The Congaree National Park (Columbia, SC) butterfly count was held on
Saturday June 26th. The weather conditions were terrible in the morning
with 100% cloud cover and occasional drizzle. (Not many days involve such
consistent cloud cover!! Too bad it was our count day!) Eventually the
clouds cleared after lunch and offered improved conditions (5% cloud cover
and 88 degrees) and more butterflies. Seventeen volunteers (including a
reporter from the State newspaper) and four park staff members began the
count in the morning and sadly several people needed to depart before the
conditions improved in the afternoon. The morning was dismally sparse with
less than a dozen butterflies sighted by all of the four groups searching.
Ugh.
The afternoon finally offered sunny conditions and much better
butterflying. The total for the day was 36 different species, including
some new species that were previously undocumented within the park.
Thanks to the numerous volunteers that participated in this count, it was a
true mix of beginners and experienced butterfliers who served as "citizen
scientists" for the day. Thanks especially to the North Carolina
butterfliers who made the trek down for this count. It was great to have
CBS members participating including president Jim Nottke and newsletter
editor Charlie Cameron. Other CBS members participating were: Bob and
Nancy Baldwin, Dennis and Donna Forsythe, Douglas and Cyndy Coffeen, Bill
and Christina Hulslander (also work as national park staff members).
Additional counters were park supporters Heather Stewart-Grant, Jessica
Grant, LaBruce Alexander, Linda LaRosa, Stacie, Hunter and Tucker Ervin,
Carol Jaworski, and park staff representatives Theresa Yednock and Chad
Wegner.
The list...
Zebra swallowtail -15
Black swallowtail -1 very worn, perhaps a record for Calhoun Co., SC where
it was sited south of the park
Eastern tiger swallowtail- 3
Spicebush swallowtail- 4, 1 very worn
Palamedes- 1
unidentified swallowtail-1
Checkered White -2
Cabbage white -2
Cloudless Sulphur-2
Sleepy Orange -45
Red-banded Hairstreak- 4
Summer Azure- 1
Eastern tailed-blue-1
Variegated Frittilary-1
Meadow Frittilary*- 1- This butterfly was worked for some time by Jim
Nottke, Charles Cameron and Bill Hulslander. It stumped them as it did not
show any metallic spots or strong cell markings from the underside of the
wing. It was too large and the range wasn't correct. Could it have been a
Mexican frittilary? A washed out Great Spangled Frittilary (range also not
quite right) or a super-sized Variegated Frittilary? Meadow frittilary
seems like the most logical identification even though all likely
possibilities are out of the typical range. Any thoughts?
Pearl Crescent- 11
American Lady-2
Red Admiral -1
Common Buckeye-12
Red-spotted purple -5
Hackberry emperor-4
Tawny emperor 2
unidentified emperor-1
Northern Pearly Eye*-* new to park data records
Gemmed satyr-3
Carolina satyr-115
Silver-spotted skipper-3
Horace's duskywing- 9 (1 male with worn wings)
Common Checkered Skipper -59
Common Sootywing-2
unidentified duskywing-1
Clouded Skipper- 2
Least Skipper-3
Fiery Skipper-6
Whirlabout- 3
Zabulon Skipper-18
Dun Skipper-5
Lace-wing Roadside Skipper-2
Little Glasswing*-1 *new to park data records
Moths observed:
Grape leaf folder moth - 4
Spiny oak slug moth larva-1
other wildlife observed: a kingsnake, 3 feral hogs, large millipeds, and
wild rabbits
So, this year's count was not the hot and humid South Carolina experience
for all of the day...but cool, humid and rainy in the am...then hot and
humid in the afternoon! Oh well...the weather is beyond our control!
Christina S. Hulslander
Education Coordinator
Congaree National Park
Old- Growth Bottomland Forest Research & Education Ctr
100 National Park Road
Hopkins, SC 29061
(803) 695- 0214
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