A dozen butterfliers braved hot and humid conditions on Sunday, August 5,
2007 to participate in the monthly butterfly walk of the Carolina Butterfly
Society, Triad Chapter. This month the group met at the Greensboro
Arboretum. The star of the show turned out to be Fiery Skipper, with more
than 50 spotted. Silver-spotted Skippers were a close second with over 40.
Other butterflies were surprisingly scarce: the total for the afternoon was
fourteen species.
The 93° temperature, still humid air, and hazy bright sky made the weather a
bit uncomfortable for the butterfliers, but seemed like good conditions for
warmth-loving butterflies. There were a lot of flowerbeds with blooming
nectar sources such as Lantana, Black-eyed Susan, Brazilian Verbena, Joe-Pye
Weed, and Butterfly Bush. The low number of species may be the result of the
relative lack of host plants in the well-manicured garden. In the period
from 1:15 to 3:30 we recorded the following species:
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 10
Spicebush Swallowtail 1
Cabbage White 3
Unidentified Polygonia (anglewing) sp. 1
Red Admiral 1
Common Buckeye 3
Monarch 2
Silver-spotted Skipper 49+
Horacešs Duskywing 6
Zarucco Duskywing 2
Wild Indigo Duskywing 2
Fiery Skipper 50+
Little Glassywing 3
Sachem 1
We watched for dragonflies, as well, but despite walking along a creek for
more than a quarter of a mile, we only spotted one each of the following two
species: Blue Dasher (male) and Common Whitetail (female).
We were happy to have guests from the Piedmont Bird Club and the NC Native
Plant Society. One CBS member came from Southern Pines to join us on the
walk. Participants included: John Barlow, Margaret Barlow, Dennis Burnette,
Sue Cole, Doug Demarest, Jim Eldrett, Barbara Hughes, Joan Klinger, David
McCloy, Gene Schepker, Lois Schneider, and Nannette Wilson.
--
Dennis E. Burnette
7 Brownstone Lane
Greensboro, NC 27410
(336) 299-4342
deburnette@triad.rr.com
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