Folks:
We had nice -- sunny but hot -- weather on Saturday, Aug. 26, for
the Wilmington, NC, count. Jeff Pippen, Will Cook, Parker Backstrom, and
I worked in 1-2 parties. Results were rather bland, despite no hindrance
from the weather. The drought in FL and other Gulf states meant very few
northbound migrants. But, what is going on with brushfoots such as
Polygonia and Vanessa species? They are way down across most of NC right
now. The area has had normal rainfall. Here are the so-so results,
barely reaching the minimum 40 species for which I consider "passable":
Black Swallowtail 18
Giant Swallowtail 1 female ovipositing on Zanthoxylum clava-herculis on
Figure Eight I.
E. Tiger Swallowtail 7
Spicebush Swallowtail 10
Palamedes Swallowtail 65
Orange Sulphur 1
Cloudless Sulphur 300
Sleepy Orange 28 but no Little Yellow
Gray Hairstreak 3
Red-banded Hairstreak 11
LITTLE METALMARK 5 2nd or 3rd count
Gulf Fritillary 5 quite low
Variegated Fritillary 6
Pearl Crescent 15
Red Admiral 1
Common Buckeye 25
Viceroy 6
Carolina Satyr 3
Monarch 31
Silver-spotted Skipper 50
Long-tailed Skipper 5 thankful to see any at all!
Horace's Duskywing 3
Zarucco Duskywing 2
Common Checkered-Skipper 12
Clouded Skipper 20 very low
Least Skipper 10
Southern Skipperling 15
Fiery Skipper 35
Whirlabout 15
Southern Broken-Dash 3
Delaware Skipper 3
Byssus Skipper 2
Broad-winged Skipper 3
Dion Skipper 1
Dukes' Skipper 2
Lace-winged Roadside-Skipper 10
Eufala Skipper 3
Twin-spot Skipper 1
Salt Marsh Skipper 70
Ocola Skipper 8
----------
40 species
Harry LeGrand
Raleigh, NC
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