Butterfliers,

Despite overnight rain leaving lingering wetness on vegetation and lingering overcast until noon, we had a very successful Durham NABA Butterfly Count today (12 Aug 01). Seventeen intrepid counters split into 6 parties plus one "garden party" tallied nearly 2000 individual butterflies comprising 52 species. Considering that this has been a "down" year for most butterflies, and the weather forced a late start, I am particularly pleased with our success.

Many many thanks to all participants who braved hot and humid conditions and threats of early rain: Bob and Nancy Baldwin, Brian Bockhahn, Charles Cameron, Will Cook, Donna Deal, Randy Emmitt, Tom and Janet Krakauer, Paula LaPoint, Harry LeGrand, Judy Murray, Jeff Pippen, Roger Rittmaster, Toni Rexrode, Amanda Smith, and Ruth Young. Special thanks to Tom Krakauer with the NC Museum of Life and Science for hosting our morning meeting place and afternoon compilation.

Here are the species tallies with "*" indicating particularly significant species or high numbers. Morning conditions were mostly cloudy, 80s, very humid, no breeze. Afternoon conditions were mostly sunny, low 90s, very humid, and still no breeze!

7 Pipevine Swallowtail
15 Black Swallowtail
44 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
26 Spicebush Swallowtail
4 Cabbage White
4 Clouded Sulphur
18 Orange Sulphur
3 albino Colias sp.
45 Cloudless Sulphur
57 Sleepy Orange
4 Gray Hairstreak
45 Eastern Tailed-Blue
42 Summer Azure
7 American Snout
29 Variegated Fritillary
1 Great Spangled Fritillary
20 Pearl Crescent
11 Question Mark
3 Eastern Comma
8 American Lady
2 *Painted Lady*
*48* Red Admiral
55 Common Buckeye
11 Red-spotted Purple
22 Viceroy
22 Hackberry Emperor
5 Tawny Emporer
19 Northern Pearly-Eye
2 Gemmed Satyr
14 Carolina Satyr
5 Common Wood-Nymph
*180* Monarch
131 Silver-spotted Skipper
13 Hoary Edge
12 Southern Cloudywing
32 Horace's Duskywing
1 Zarucco Duskywing
*5* Wild Indigo Duskywing
8 Common Checkered-Skipper
8 Swarthy Skipper
12 Clouded Skipper
3 Least Skipper
175 Fiery Skipper
7 Crossline Skipper
26 Southern Broken-Dash
9 Northern Broken-Dash
21 Little Glassywing
478 Sachem
2 Delaware Skipper
88 Zabulon Skipper
7 Dun Skipper
1 Eufala Skipper
2 Ocola Skipper

Jeff Pippen
CarolinaLeps Listowner
jspippen@duke.edu

Dragonflies reported by several party leaders were:

Anax junius, Common Green Darner
Hagenius brevistylus, Dragonhunter
Macromia illinoiensis, Illinois River Cruiser
Macromia illinoiensis georgina, Georgia River Cruiser
Macromia taeniolata, Royal River Cruiser
Epitheca princeps, Prince Baskettail
Somatochlora tenebrosa, Clamp-tipped Emerald
Celithemis elisa, Calico Pennant
Celithemis eponina, Halloween Pennant
Erythemis simplicicollis, Eastern Pondhawk
Libellula incesta, Slaty Skimmer
Libellula luctuosa, Widow Skimmer
Libellula lydia, Common Whitetail
Libellula pulchella, Twelve-spotted Skimmer
Libellula flavida, Yellow-sided Skimmer
Libellula vibrans, Great Blue Skimmer
Pachydiplax longipennis, Blue Dasher
Pantala flavescens, Wandering Glider
Pantala hymenaea, Spot-winged Glider
Perithemis tenera, Eastern Amberwing
Tramea lacerata, Black Saddlebags
Tramea caronlina, Carolina Saddlebags