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| List: Carolina-Leps Date: Sun, 5 Jul 2026 11:39:46 -0400 From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinaleps Mailing List) <carolinaleps...> Subject: Re: Another Striped Hairstreak! Asheville 7/4/26 |
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--0000000000004313fd0655def89b Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Heather and others, No -- "extreme heat" does not have anything to do with low numbers of butterflies, by itself. Butterflies LIKE heat! They may move to shade when it gets too hot for them, and thus stop nectaring and thus become harder for butterfliers to see them. But, extreme heat is often coupled with a lack or scarcity of rain, as temperatures reaching into the mid 90s and low 100s typically mean few clouds and rather low humidity. This has been the situation daily for most of spring and summer in central NC. Not enough clouds to squeeze even a drop of rain. Most of us in North Carolina, more so that where you live, are suffering much worse with the heat and especially the lack of rainfall. Here is the most recent Drought Monitor map for NC, and I can assure you that the brown of Exceptional Drought should be extended farther south and east to cover about all of Wake County (I live in central Raleigh, technically in "just" the red "Extreme Drought", but that is a joke) and likely into Franklin and Johnston counties. The brown color is based primarily on rivers and creeks that drain into sad-looking Falls Lake, plus extended west to include the upper reaches of the Haw River drainage into Alamance, Guilford, Caswell, Rockingham, etc. That is why most people who report butterflies from outside of the mountains are mentioning drought conditions, and that indeed impacts butterfly numbers, less so for those species that oviposit of trees and shrubs (like Striped Hairstreak) but much more so on those species, especially grass skippers, that oviposit on herbaceous species. This is why grass skippers are becoming harder and harder to find over the years -- more and more drought, interrupted by equally disastrous catastrophic floods in the Coastal Plain every few years. https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NC The South Carolina situation is almost as bad, but with no areas currently in Exceptional Drought. But, the coastal SC butterfliers are indeed complaining about very dry conditions and their impacts. https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?SC Harry LeGrand Raleigh On Sun, Jul 5, 2026 at 11:15=E2=80=AFAM Heather Rayburn <carolinaleps@duke.= edu> wrote: > Hi Everyone, > > I was amazed to see another Striped Hairstreak in our yard yesterday. Thi= s > time Ben got to see it too. > > Question: I=E2=80=99ve had such a beautiful array of native blooms for th= e past > couple of weeks but not many butterflies. Does the extreme heat have > anything to do with it? Here are the few we documented yesterday: > > > Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, 1 > Pipevine Swallowtail, 2 (one laying eggs) > Cabbage White > Summer Azure, 1 > STRIPED HAIRSTREAK <https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/378158449>, = 1 > > Cheers, > Heather Rayburn > Asheville > > --0000000000004313fd0655def89b Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Heather and others,</div><div><br></div><div>No -- &q= uot;extreme heat" does not have anything to do with low numbers of but= terflies, by itself. Butterflies LIKE heat!=C2=A0 They may move to shade wh= en it gets too hot for them, and thus stop nectaring and thus become harder= for butterfliers=C2=A0to see them.</div><div><br></div><div>But, extreme h= eat is often coupled with a lack or scarcity of rain, as temperatures reach= ing into the mid 90s and low 100s typically mean few clouds and rather low = humidity. This has been the situation daily for most of spring and summer i= n central NC. Not enough clouds to squeeze even a drop of rain.=C2=A0</div>= <div><br></div><div>Most of us in North Carolina, more so that where you li= ve, are suffering much worse with the heat and especially the lack of rainf= all. Here is the most recent Drought Monitor map for NC, and I can assure y= ou that the brown of Exceptional Drought should be extended farther south a= nd east to cover about all of Wake County (I live in central Raleigh, techn= ically in "just" the red "Extreme Drought", but that is= a joke) and likely into Franklin and Johnston counties. The brown color is= based primarily=C2=A0on rivers and creeks that drain into sad-looking Fall= s Lake, plus extended west to include the upper reaches of the Haw River dr= ainage into Alamance, Guilford, Caswell, Rockingham, etc.=C2=A0 That is why= most people who report butterflies from outside of the mountains are menti= oning drought conditions, and that indeed=C2=A0impacts butterfly numbers, l= ess so for those species that oviposit of trees and shrubs (like Striped Ha= irstreak) but much more so on those species, especially grass skippers, tha= t oviposit on herbaceous species. This is why grass skippers are becoming h= arder and harder to find over the years -- more and more drought, interrupt= ed by equally=C2=A0disastrous=C2=A0 catastrophic floods in the Coastal=C2= =A0Plain every few years.</div><div><br></div><div><a href=3D"https://droug= htmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NC" originalSrc=3D"ht= tps://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NC">https:= //droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NC</a></div><d= iv><br></div><div>The South Carolina situation=C2=A0is almost as bad, but w= ith no areas currently in Exceptional Drought. But, the coastal SC butterfl= iers are indeed complaining about very dry conditions and their impacts.</d= iv><div><br></div><div><a href=3D"https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap= /StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?SC" originalSrc=3D"https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu= /CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?SC">https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Cur= rentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?SC</a></div><div><br></div><div>Harry LeGr= and</div><div>Raleigh</div></div><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote gmail_quote_= container"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_attr">On Sun, Jul 5, 2026 at 11:= 15=E2=80=AFAM Heather Rayburn <<a href=3D"mailto:<carolinaleps...>">= <carolinaleps...></a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_qu= ote" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,20= 4);padding-left:1ex"><div>Hi Everyone,<div><br></div><div>I was amazed to s= ee another Striped Hairstreak in our yard yesterday. This time Ben got to s= ee it too.</div><div><br></div><div>Question: I=E2=80=99ve had such a beaut= iful array of native blooms for the past couple of weeks but not many butte= rflies. Does the extreme heat have anything to do with it? Here are the few= we documented yesterday:</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Eastern T= iger Swallowtail, 1</div><div>Pipevine Swallowtail, 2 (one laying eggs)</di= v><div>Cabbage White</div><div>Summer Azure, 1</div><div><a href=3D"https:/= /www.inaturalist.org/observations/378158449" originalSrc=3D"https://www.ina= turalist.org/observations/378158449" target=3D"_blank">STRIPED HAIRSTREAK</= a>, 1</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers,</div><div>Heather Rayburn</div><div>= Asheville</div><div><br></div></div></blockquote></div> --0000000000004313fd0655def89b-- |
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