Seven observers (including 0 garden watchers and 2 children under 12) in
four parties participated in the 9th Raven Rock State Park Butterfly
Count on August 18, 2005. Although the weather conditions were not
optimal, the mostly cloudy skies moderated the high temperature to 84
degrees - a high enough temperature to keep the butterflies active, but
not too high for the observers. There was a brief rain shower in late
afternoon.
The species total of 58 was one shy of the record high for this count,
set in 2000. Species missed included Pipevine Swallowtail, Gemmed
Satyr, Southern Cloudywing, Tawny-edged Skipper, and Delaware Skipper.
1,634 individuals seen represents a new record. No species new to the
count were seen this year.
It is quite interesting that we totaled 67 Red-banded Hairstreaks, while
the Durham count had none at all! I counted more than 40 in my yard,
nectaring on Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum) and other species of mint.
The eating habits of the local deer population have forced me to give up
on trying to grow nectaring favorites like Zinnia and Gomphrena.
However, they don't eat most of the mints, and the mint flowers really
attract the butterflies - especially hairstreaks.
Scott Hartley saw quite a few of the Sleepy Oranges and all of the
Orange Sulphurs nectaring on soybean flowers in large soybean fields in
the southern part of the count circle. Will Cook and Tom Krakauer had
the only roadside-skippers of the count, and totaled 40 species on their
own! Bob Perkins observed two Monarchs - a species that we have seen on
only three of our previous counts. A set of sharp-eyed, nine-year-old
twin boys were a big help to me in spotting quite a few butterflies
("there's another 'Zab', Dad")
Many thanks to our participants for a successful count:
Will Cook, Patrick Hart, Paul Hart, Steven Hart, Scott Hartley, Bob
Perkins, and Tom Krakauer.
Black Swallowtail 1
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 133
Spicebush Swallowtail 18
Palamedes Swallowtail 9
Cabbage White 10
Orange Sulphur 300
Cloudless Sulphur 46
Little Yellow 2
Sleepy Orange 564
Juniper Hairstreak 3
Red-banded Hairstreak 67
Gray Hairstreak 24
Eastern Tailed-Blue 33
Summer Azure 9
American Snout 5
Variegated Fritillary 9
Pearl Crescent 29
Question Mark 3
Eastern Comma 1
American Lady 7
Painted Lady 4
Red Admiral 5
Common Buckeye 33
Red-spotted Purple 18
Viceroy 8
Hackberry Emperor 2
Tawny Emperor 1
Southern Pearly-Eye 2
Northern Pearly-Eye 3
Creole Pearly-Eye 1
Appalachian Brown 1
Carolina Satyr 40
Common Wood-Nymph 7
Monarch 2
Silver-spotted Skipper 43
Hoary Edge 1
Northern Cloudywing 1
Horace's Duskywing 1
Zarucco Duskywing 1
Common Checkered-Skipper 25
Common Sootywing 14
Swarthy Skipper 2
Clouded Skipper 18
Least Skipper 7
Southern Skipperling 4
Fiery Skipper 21
Crossline Skipper 10
Whirlabout 4
Southern Broken-Dash 8
Northern Broken-Dash 1
Little Glassywing 20
Sachem 14
Zabulon Skipper 24
Dun Skipper 6
Lace-winged Roadside-Skipper 2
Carolina Roadside-Skipper 1
Eufala Skipper 3
Ocola Skipper 3
58 Species
1,634 Individuals
Immature Butterflies:
102 Black Swallowtail Caterpillars (all of them on two large Bronze
Fennel plants in my yard- the only two the deer have not eaten.)
--
Paul C. Hart
Park Superintendent
Raven Rock State Park
3009 Raven Rock Road
Lillington, NC 27546
910-893-4888 (Work)
910-814-2200 (Fax)
Paul.Hart@ncmail.net
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