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| List: Carolina-Leps Date: Wed, 6 May 2026 16:25:01 -0400 From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinaleps Mailing List) <carolinaleps...> Subject: Butterflies in Madison and Buncombe counties, NC; May 4-5, 2026 |
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--00000000000002fe6306512bf6c4 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Folks: A bunch of butterfliers convened on *Madison** County* on Monday (May 4), to not only look for butterflies but for rare or uncommon dragonflies. Here is what Lori Arent, Audrey Whitlock, Al Hooks, Pete Dixon, Heather Rayburn, Ben Gillum, and I saw in a part of the county on that day, under mostly sunny and mild conditions. The area is in drought, as is essentially all of the Carolinas, so dirt roads are very dusty and hardly any pools and mud are present. Zebra Swallowtail 5 Pipevine Swallowtail 4 Spicebush Swallowtail 2 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 75 * Orange Sulphur 25 Cloudless Sulphur 3 Cabbage White 1 Red-banded Hairstreak 10, but no Grays or other hairstreaks/elfins Summer Azure 12 essentially all fresh males; start of second brood Appalachian Azure 1 Eastern Tailed-Blue 1 Great Spangled Fritillary 3 Viceroy 1 Red-spotted Purple 2 Question Mark 1 Red Admiral 1 Silvery Checkerspot 20 Pearl Crescent 8 *Incognito Crescent 1 * ** *Creole Pearly-eye 1 *scarce in the mountains Gemmed Satyr 1 Little Wood-Satyr 2 Carolina Satyr 5 Northern Cloudywing 1 *Golden Banded-Skipper 7 !!! *most reasonably fresh; ties previous state one-day high count Silver-spotted Skipper 35 Dreamy Duskywing 1 Sleepy Duskywing 1 both duskywings getting worn Sachem 1 Zabulon Skipper 4 Clouded Skipper 1 Least Skipper 1 32 species * We didn't scrutinize tiger swallowtails, as hardly any perched, and none looked really large; Appalachians could well be flying there now ** The Incognito Crescent was rather worn; larger than Pearl and flew higher; most Pearls were also somewhat worn, so flights of these two overlap --------------------- All observers other than Heather and Ben re-convened on Tuesday (May 5) to cover a few gates at Sandy Mush Game Land, in northern *Buncombe County.* The weather was sunny to PC, mild again, and rather dry, though we walked along gated tracks. Here are the combined totals for four spots: Pipevine Swallowtail 2 Spicebush Swallowtail 9 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 30 Clouded Sulphur 1 Orange Sulphur 10 Cloudless Sulphur 1 Cabbage White 6 Red-banded Hairstreak 4 again, no Grays Summer Azure 12 Eastern Tailed-Blue 4 Monarch 2 Great Spangled Fritillary 6 Red-spotted Purple 2 Question Mark 1 American Lady 3 Common Buckeye 1 Silvery Checkerspot 42 quite common in the area, but most are showing some wear Pearl Crescent 20 *Incognito Crescent* 3 most crescents medium to somewhat worn Little Wood-Satyr *35* Carolina Satyr 12 Hoary Edge 2 always nice to see in the mountains; both very fresh Northern Cloudywing 2 Silver-spotted Skipper 5 Dreamy Duskywing 15 all duskywings rather worn Sleepy Duskywing 1 Juvenal's Duskywing 6 *** Sachem 4 *Hobomok Skipper 1* male; uncommon in the central and southern mountains Zabulon Skipper 4 *Dusted Skipper 4* known site for it; much suitable habitat of native grasses; rare in most of the mountains; rather fresh condition *Common Roadside-Skipper 2 * finished first brood already in Madison??; known site for it in Buncombe Least Skipper 2 33 species *** We saw much New Jersey Tea (*Ceanothus americanus*) along wooded banks nearby, and there are some older records of Mottled Duskywing; however, we came up empty on this rarity We did quite well in finding some scarce dragonflies, including Maine Snaketail, Appalachian Snaketail, Green-faced Clubtail, and Twin-spotted Spiketail. And a few Appalachian Jewelwings. We saw one male Bobolink yesterday. Harry LeGrand Raleigh --00000000000002fe6306512bf6c4 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Folks:</div><div><br></div><div>A bunch of butterflie= rs convened on <u>Madison</u><u> County</u> on Monday (May 4), to not only = look for butterflies but for rare or uncommon dragonflies.=C2=A0 Here is wh= at Lori Arent, Audrey Whitlock, Al Hooks, Pete Dixon, Heather Rayburn, Ben = Gillum, and I saw in a part of the county on that day, under mostly sunny a= nd mild conditions. The area is in drought, as is essentially all of the Ca= rolinas, so dirt roads are very dusty and hardly any pools and mud are pres= ent.