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| List: Carolina-Leps Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2026 08:33:44 -0400 From: <dallen5...> Subject: from the north central South Carolina coast |
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Francis Marion National Forest, Charleston County, SC. FR211 south from Hwy 45 to Palmer's Bridge Road , left back to Hwy 45. Slow drive, 3 stops over 3.8 miles. July 31, 2026. 9:10 - 10:40 am. Sunny 87 F. Dennis Allen Palamedes Swallowtail 2 Fly-by's, No conspicuous nectar, Ditches dry. FR211 south was mowed in May and has not recovered with flowering plants, same situation as FR211 north between HWY 45 and FR204 last week. Francis Marion National Forest. Berkeley County, SC. FR 212 north from Hwy 45 to FR204. Slow drive 5.4 miles with 6 stops each about 1/4 mile - at major flower patches July 31, 2026. 10:55 am - 1:15 pm. Sunny with some clouds. 90 F. Dennis Allen Pipevine Swallowtail 7 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 1 Spicebush Swallowtail 2 Palamedes Swallowtail 8 unidentified dark swallowtails 3 Cloudless Sulphur 2 (first since early June, both males) Gray Hairstreak 2 Pearl Crescent 2 American Lady 1 Common Buckeye 2 Monarch 1 Confused Cloudywing 1 Horace's Duskywing 1 Zarucco Duskywing 2 White Checkered-Skipper 1 Swarthy Skipper 2 Clouded Skipper 2 Fiery Skipper 2 Southern Broken-Dash 1 Delaware Skipper 8 Twin-spot Skipper 1 All identified swallowtails, Cloudless Sulphurs, all Duskywings, American Lady, Monarch, and all skippers (except White-Checkered-) were nectaring on Starry Rosinweed (Silphium asteriscus) which were present by the thousands along wide shoulder patches. Strikingly fewer butterflies with these large yellow flowers than ever over the years. Gray Hairstreaks were on Liatris. Other species were mostly on the road or grass shoulders. Other conspicuous flowers were Sneezeweed, Black-eyed susan, Winged lythrum, Blazing star, Snow squarestem, Pluchea, and Rattlesnake master, but no butterflies were associated with them. |
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