Jim Eldrett organized a great field trip to the Butterfly Station at the
Danville Nature Center in Danville, VA. Eight member of the Triad Chapter of
the Carolina Butterfly Society visited the butterfly enclosure on Sunday,
July 26th.
The Butterfly Station features native North American species
found in the
Southeast, most of which occur in the Carolinas. Despite recent
vandalism
that had resulted in the escape of an estimated 150 butterflies,
our group
still was able to see about 30 individual butterflies of the
following 12
species:
Black Swallowtail (caterpillars only on host
plant)
Giant Swallowtail
Great Southern White
Cloudless Sulphur
Eastern Tailed-Blue
Gulf Fritillary
Zebra Longwing (Heliconian)
Variegated Fritillary
White Peacock
Goatweed Leafwing
Monarch
(including several newly emerged individuals)
Queen
One butterfly, a
lone Eastern Tailed-Blue, apparently got in on its own, as
the nature center
doesnąt rear this species!
Jim had arranged in advance for the nature
center staff member in charge of
the Butterfly Station, Allison Bellamy, to
give us a guided tour. Allison
showed us caterpillars she is rearing and a
large container of trays full of
chrysalises. Right on cue, a Monarch was
eclosing from its chrysalis while
we watched. Several people helped her place
newly emerged Monarchs and
Queens on flowers.
We saw five additional
species in the plantings outside the enclosure around
the Danville Nature
Center:
Great Spangled Fritillary 1
Common Buckeye 1
Silver-spotted
Skipper 3
Horace's Duskywing - 1
Sachem 10+
Several folks saw
two species in NC at the Plainfield marsh on the way to
VA:
Eastern Tiger
Swallowtail 1
Spicebush Swallowtail 1
--
Dennis Burnette
Greensboro, NC
Guilford County
deburnette@triad.rr.com
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