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| List: Carolina-Leps Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:21:15 +0000 From: Will Stuart (via carolinaleps Mailing List) <carolinaleps...> Subject: Great Spangled Fritillaries and Asclepias exalta - Madison County NC - 06-17-2026 |
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--_000_SJ2PR13MB65298CD140229BC05D906DEED4E32SJ2PR13MB6529namp_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I am in Dillsboro,NC for a few days in a VRBO cabin in the mountains. This= morning there is a gentle rain falling so we are sipping coffee and listen= ing to birds. The road to our cabin is ridiculous, climbing about 1,000 fe= et in the last mile. Yesterday we drove to Max Patch via Fines Creek and Max Patch Road. Once w= e reached about 4,000 feet of elevation we found scattered Asclepias exalta= (Poke Milkweed) as fresh as could be. And the Great Spangled Fritillaries = were mobbing the clusters of blossom, even 3 and 4 on a single umbel. Many= of these Fritillaries were somewhat faded and frayed but a few were fresh.= The only skippers I could find on the milkweed were Silver-spotted Skipper= s and I could not find a Diana. I have often targeted Poke Milkweed on t= he Blue Ridge Parkway and I have seen the occasional butterfly on the bloss= oms but nothing like yesterday. Our purpose was not butterflying and I did not take any photographs. I sus= pect there were more than a few Aphrodite Fritillaries in the mix. I was pleasantly surprised to see some large puddles along the upper stretc= hes of Max Patch Road so I assume there have been some local showers despit= e the overall lack of rain? If anyone wants to seriously count the butterflies along Max Patch Road, th= ere is a milkweed party in progress. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1 Great Spangled Fritillary 50 (a very conservative number) Silver-spotted Skipper 3 Will Stuart Matthews, NC --_000_SJ2PR13MB65298CD140229BC05D906DEED4E32SJ2PR13MB6529namp_ Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html> <head> <meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-= 1"> <style type=3D"text/css" style=3D"display:none;"> P {margin-top:0;margin-bo= ttom:0;} </style> </head> <body dir=3D"ltr"> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> I am in Dillsboro,NC for a few days in a VRBO cabin in the mountains. = This morning there is a gentle rain falling so we are sipping coffee and l= istening to birds. The road to our cabin is ridiculous, climbing abou= t 1,000 feet in the last mile. </div> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> <br> </div> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> Yesterday we drove to Max Patch via Fines Creek and Max Patch Road. O= nce we reached about 4,000 feet of elevation we found scattered Asclepias e= xalta (Poke Milkweed) as fresh as could be. And the Great Spangled Fritilla= ries were mobbing the clusters of blossom, even 3 and 4 on a single umbel. Many of these Fritillaries were some= what faded and frayed but a few were fresh. The only skippers I could find = on the milkweed were Silver-spotted Skippers and I could not find a Diana.&= nbsp; I have often targeted Poke Milkweed on the Blue Ridge Parkway and I have seen the occasional butterfly on the = blossoms but nothing like yesterday.</div> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> <br> </div> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> Our purpose was not butterflying and I did not take any photographs. = I suspect there were more than a few Aphrodite Fritillaries in the mix.</di= v> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> <br> </div> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> I was pleasantly surprised to see some large puddles along the upper stretc= hes of Max Patch Road so I assume there have been some local showers despit= e the overall lack of rain? </div> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> <br> </div> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> If anyone wants to seriously count the butterflies along Max Patch Road, th= ere is a milkweed party in progress.</div> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> <br> </div> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1 </div> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> Great Spangled Fritillary 50 (a very conservative number)= </div> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> Silver-spotted Skipper 3</div> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> <br> </div> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> Will Stuart</div> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> Matthews, NC</div> <div class=3D"elementToProof" style=3D"font-family: "Lucida Sans Unico= de", "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rg= b(0, 0, 0);"> <br> </div> </body> </html> --_000_SJ2PR13MB65298CD140229BC05D906DEED4E32SJ2PR13MB6529namp_-- |
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