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| List: Carolina-Leps Date: Sun, 20 Sep 2026 18:18:05 -0400 From: Ryan Chaffee (via carolinaleps Mailing List) <carolinaleps...> Subject: Croatan NF, NC leps - 9/20 |
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--000000000000a3329c065bf182ab Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Greetings from the coast, Today I spent the day searching around the Croatan National Forest in Craven and Carteret Counties, NC, targeting longleaf savannah specialists. The lists also include butterflies I picked up while driving to each site (mostly Cloudless Sulphurs, but also Sleepy Oranges and a couple of other larger species). In Craven, I had clear skies, and the site had a fair amount more water than when Jeff and I had come here in August. Primary nectar sources were Morning-glories, Boneset, Virginia Thistle, Marshallia, and Blue Mistflower. I had one large sunlit patch of Mistflower along a road that yielded lots of good grass skippers! Craven County, NC - Palamedes Swallowtail - 19 - Cloudless Sulphur - *115* - Sleepy Orange - 16 - Orange Sulphur - 1 - landed briefly before flying off - *Clouded Sulphur <https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/401979069> - 1 *- *first record for Craven County *(Thank you Harry for the info), predated by a White-banded Crab Spider on Carphephorus - Gray Hairstreak - 10 - Red-banded Hairstreak - 4 - Eastern Tailed-Blue - 2 - Variegated Fritillary - 1 - Common Buckeye - 35 - Viceroy - 2 - Red-spotted Purple - 1 - Pearl Crescent - 7 - Common Wood-Nymph - 6 - *Georgia Satyr <https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402010269> - 13* - lifer and my 100th butterfly species in NC! - Clouded Skipper - *49* - very good numbers on Ipomaea <https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402008863> - Dun Skipper - 1 - Ocola Skipper - 11 - Swarthy Skipper - 2 - Fiery Skipper - 4 - *Yehl Skipper - 9 *- both males <https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402011160> and females <https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402011924> - Dion Skipper <https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402012070> - 1 - *Lace-winged Roadside Skipper <https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402011677> - 1* At the Carteret site, it was more overcast and, unfortunately, still very dry from August. There were very few purple flowers (Liatris, Carphephorus, Vanillaleaf). Most nectar sources were Symeria and Goldentops which seem less palatable to butterflies. This might be the reason I had only one skipper in the savannah (Clouded) and no swallowtails. The extra skippers I got at the forest entrance were on Blue Mistflower. I also got my lifer Northern Cottonmouth, which seemed to have been hit and killed intentionally by a car, unfortunately. Why go into a National Forest if you dislike nature? Super upsetting. Anyways, here's my list: Carteret County, NC - Cloudless Sulphur - 88 - Sleepy Orange - 9 - Gray Hairstreak - 1 - Red-banded Hairstreak - 1 - Eastern Tailed-Blue - 1 - *Little Metalmark <https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402014337> - 11* - Monarch - 3 - Common Buckeye - 38 - Eastern Comma <https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402014939> - 1 - Common Wood-Nymph - 1 - *Georgia Satyr <https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402014153> - 12* - including one nectaring! - Clouded Skipper - 1 - Ocola Skipper - 2 - Least Skipper - 1 *26 species and 481 individuals total *(nearly half being Cloudless Sulphurs)! Good butterflying, -- Ryan Chaffee (He/Him) Morehead City, NC --000000000000a3329c065bf182ab Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Greetings from the coast,</div><div><br></div><div>To= day I spent the day searching around the Croatan National Forest in Craven = and Carteret Counties, NC, targeting longleaf savannah specialists. The lis= ts also include butterflies I picked up while driving to each site (mostly = Cloudless Sulphurs, but also Sleepy Oranges and a couple of other larger sp= ecies).</div><div><br></div><div>In Craven, I had clear skies, and the site= had a fair amount more water than when Jeff and I had come here in August.= Primary nectar sources were Morning-glories, Boneset, Virginia Thistle, Ma= rshallia, and Blue Mistflower. I had one large sunlit patch of Mistflower a= long a road that yielded lots of good grass skippers!