > Clouded Sulphur 1 > Tiger Swall 15 > Pipevine Swall 1 > Summer Azure 35 > E. tailed blue 1 > Gemmed Satyr 1 > Pearl Crescent 3 > Comma 2 > Buckeye 4 > Sachem 3 > Peck's Sk. 2 > Least Sk 1 > Swarthy Sk. 1 > > Thanks, Guy (McGrane, Boone NC) > > > > --0000000000008075b6063d3979b4 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Guy,</div><div><br></div><div>Nice photos.=C2=A0 I ha= ve/had to study the skipper photo a little bit, to make sure it isn't a= Dun, but Dun isn't small and Swarthy is.=C2=A0 No, Swarthy is not as s= mall as a Least,=C2=A0normally. It is certainly as small as any other of th= e smaller Skippers, maybe about as small as Peck's.=C2=A0 I checked rec= ords of Swarthy for Ashe -- and many in the late August or September time f= rame for the scarce second brood up there.</div><div><br></div><div>The Gem= med is VERY rare up there, with just one record -- in 2004, on Mount Jeffer= son.=C2=A0 I embarrassingly see that one record is repeated two additional = times, and thus making it appear to be three records!=C2=A0 I'll have T= om Howard remove two of them. I am sure one was entered by appearing on car= olinaleps listserve, and because it was in a state park, a second record=C2= =A0came from that database.=C2=A0 The third -- who knows?!</div><div><br></= div><div>As for "my several references don't mention an actual siz= e for Swarthy", the size IS mentioned=C2=A0in the <b>Butterflies of No= rth Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia: A Field Guide</b> book= -- "1 - 1 1/8 in.", on page 392.=C2=A0 I'll shamelessly plug= our -- Jeff Pippen, Derb Carter, Pierre Howard, and my -- book, published= =C2=A0in 2024, here:<br></div><div><br></div><div> <a href=3D"https://uncpress.org/9781469678566/butterflies-of-north-carolina= -south-carolina-virginia-and-georgia/" originalSrc=3D"https://uncpress.org/= 9781469678566/butterflies-of-north-carolina-south-carolina-virginia-and-geo= rgia/">Butterflies of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia= </a> <br></div><div><br></div><div>Harry LeGrand</div><div>Raleigh</div></div><b= r><div class=3D"gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir=3D"ltr" class= =3D"gmail_attr">On Mon, Aug 25, 2025 at 7:47=E2=80=AFPM <<a href=3D"mail= to:<badgerboy...>"><badgerboy...></a>> wrote:<br></div><bloc= kquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:= 1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">Along with tons of Summer Azur= es and Tiger Swallowtails, I was surprised <br> to see a Gemmed Satyr (inat <br> <a href=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/309115257" originalSrc= =3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/309115257" rel=3D"noreferrer" = target=3D"_blank">https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/309115257</a>) a= nd a Swarthy <br> Skipper (inat <a href=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/309115242= " originalSrc=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/309115242" rel=3D= "noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/309= 115242</a>) at <br> about 3300 feet atop the Blue Ridge this morning. They were both lifers <br= > for me.=C2=A0 The Swarthy was the smallest skipper I've ever seen up he= re <br> other than Least Skippers, and it was definitely very close to their <br> size, perhaps even smaller than some.<br> <br> Question: my several references don't mention an actual size for Swarth= y <br> Skippers, but some online references were quite variable. Is it expected <b= r> for them to be this small?<br> <br> Approximate list:<br> <br> Clouded Sulphur 1<br> Tiger Swall=C2=A0 15<br> Pipevine Swall=C2=A0 1<br> Summer Azure 35<br> E. tailed blue 1<br> Gemmed Satyr 1<br> Pearl Crescent 3<br> Comma 2<br> Buckeye 4<br> Sachem 3<br> Peck's Sk. 2<br> Least Sk 1<br> Swarthy Sk. 1<br> <br> Thanks,=C2=A0 Guy (McGrane, Boone NC)<br> <br> <br> <br> </blockquote></div> --0000000000008075b6063d3979b4-- |
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