Folks,
On Saturday, 6/1, the 8th annual Forsyth Butterfly Count was held under mostly bright skies and temperatures that rose from 70` up to the low 90s. Bob/Nancy Baldwin, Dennis/Lynn Burnette, Doug/Pam DeNeve, Jules Fraytet, Charlie Cameron, Elizabeth Riggs and I covered some gardens, trails, and farm fields before succumbing to the heat, which was broken at 4:30 by a 0.7 inch downpour.

Two unusual observations; - many Great Spangled Fritillaries, most common species of the day, were nectaring on Tiger Lilies. - when the temperature got above 90` at mid-day we started to find butterflies (Tiger Swallowtail, Great Spangled Fritillary, Silver-Spotted Skipper) hanging inside shrubs, leaving only mad dogs and butterfliers out in the sun. Butterfly Weed, Common Milkweed, and Dogbane were not quite open so next year this count may be the second weekend in June.

4 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
2 Spicebush Swallowtail
14 Cabbage White
2 Orange Sulphur (one white form)
2 Sleepy Orange
20 Eastern Tailed-Blue
7 Summer Azure
1 Variegated Fritillary
49 Great Spangled Fritillary (mating pair, high count)
5 Pearl Crescent
10 American Lady
1 Painted Lady
1 Carolina Satyr
2 Little Wood Satyr
23 Silver-Spotted Skipper
1 Juvenals Duskywing
1 Horaces Duskywing
2 Least Skipper
1 Crossline Skipper
2 Little Glassywing
3 Sachem
1 Zabulon Skipper
5 Dun Skipper

Jim Nottke
Pfafftown, NC 27040
nottke1@earthlink.net