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| List: Carolina-Leps Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2024 20:20:39 -0400 From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinaleps Mailing List) <carolinaleps...> Subject: Granville Co., NC, butterflies -- August 22 |
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--0000000000005f57a206204ebf2a Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT Folks, I needed to see some REAL grass skippers, not just the garden variety and "phony Piedmont prairie" ones, so I walked a lot of a diverse, native-species powerline clearing near Butner in southwestern Granville County that has been productive in the past. Despite perfect weather -- sunny and mild, from 1130-300 -- I think the extreme heat and drought in much of June to mid-July has really damaged skipper populations. The many rare plants are still there, thanks to some burning; there were tons of nectar sources for butterflies, including maybe 100,000 *Liatris squarrosa* in bloom, and some ironweed as well. The many large yellow composites (sunflowers and rosinweeds, for example) in bloom were mostly neglected. Here is my nice long list, but the numbers were awful considering the size of the powerline, 3.5 hours of walking, and abundance of nectar: Pipevine Swallowtail 1 Black Swallowtail 2 female oviposited on an umbel species Spicebush Swallowtail 7 E. Tiger Swallowtail 18 LITTLE YELLOW 1 fresh male Sleepy Orange 18 Cloudless Sulphur 20 Gray Hairstreak 1 Summer Azure 1 E. Tailed-Blue 3 GREAT SPANGLED FRITILLARY 1 presumed female; large; regular in early summer, but scarce now Common Buckeye 30 Pearl Crescent 3 Carolina Satyr 5 Common Wood-Nymph *12* Hoary Edge 1 not scarce there, but a fresh one seems late on 8/22 Southern Cloudywing 3 ditto; mostly fresh, regular there Silver-spotted Skipper 4 that's all! (and no duskywings) Dun Skipper 3 DELAWARE SKIPPER 1 rare in the county; fresh Fiery Skipper 1 good that they aren't overwhelming here! Crossline Skipper 4 can be very common at times Southern Broken-dash 1 I fear a Piedmont crash for this species Sachem 6 Zabulon Skipper 2 Swarthy Skipper 11 hard to spot, mostly in more moist grassy places EUFALA SKIPPER 1 a surprise here; rare in Granville Clouded Skipper 4 Least Skipper 1 29 species. Ouch! I was hoping for 30 -- missed Horace's or any other duskywing; no Ocola Skippers. I usually walk this powerline with one or two other folks, as it is quite wide (60 yards or more yards wide), measured on Google Maps. But I never fail to enjoy the botanizing and seeing 8-10 rare plant species in bud or bloom now. Harry LeGrand Raleigh --0000000000005f57a206204ebf2a Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Folks,</div><div><br></div><div>I needed to see some = REAL grass skippers, not just the garden variety and "phony Piedmont p= rairie" ones, so I walked a lot of a diverse, native-species powerline= clearing near Butner in southwestern Granville County that has been produc= tive in the past.=C2=A0 Despite perfect weather -- sunny and mild, from 113= 0-300 -- I think the extreme heat and drought in much of June to mid-July h= as really damaged skipper populations.=C2=A0 The many rare plants are still= there, thanks to some burning; there were tons of nectar sources for butte= rflies, including maybe 100,000 <i>Liatris squarrosa</i> in bloom, and some= ironweed as well. The many large yellow composites (sunflowers and rosinwe= eds, for example) in bloom were mostly neglected.=C2=A0 Here is my nice lon= g list, but the numbers were awful considering the size of the powerline, 3= .5 hours of walking, and abundance of nectar:</div><div><br></div><div>Pipe= vine Swallowtail=C2=A0 1</div><div>Black Swallowtail=C2=A0 2=C2=A0 female o= viposited on an umbel species</div><div>Spicebush Swallowtail=C2=A0 7</div>= <div>E. Tiger Swallowtail=C2=A0 18</div><div>LITTLE YELLOW=C2=A0 1=C2=A0=C2= =A0=C2=A0 fresh male</div><div>Sleepy Orange=C2=A0 18</div><div>Cloudless S= ulphur=C2=A0 20</div><div>Gray Hairstreak=C2=A0 1</div><div>Summer Azure=C2= =A0 1</div><div>E. Tailed-Blue=C2=A0 3</div><div>GREAT SPANGLED FRITILLARY= =C2=A0 1=C2=A0=C2=A0 presumed female; large; regular in early summer, but s= carce now<br></div><div>Common Buckeye=C2=A0 30</div><div>Pearl Crescent=C2= =A0 3</div><div>Carolina Satyr=C2=A0 5</div><div>Common Wood-Nymph=C2=A0 <b= >12</b></div><div>Hoary Edge=C2=A0 1=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 not scarce there, bu= t a fresh one seems late on 8/22</div><div>Southern Cloudywing=C2=A0 3=C2= =A0 ditto; mostly fresh, regular there</div><div>Silver-spotted Skipper=C2= =A0 4=C2=A0=C2=A0 that's all!=C2=A0=C2=A0 (and no duskywings)</div><div= >Dun Skipper=C2=A0 3</div><div>DELAWARE SKIPPER=C2=A0 1=C2=A0 rare in the c= ounty; fresh</div><div>Fiery Skipper=C2=A0=C2=A0 1=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 good t= hat they aren't overwhelming here!</div><div>Crossline Skipper=C2=A0 4= =C2=A0=C2=A0 can be very common at times</div><div>Southern Broken-dash=C2= =A0 1=C2=A0 I fear a Piedmont crash for this species</div><div>Sachem=C2=A0= 6</div><div>Zabulon Skipper=C2=A0 2</div><div>Swarthy Skipper=C2=A0=C2=A0 = 11=C2=A0=C2=A0 hard to spot, mostly in more moist grassy places</div><div>E= UFALA SKIPPER=C2=A0 1=C2=A0=C2=A0 a surprise here; rare in Granville</div><= div>Clouded Skipper=C2=A0 4</div><div>Least Skipper=C2=A0=C2=A0 1</div><div= ><br></div><div>29 species. Ouch!=C2=A0 I was hoping for 30 -- missed Horac= e's or any other duskywing; no Ocola Skippers.=C2=A0 I usually walk thi= s powerline with one or two other folks, as it is quite wide (60 yards or m= ore yards wide), measured on Google Maps.=C2=A0 But I never fail to enjoy t= he botanizing and seeing 8-10 rare plant species in bud or bloom now.<br></= div><div><br></div><div>Harry LeGrand</div><div>Raleigh<br></div><div><br><= /div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>=C2=A0<br></div></div> --0000000000005f57a206204ebf2a-- |
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