 |
 |
 |
 |
| List: Carolina-Leps Date: Sat, 11 Jul 2026 11:44:48 -0400 From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinaleps Mailing List) <carolinaleps...> Subject: Very few field butterflies south of Raleigh, Wake Co., NC -- July 11 |
||||
--00000000000066238f065657bd07 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Folks, This morning, on a typically very warm and sunny day, I cruised the roads through the NC State farm fields, hoping to find a Checkered White and a few other things. Bingo! In fact, about 70% of all butterflies I saw in 2 hours were Checkered Whites! The staff continue to mow the road banks, needlessly, every week, but there is a ton of the host *Lepidium* spp. (Pepperweed) in the ditches and behind the Treasuring Christ church. A valley there -- between the paved private driveway and the turkey unit -- is almost a solid patch of Pepperweed!! Several were seen right behind the church, as the valley is behind fences. Here are my meager 2-hour totals: E. Tiger Swallowtail 1 CHECKERED WHITE 5+ Cabbage White 1 Common Buckeye 1 Also, the zinnia plantings on the south side of the church were DEVOID of butterflies! Awful. Two Goldfinches, a Mockingbird, and some bumblebees were all that were there. Most of the above butterflies were on Cat's-ear, but one or two were on Sneezeweed/Bitterweed, both yellow flowered non-native species. The drought is really hurting the skippers and some other things, though the area has had over an inch of rain in the last few days. Too little, too late?? We'll see over the next month or two. Here are my blah iPhone iNat postings of the Checkered Whites: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/380340714 https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/380341884 Harry LeGrand Raleigh --00000000000066238f065657bd07 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Folks,</div><div><br></div><div>This morning, on a ty= pically very warm and sunny day, I cruised the roads through the NC State f= arm fields, hoping to find a Checkered White and a few other=C2=A0things. B= ingo!=C2=A0 In fact, about 70% of all butterflies=C2=A0I saw in 2 hours wer= e Checkered Whites! The=C2=A0staff continue to mow the road banks, needless= ly, every week, but there is a ton of the host <i>Lepidium</i> spp. (Pepper= weed) in the ditches=C2=A0and behind the Treasuring Christ church. A valley= there -- between the=C2=A0paved private driveway and the turkey unit -- is= almost a solid patch of Pepperweed!! Several were seen right=C2=A0behind t= he church, as the valley is behind fences. Here are my meager 2-hour totals= :</div><div><br></div><div>E. Tiger Swallowtail=C2=A0 1</div><div>CHECKERED= WHITE=C2=A0 5+</div><div>Cabbage White 1</div><div>Common Buckeye=C2=A0 1<= /div><div><br></div><div>Also, the zinnia plantings on the=C2=A0south=C2=A0= side of the church were DEVOID of butterflies!=C2=A0 Awful. Two Goldfinches= , a Mockingbird, and some bumblebees were all that were there. Most of the = above butterflies were on Cat's-ear, but one or two were on Sneezeweed/= Bitterweed, both yellow flowered non-native species.=C2=A0 The drought is r= eally hurting the skippers and some other things, though the area has had o= ver an inch of rain in the last few days. Too little, too late??=C2=A0 We&#= 39;ll see over the next month or two.</div><div><br></div><div></div><div>H= ere are my blah iPhone iNat postings of the Checkered Whites:</div><div><br= ></div><div><a href=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/380340714" = originalSrc=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/380340714">https://= www.inaturalist.org/observations/380340714</a></div><div><a href=3D"https:/= /www.inaturalist.org/observations/380341884" originalSrc=3D"https://www.ina= turalist.org/observations/380341884">https://www.inaturalist.org/observatio= ns/380341884</a></div><div><br></div><div>Harry LeGrand</div><div>Raleigh</= div><div><br></div></div> --00000000000066238f065657bd07-- |
||||