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| List: Carolina-Leps Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:24:54 +0000 From: Will Stuart (via carolinaleps Mailing List) <carolinaleps...> Subject: South Mountains Game Land - Rutherford County |
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--_000_SJ2PR13MB65297F3142723F3608678F53D449ASJ2PR13MB6529namp_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT I visited South Mountains Game Land for about 4 hours on Sunday, 3/22/2026 under sunny skies and afternoon temperatures near 80 degrees. I was looking for a change of scenery and hoping to spot a Mourning Cloak along Old CC Road. I was not expecting the changes I found. Post Helene they did an excellent job repairing the 3-plus miles of Old CC Road, one of the few access points for these Game Lands. While there was extensive visible storm damage on both sides of the road in the summer of 2025, I could not estimate the extent of the damage. What I found on Sunday was surprising. They have completely cleared the majority of the forested areas on the east side of Old CC Road for much of the lower portion of that road, a distance of more than a mile. This section of Old CC Road had been cool and shaded with wildflowers and ferns lining the roadside and warblers calling from the trees. I would often walk this section of the road. It is now open and exposed to both morning and mid-day sun. Duskywings were out in large numbers with dozens of individuals clustered in many of the damp and graveled locations. For much of the late morning the road was quiet but by early afternoon, vehicle traffic increased. Before the surge in visitors on an unseasonably warm spring day, I was able to find a FOY Mourning Cloak and to photograph a single early Mottled Duskywing. I "retreated" to nearby and quiet Briar Creek Road where I added Falcate Orange-tip to my species list. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 25 Mourning Cloak FOY 1 Pearl Crescent 5 Sleepy Orange 4 Falcate Orange-tip 2 These were seen on Briar Creek Road. Small numbers of Cardamine concatenata. Eastern Tailed-blue 6 Summer Azure 8 Gemmed Satyr FOY 1 Juvenal's Duskywing 150 Very conservative number. Puddling groups of 20 or more. Sleep Duskywing FOY 1 Only one photographed. No doubt more among the Duskywings MOTTLED DUSKYWING FOY 1 One found and photographed and on iNat. Silver-spotted Skipper 15 3rd most common species Will Stuart Matthews, NC --_000_SJ2PR13MB65297F3142723F3608678F53D449ASJ2PR13MB6529namp_ Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT <html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <style type="text/css" style="display:none;"> P {margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;} </style> </head> <body dir="ltr"> <div style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="elementToProof"> I visited South Mountains Game Land for about 4 hours on Sunday, 3/22/2026 under sunny skies and afternoon temperatures near 80 degrees. I was looking for a change of scenery and hoping to spot a Mourning Cloak along Old CC Road. I was not expecting the changes I found. Post Helene they did an excellent job repairing the 3-plus miles of Old CC Road, one of the few access points for these Game Lands. While there was extensive visible storm damage on both sides of the road in the summer of 2025, I could not estimate the extent of the damage.</div> <div style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="elementToProof"> <br> </div> <div style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="elementToProof"> What I found on Sunday was surprising. They have completely cleared the majority of the forested areas on the east side of Old CC Road for much of the lower portion of that road, a distance of more than a mile. This section of Old CC Road had been cool and shaded with wildflowers and ferns lining the roadside and warblers calling from the trees. I would often walk this section of the road. It is now open and exposed to both morning and mid-day sun. </div> <div style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="elementToProof"> <br> </div> <div style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="elementToProof"> Duskywings were out in large numbers with dozens of individuals clustered in many of the damp and graveled locations. For much of the late morning the road was quiet but by early afternoon, vehicle traffic increased.</div> <div style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="elementToProof"> <br> </div> <div style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="elementToProof"> Before the surge in visitors on an unseasonably warm spring day, I was able to find a FOY Mourning Cloak and to photograph a single early Mottled Duskywing. I "retreated" to nearby and quiet Briar Creek Road where I added Falcate Orange-tip to my species list.</div> <div style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="elementToProof"> <br> </div> <table style="width: 730pt; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 254pt; height: 14.4pt; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> Eastern Tiger Swallowtail</div> </td> <td style="width: 35pt; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;" align="right"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> 25</div> </td> <td style="width: 31pt; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> <td style="width: 410pt; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 338.667px; height: 14.4pt; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> Mourning Cloak FOY</div> </td> <td style="width: 46.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;" align="right"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> 1</div> </td> <td style="width: 41.333px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> <td style="width: 546.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 338.667px; height: 14.4pt; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> Pearl Crescent</div> </td> <td style="width: 46.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;" align="right"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> 5</div> </td> <td style="width: 41.333px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> <td style="width: 546.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 338.667px; height: 14.4pt; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> Sleepy Orange</div> </td> <td style="width: 46.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;" align="right"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> 4</div> </td> <td style="width: 41.333px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> <td style="width: 546.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 338.667px; height: 14.4pt; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> Falcate Orange-tip</div> </td> <td style="width: 46.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;" align="right"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> 2</div> </td> <td style="width: 41.333px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> <td style="width: 546.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> These were seen on Briar Creek Road. Small numbers of Cardamine concatenata.</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 338.667px; height: 14.4pt; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> Eastern Tailed-blue</div> </td> <td style="width: 46.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;" align="right"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> 6</div> </td> <td style="width: 41.333px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> <td style="width: 546.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 338.667px; height: 14.4pt; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> Summer Azure</div> </td> <td style="width: 46.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;" align="right"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> 8</div> </td> <td style="width: 41.333px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> <td style="width: 546.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 338.667px; height: 14.4pt; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> Gemmed Satyr FOY</div> </td> <td style="width: 46.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;" align="right"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> 1</div> </td> <td style="width: 41.333px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> <td style="width: 546.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 338.667px; height: 14.4pt; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> Juvenal's Duskywing</div> </td> <td style="width: 46.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;" align="right"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> 150</div> </td> <td style="width: 41.333px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> <td style="width: 546.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> Very conservative number. Puddling groups of 20 or more.</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 338.667px; height: 14.4pt; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> Sleep Duskywing FOY</div> </td> <td style="width: 46.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;" align="right"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> 1</div> </td> <td style="width: 41.333px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> <td style="width: 546.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> Only one photographed. No doubt more among the Duskywings</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 338.667px; height: 14.4pt; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> MOTTLED DUSKYWING FOY</div> </td> <td style="width: 46.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;" align="right"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> 1</div> </td> <td style="width: 41.333px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> <td style="width: 546.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> One found and photographed and on iNat.</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 338.667px; height: 14.4pt; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> Silver-spotted Skipper</div> </td> <td style="width: 46.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;" align="right"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> 15</div> </td> <td style="width: 41.333px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> </td> <td style="width: 546.667px; height: 14px; white-space: nowrap; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; vertical-align: bottom;"> <div style="white-space: nowrap; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="skipProofing"> 3rd most common species</div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="elementToProof"> <br> </div> <div style="font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="elementToProof"> <br> </div> <div class="elementToProof" id="Signature"> <div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="elementToProof"> Will Stuart</div> <div style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="elementToProof"> Matthews, NC</div> </div> </body> </html> --_000_SJ2PR13MB65297F3142723F3608678F53D449ASJ2PR13MB6529namp_-- |
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