</div><div><br></div><div>Zebra Swallowtail=C2=A0 5</div><div>Pipevine = Swallowtail=C2=A0 4</div><div>Spicebush Swallowtail=C2=A0 2</div><div>Easte= rn Tiger Swallowtail=C2=A0 75=C2=A0 =C2=A0*</div><div>Orange Sulphur=C2=A0 = 25</div><div>Cloudless Sulphur=C2=A0 3</div><div>Cabbage White=C2=A0 1</div= ><div>Red-banded Hairstreak=C2=A0 10, but no Grays or other hairstreaks/elf= ins</div><div>Summer=C2=A0Azure=C2=A0 12=C2=A0 =C2=A0essentially all fresh = males; start of second brood</div><div>Appalachian Azure=C2=A0 1</div><div>= Eastern Tailed-Blue=C2=A0 1</div><div>Great Spangled Fritillary=C2=A0 3</di= v><div>Viceroy=C2=A0 1</div><div>Red-spotted Purple=C2=A0 2</div><div>Quest= ion Mark=C2=A0 1</div><div>Red Admiral=C2=A0 1</div><div>Silvery Checkerspo= t=C2=A0 20</div><div>Pearl Crescent=C2=A0 8</div><div><b>Incognito Crescent= =C2=A0 1=C2=A0</b> **</div><div><b>Creole Pearly-eye=C2=A0 1=C2=A0 =C2=A0</= b>scarce in the mountains</div><div>Gemmed Satyr=C2=A0 1</div><div>Little W= ood-Satyr=C2=A0 2</div><div>Carolina Satyr=C2=A0 5</div><div>Northern Cloud= ywing=C2=A0 1</div><div><b>Golden Banded-Skipper=C2=A0 7 !!!=C2=A0 =C2=A0</= b>most reasonably fresh; ties previous state one-day high count</div><div>S= ilver-spotted Skipper=C2=A0 35</div><div>Dreamy Duskywing=C2=A0 1</div><div= >Sleepy Duskywing=C2=A0 =C2=A01=C2=A0 =C2=A0both duskywings getting worn</d= iv><div>Sachem=C2=A0 1</div><div>Zabulon Skipper=C2=A0 4</div><div>Clouded = Skipper=C2=A0 1</div><div>Least Skipper=C2=A0 1</div><div><br></div><div>32= species</div><div><br></div><div>*=C2=A0 We didn't scrutinize tiger sw= allowtails, as hardly any perched, and none looked really large; Appalachia= ns could well be flying there now</div><div><br></div><div>** The Incognito= Crescent was rather worn; larger than Pearl and flew higher; most Pearls w= ere also somewhat worn, so flights of these two overlap</div><div><br></div= ><div>---------------------</div><div>All observers other than Heather and = Ben re-convened on Tuesday (May 5) to cover a few gates at Sandy Mush Game = Land, in northern <u>Buncombe County.</u> The weather was sunny to PC, mild= again, and rather dry, though we walked along gated tracks. Here are the c= ombined totals for four spots:</div><div><br></div><div>Pipevine Swallowtai= l=C2=A0 2</div><div>Spicebush Swallowtail=C2=A0 9</div><div>Eastern Tiger S= wallowtail=C2=A0 30</div><div>Clouded Sulphur=C2=A0 1</div><div>Orange Sulp= hur=C2=A0 10</div><div>Cloudless Sulphur=C2=A0 1</div><div>Cabbage White=C2= =A0 6</div><div>Red-banded Hairstreak=C2=A0 4=C2=A0 =C2=A0again, no Grays</= div><div>Summer Azure=C2=A0 12</div><div>Eastern Tailed-Blue=C2=A0 4</div><= div>Monarch=C2=A0 2</div><div>Great Spangled Fritillary=C2=A0 6</div><div>R= ed-spotted Purple=C2=A0 2</div><div>Question Mark=C2=A0 1</div><div>America= n Lady=C2=A0 3</div><div>Common Buckeye=C2=A0 1</div><div>Silvery Checkersp= ot=C2=A0 42=C2=A0 =C2=A0 quite common in the area, but most are showing som= e wear</div><div>Pearl Crescent=C2=A0 20</div><div><b>Incognito Crescent</b= >=C2=A0 3=C2=A0 =C2=A0most crescents medium to somewhat worn</div><div>Litt= le Wood-Satyr=C2=A0 <b>35</b></div><div>Carolina Satyr=C2=A0 12</div><div>H= oary Edge=C2=A0 2=C2=A0 =C2=A0always nice to see in the mountains; both ver= y fresh</div><div>Northern Cloudywing=C2=A0 2</div><div>Silver-spotted Skip= per=C2=A0 5</div><div>Dreamy Duskywing=C2=A0 15=C2=A0 all duskywings rather= worn</div><div>Sleepy Duskywing=C2=A0 1=C2=A0 =C2=A0</div><div>Juvenal'= ;s Duskywing=C2=A0 6=C2=A0 ***</div><div>Sachem=C2=A0 4</div><div><b>Hobomo= k Skipper=C2=A0 1</b>=C2=A0 =C2=A0male; uncommon in the central and souther= n mountains</div><div>Zabulon Skipper=C2=A0 4</div><div><b>Dusted Skipper= =C2=A0 4</b>=C2=A0 =C2=A0known site for it; much suitable habitat of native= grasses; rare in most of the mountains; rather fresh condition</div><div><= b>Common Roadside-Skipper=C2=A0 2=C2=A0 =C2=A0</b>=C2=A0finished first=C2= =A0brood already in Madison??; known site for it in Buncombe</div><div>Leas= t Skipper=C2=A0 2</div><div><br></div><div>33 species</div><div><br></div><= div>*** We saw much New Jersey Tea (<i>Ceanothus americanus</i>) along wood= ed banks nearby, and there are some older records of Mottled Duskywing; how= ever, we came up empty on this rarity</div><div><br></div><div>We did quite= well in finding=C2=A0some scarce dragonflies, including Maine Snaketail, A= ppalachian Snaketail, Green-faced Clubtail, and Twin-spotted Spiketail. And= a few Appalachian Jewelwings.=C2=A0 We saw one male Bobolink yesterday.</d= iv><div><br></div><div>Harry LeGrand</div><div>Raleigh</div><div><br></div>= <div><br></div></div> --00000000000002fe6306512bf6c4-- |
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