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| List: Carolina-Leps Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2026 08:05:46 -0400 From: <dallen5...> Subject: from the north central South Carolina coast |
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Francis Marion National Forest. Berkely County, SC. Drove about 6 miles on FR204 from Wambaw bridge to FR212, then FR212 to Hwy 45. Stopped and walked 7 times. June 4, 2026. 11:00 am - 1:45 pm. Almost full sun and 80 F. Dennis Allen. Georgetown, SC. Pipevine Swallowtail 53 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 5 Palamedes Swallowtail 38 unidentified dark swallowtails 19 Cabbage White 3 (FOY) Cloudless Sulphur 2 Little Yellow 1 (FOY) Gray Hairstreak 2 Variegated Fritillary 1 Pearl Crescent 100 counted, saw dozens more Common Buckeye 1 Red-spotted Purple 6 Georgia Satyr 2 Monarch 1 Southern Cloudywing 10 unidentified Cloudywings 2 Horace's Duskywing 18 Zarucco Duskywing 3 unidentified duskywings 8 Clouded Skipper 11 Fiery Skipper 3 Little Glassywing 1 Delaware Skipper 6 Byssus Skipper 12 Dun Skipper 2 Reversed Roadside-Skipper 1 (FOY) Eufala Skipper 1 Twin-spot Skipper 15 Purple-red thistle (mostly Horrid Thistle) is at its prime and other than what is listed next, all species were on it. Many dark swallowtails were in flight around thistles. Pearl Crescents were on yellow composites, Black-eyed Susan, False Sunflower (Heliopsis), and some rosinweed. In flight only were Cloudless Sulphur; Little Yellow, Zarucco Duskywings, and Georgia Satyr set briefly on the ground. First white thistle and mint flowers were seen. Lots of Common Eastern Fleabane but it never seems to draw butterflys here. New Jersey Tea is done and no more hairstreaks seen there. Note: Over the years, Cabbage Whites has been rare in northern FMNF. These were first of the year. It's interesting that the Forsythes saw Cabbage White in the southern part of FMNF this week. Given the numbers of thistles flowering, numbers of skippers were lower than in recent years. |
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