</div><div><br></div><= div>Craven County, NC</div><div><ul><li>Palamedes Swallowtail - 19</li></ul= ><ul><li>Cloudless Sulphur - <b>115</b></li><li>Sleepy Orange - 16</li><li>= Orange Sulphur - 1 - landed briefly before flying off</li><li><b><a href=3D= "https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/401979069" originalSrc=3D"https:/= /www.inaturalist.org/observations/401979069">Clouded Sulphur</a> - 1 </b>- = <b>first record for Craven County </b>(Thank you Harry for the info), preda= ted by a White-banded Crab Spider on Carphephorus</li></ul><ul><li>Gray Hai= rstreak - 10</li><li>Red-banded Hairstreak - 4</li><li>Eastern Tailed-Blue = - 2</li></ul><ul><li>Variegated Fritillary - 1</li><li>Common Buckeye - 35<= /li><li>Viceroy - 2</li><li>Red-spotted Purple - 1</li><li>Pearl Crescent -= 7</li><li>Common Wood-Nymph - 6</li><li><b><a href=3D"https://www.inatural= ist.org/observations/402010269" originalSrc=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/= observations/402010269">Georgia Satyr</a> - 13</b> - lifer and my 100th but= terfly species in NC!</li></ul><ul><li>Clouded Skipper - <b>49</b> - very g= ood numbers <a href=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402008863" = originalSrc=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402008863">on Ipoma= ea</a></li><li>Dun Skipper - 1</li><li>Ocola Skipper - 11</li><li>Swarthy S= kipper - 2</li><li>Fiery Skipper - 4</li><li><b>Yehl Skipper - 9=C2=A0</b>-= both=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402011160" o= riginalSrc=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402011160">males</a>= and <a href=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402011924" origina= lSrc=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402011924">females</a></li= ><li><a href=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402012070" origina= lSrc=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402012070">Dion Skipper</a= > - 1</li><li><b><a href=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402011= 677" originalSrc=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402011677">Lac= e-winged Roadside Skipper</a> - 1</b></li></ul><div>At the Carteret site, i= t was more overcast and, unfortunately, still very dry from August. There w= ere very few purple flowers (Liatris, Carphephorus, Vanillaleaf). Most nect= ar sources were Symeria and Goldentops which seem less palatable to butterf= lies. This might be the reason I had only one skipper in the savannah (Clou= ded) and no swallowtails. The extra skippers I got at the forest entrance w= ere on Blue Mistflower. I also got my lifer Northern Cottonmouth, which see= med to have been hit and killed intentionally by a car, unfortunately. Why = go into a National Forest if you dislike nature? Super upsetting. Anyways, = here's my list:</div><div><br></div><div>Carteret County, NC</div><div>= <ul><li>Cloudless Sulphur - 88</li><li>Sleepy Orange - 9</li></ul><ul><li>G= ray Hairstreak - 1</li><li>Red-banded Hairstreak - 1</li><li>Eastern Tailed= -Blue - 1</li></ul><ul><li><b><a href=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observ= ations/402014337" originalSrc=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4= 02014337">Little Metalmark</a> - 11</b></li></ul><ul><li>Monarch - 3</li><l= i>Common Buckeye - 38</li><li><a href=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observ= ations/402014939" originalSrc=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4= 02014939">Eastern Comma</a> - 1</li><li>Common Wood-Nymph - 1</li><li><b><a= href=3D"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402014153" originalSrc=3D= "https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402014153">Georgia Satyr</a> - 12= </b> - including one nectaring!</li></ul><ul><li>Clouded Skipper - 1</li><l= i>Ocola Skipper - 2</li><li>Least Skipper - 1</li></ul><div><b>26 species a= nd 481 individuals total </b>(nearly half being Cloudless Sulphurs)!</div><= div><br></div>Good butterflying,</div></div><br><span class=3D"gmail_signat= ure_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_signature" data-s= martmail=3D"gmail_signature"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div style=3D"border:0px;font= -stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:"Aptos Display",= "Aptos Display_EmbeddedFont","Aptos Display_MSFontService&qu= ot;,"Calibri Light","Helvetica Light",sans-serif;font-s= ize-adjust:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><p dir= =3D"ltr" style=3D"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span = style=3D"color:rgb(23,78,134);font-size:12pt;background-color:transparent;f= ont-weight:700;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:times new roman,serif">R= yan Chaffee=C2=A0</span><span style=3D"background-color:transparent;font-fa= mily:times new roman,serif"><font color=3D"#444444">(He/Him)</font></span><= /p><font color=3D"#444444" style=3D"font-family:times new roman,serif">More= head City, NC</font></div></div></div></div> --000000000000a3329c065bf182ab-- |
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