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| List: Carolina-Leps Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2026 20:55:24 -0400 From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinaleps Mailing List) <carolinaleps...> Subject: Another trip to the Richmond County portion of the Sandhills Game Land -- Oct. 1 |
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--0000000000008d16db065cd0fdc3 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Folks, Late yesterday, Jeff Pippen had the urge to visit the Sandhills Game Land in hopes of getting additional photos of Meske's and Dotted skippers, for his website, and we hadn't seen them in a few years. I agreed to go with him, and we had some detailed intel from Will Stuart of the few places where there were a lot of pink/purple flowers in bloom. So, we spent maybe 3 hours working his main recommended patch in the western part of the game land, where we had never been before. There were tens of thousands of blazing-star (*Liatris cokeri*) in bloom, and hundreds of Sandwoods Chaffhead (*Carphephorus bellidifolius*) now in bloom, with many thousands yet to bloom. After this patch, we poked around a few other places, mostly margins of lakes and ponds, to add a few wetland and other habitat species -- Bagget Lake, the Thrower Road beaver pond, and the McKinney Lake Fish Hatchery. Things were tough to find! We estimated one skipper on every 500 *Liatris* plants! Lots of walking for little return in skippers of any kind, though some of the true butterflies were common and kept things from being a total bore. We did manage a decent grass skipper list, but without a single spreadwing skipper. Here is what we had today, under the typical sunny, warm (65-86 degrees), and low humidity conditions. Yes, it has been quite dry there as well, but it's not as bad as in some northern counties. Spicebush Swallowtail 4 a few females ovipositing on sapling Sassafras plants Palamedes Swallowtail 2 Sleepy Orange 120 Cloudless Sulphur 75 Gray Hairstreak 5 dipped on Red-banded and Great Purple E. Tailed-Blue 4 Monarch 45 Variegated Fritillary 130 American Lady 2 PAINTED LADY 1 nectaring on Lantana next to the caretaker's residence at the fish hatchery Common Buckeye 150 Pearl Crescent 20 Fiery Skipper 26 Whirlabout 2 MESKE'S SKIPPER 4 all where Will had 3 a few days earlier YEHL SKIPPER 3 females, on the Liatris Swarthy Skipper 1 Eufala Skipper 3 good count Clouded Skipper 25 Southern Skipperling 1 Least Skipper 1 at McKinney Lake Misses included Dotted Skipper and the several southern migrants that are scarce so far this season here and farther north -- Little Yellow, Gulf Fritillary, Long-tailed Skipper, and Ocola Skipper. Interestingly, Will had only 5 skipper species two days ago, but we saw only TWO of them, and missed his Southern Cloudywing, Ocola Skipper, and Dotted Skipper. Then again, we had quite a few he did not see two days ago but he probably has had on his earlier trips in September. Harry LeGrand Raleigh --0000000000008d16db065cd0fdc3 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Folks,</div><div><br></div><div>Late yesterday, Jeff = Pippen had the urge to visit the Sandhills Game Land in hopes of getting ad= ditional photos of Meske's and Dotted skippers, for his website, and we= hadn't seen them in a few years. I agreed to go with him, and we had s= ome detailed intel from Will Stuart of the few places where there were a lo= t of pink/purple flowers in bloom. So, we spent maybe 3 hours working his m= ain recommended patch in the western part of the game land, where we had ne= ver been before. There were tens of thousands of blazing-star (<i>Liatris c= okeri</i>) in bloom, and hundreds=C2=A0of Sandwoods Chaffhead (<i>Carphepho= rus bellidifolius</i>) now in bloom, with many thousands yet to bloom. Afte= r this patch, we poked around a few other places, mostly margins of lakes a= nd ponds, to add a few wetland and other habitat species -- Bagget Lake, th= e Thrower Road beaver pond, and the=C2=A0McKinney Lake Fish Hatchery.</div>= <div><br></div><div>Things=C2=A0were tough to find! We estimated one skippe= r on every 500 <i>Liatris</i> plants! Lots of walking for little return in = skippers of any kind, though some of the true butterflies=C2=A0were common = and kept things from being a total bore. We did manage a decent grass skipp= er list, but without a single spreadwing skipper.=C2=A0 Here is what we had= today, under the typical sunny, warm (65-86 degrees), and low humidity con= ditions. Yes, it has been quite dry there as well, but it's not as bad = as in some northern counties.</div><div><br></div><div>Spicebush Swallowtai= l=C2=A0 4=C2=A0 a few females ovipositing=C2=A0on sapling Sassafras plants<= /div><div>Palamedes Swallowtail=C2=A0 2</div><div>Sleepy Orange=C2=A0 120</= div><div>Cloudless Sulphur=C2=A0 75</div><div>Gray Hairstreak=C2=A0 5=C2=A0= dipped on Red-banded and Great Purple</div><div>E. Tailed-Blue=C2=A0 4</di= v><div>Monarch=C2=A0 45</div><div>Variegated Fritillary=C2=A0 130</div><div= >American Lady=C2=A0 2</div><div>PAINTED LADY=C2=A0 1=C2=A0 =C2=A0nectaring= on Lantana next to the caretaker's residence at the fish hatchery</div= ><div>Common Buckeye=C2=A0 150</div><div>Pearl Crescent=C2=A0 20</div><div>= Fiery Skipper=C2=A0 26</div><div>Whirlabout=C2=A0 2</div><div>MESKE'S S= KIPPER=C2=A0 4=C2=A0 =C2=A0all where Will had 3 a few days earlier</div><di= v>YEHL SKIPPER=C2=A0 3=C2=A0 females, on the Liatris</div><div>Swarthy Skip= per=C2=A0 1</div><div>Eufala=C2=A0Skipper=C2=A0 3=C2=A0 =C2=A0good count</d= iv><div>Clouded Skipper=C2=A0 25</div><div>Southern Skipperling=C2=A0 1</di= v><div>Least Skipper=C2=A0 1=C2=A0 =C2=A0at McKinney Lake</div><div><br></d= iv><div>Misses included Dotted Skipper and the several southern migrants th= at are scarce so far this season here and farther north -- Little Yellow, G= ulf Fritillary, Long-tailed Skipper, and Ocola Skipper.=C2=A0 Interestingly= , Will had only 5 skipper species two days ago, but we saw only TWO of them= , and missed his Southern Cloudywing, Ocola Skipper, and Dotted Skipper. Th= en again, we had quite a few he did not see two days ago but he probably ha= s had on his earlier trips in September.</div><div><br></div><div>Harry LeG= rand</div><div>Raleigh</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><d= iv><br></div><div><br></div></div> --0000000000008d16db065cd0fdc3-- |
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