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| List: Carolina-Leps Date: Wed, 3 Jun 2026 20:32:45 -0400 From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinaleps Mailing List) <carolinaleps...> Subject: Butterflies in Uwharrie NF, Montgomery Co., NC -- June 3, 2026 |
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--00000000000090ffab065362afbb Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Folks, Today a group of three of us -- Steve Hall, Al Hooks, and me -- looked for butterflies, hopefully including some Satyrium hairstreaks, at a site in the Uwharrie National Forest south of NC 109. This site is part of a huge block, perhaps over 1,000 acres, that was burned ALL AT ONE TIME this spring. Much of the block consists of Longleaf Pine stands, with fingers of a variety of small streams and seeps, quite reminiscent of the Sandhills but in the extreme edge of the Piedmont. Thus, we did not expect much, despite sunny and warm weather, fine for butterflying, despite the severe drought. Here are our meager totals: E. Tiger Swallowtail 2 Spicebush Swallowtail 4 Orange Sulphur 1 south end of the block Gray Hairstreak 1 Summer Azure 1 E. Tailed-Blue 4 American Lady 1 Common Buckeye 2 Silver-spotted Skipper 1 Northern Cloudywing 1 Southern Cloudywing 1 Horace's Duskywing 4 all fresh males no grass skippers at all Despite a few large and dense stands of Dogbane, and a few small patches of Butterflyweed, in bloom, we struggled to find anything. Burning huge areas at one time is fine for plants, but it is a killer for insect populations, as there is no refugia for them. Proper fire management for insects/animals is to burn 1/3rd to no more than half of the suitable habitat at a time (in a given year), to leave large unburned area for eggs, larvae, and pupae of insects to survive; adults eclosing from the unburned areas can then fly into the burned areas after vegetation "green-up", obtain nectar, lay eggs, and start a new brood. When "everything" is burned at one time, you can easily see that species that have larval life stages on the ground, in herbaceous vegetation, or in shrubs can "lose everything", and recolonization is set back a few years, if it ever returns. The Arogos Skipper has disappeared from NC "forever" because of a huge burn at Croatan National Forest in August 2009, a few weeks before the adults were to fly for the second brood, as the pupae (presumably) were all "toasted". Harry LeGrand Raleigh --00000000000090ffab065362afbb Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Folks,</div><div><br></div><div>Today=C2=A0a group of= three=C2=A0of us -- Steve Hall, Al Hooks, and me -- looked for butterflies= , hopefully including some Satyrium hairstreaks, at a site in the Uwharrie = National Forest south of NC 109. This site is part of a huge block, perhaps= over 1,000 acres, that was burned ALL AT ONE TIME this spring. Much of the= block consists of Longleaf Pine stands, with fingers of a variety of small= streams=C2=A0and seeps, quite reminiscent of the Sandhills but in the extr= eme edge of the Piedmont. Thus, we did not expect much, despite sunny and w= arm weather, fine for butterflying, despite the severe drought. Here are ou= r meager totals:</div><div><br></div><div>E. Tiger Swallowtail=C2=A0 2</div= ><div>Spicebush Swallowtail=C2=A0 4</div><div>Orange Sulphur=C2=A0 1=C2=A0 = south end of the block</div><div>Gray Hairstreak=C2=A0 1</div><div>Summer A= zure=C2=A0 1</div><div>E. Tailed-Blue=C2=A0 4</div><div>American Lady=C2=A0= 1</div><div>Common Buckeye=C2=A0 2</div><div>Silver-spotted Skipper=C2=A0 = 1</div><div>Northern Cloudywing=C2=A0 1</div><div>Southern Cloudywing=C2=A0= 1</div><div>Horace's Duskywing=C2=A0 =C2=A04=C2=A0 all fresh males=C2= =A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0no grass skippers at all</div><div><br></div><div>Despite = a few large and dense stands of Dogbane, and a few small patches of Butterf= lyweed, in bloom, we struggled=C2=A0to find anything. Burning huge areas at= one time is fine for plants, but it is a killer for insect populations, as= there is no refugia for them. Proper fire management for insects/animals i= s to burn 1/3rd to no more than half of the suitable habitat at a time (in = a given year), to leave large unburned area for eggs, larvae, and pupae of = insects to survive; adults eclosing from the unburned areas can then fly in= to the burned areas after vegetation "green-up", obtain nectar, l= ay eggs, and start a new brood. When "everything" is burned at on= e time, you can easily see that species that have larval life stages on the= ground, in herbaceous vegetation, or in shrubs can "lose everything&q= uot;, and recolonization is set back a few years, if it ever returns. The A= rogos Skipper has disappeared from NC "forever" because of a huge= burn at Croatan National Forest in August 2009, a few weeks before the adu= lts were to fly for the second brood,=C2=A0as the pupae (presumably) were a= ll "toasted".</div><div><br></div><div>Harry LeGrand</div><div>Ra= leigh</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><br><div><br></div><div><br></div>= </div> --00000000000090ffab065362afbb-- |
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