Tag Archives: Walk Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

CANCELLED – Western North Carolina – Duskywings, Elfins, Hairstreaks

Due to the forecast for rainy weather all weekend, this trip has been CANCELLED.

This full CBS 2-day field trip will be held in western North Carolina where we will visit two different locations. Our target species will be Duskywings, Elfins, Hairstreaks, Cobweb Skipper and, if we’re lucky, possibly a “late” Olympia Marble. Pete Dixon will be our leader on both days.

The first day will be spent hiking on River Road and Polecat Hollow along the French Broad River outside of Hot Springs, NC. The meeting location is Broadwing Farm, 20 Berry Wills Road, Hot Springs, NC at 10:00 am. Park in front of the “event venue” building that’s located at 165 Broadwing Farm Lane, Hot Springs, NC (GPS coordinates 35.9008, -82.8291). Use the following link https://www.broadwingfarmcabins.com/the-farm/directions/ for additional information and specific directions from nearby cities. Hiking level is easy and there are restrooms a short distance away.

The second day will be spent visiting sites in the Sandy Mush Game Lands which has a diversity of early successional and managed grassland habitats and creek bottoms. The meeting location is the parking lot on Bear Creek Road near Marshall, NC at 10:00 am. There is no specific street address, but the parking lot entrance (GPS coordinates 35.7271, -82.7010) is located about 150 feet southwest of 2717 Bear Creek Road, Marshall, NC. The following Google Maps link https://maps.app.goo.gl/crkdKUBGcAwrNuXe9/ can also be used to view the parking lot location. Hiking trails are easy but there are some hills. Restrooms are not available.

For places to stay overnight, there are several rental cabins and B&Bs in the county and nearby. Mars Hill has a Comfort Inn, and there is a Fairfield Inn in Weaverville (Buncombe County). For something unusual, the old jail in Marshall is now a boutique hotel. Hot Springs has many short-term rental properties. Mars Hill, Marshall, Hot Springs, and Weaverville each have a variety of restaurants and brewery taprooms. Weaverville is about 40 minutes from Broadwing Farm; Marshall is about 25 minutes; Mars Hill is about 35 minutes. Hot Springs is about 5 minutes away. Obviously, there are many hotels and restaurants in Asheville, which would be another 10 to 30 minutes, depending on what area of Asheville you are in. If you want to try Hot Springs, check with Mary Helen Adamson for lodging at 828-206-7010 or visit the website at https://hotspringsnc.org/.

As indicated above, Pete Dixon, who can be reached at the email address listed below, is the leader for these field trips.

Kalmia Gardens and Cheraw State Park – Hessel’s Hairstreak and Elfins (Hartsville, SC)

START TIME CHANGED TO 11:00 am

We will begin the day at Kalmia Gardens. The address on their website is listed as 1624 West Carolina Avenue, Hartsville, SC 29550, but that is the mailing address for the building in the center of the gardens. We will meet in the parking lot; the entrance to the parking lot on West Carolina Avenue is located at GPS coordinates 34.36548, -80.11746. At Kalmia we will be looking for the stand of Atlantic White Cedar which is the host plant for Hessel’s Hairstreak.

After spending some time in and around the gardens, we will drive approximately 30 minutes to Cheraw State Park. Our target species at Cheraw are all the elfins and, again, Hessel’s Hairstreak.

Marty and Dave Kastner will lead this walk. Please RSVP to Marty at the email address below if you plan to participate. Please bring water, lunch, binoculars, cameras and field guides. Sunscreen, bug spray, long pants and close-toed shoes are highly recommended.

NABA Count – Congaree National Park (Hopkins, SC)

On Saturday, September 16, 2023, the Midlands Chapter of CBS (Carolina Butterfly Society) will participate in a NABA (North American Butterfly Association) count at Congaree National Park near Columbia, South Carolina, to look for mid to late-season butterflies.

Meet at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center (GPS coordinates 33.82984, -80.82343) where we will divide into smaller groups. Some groups will have larger areas to explore than others. Some of the trails will have roots and/or may be overgrown. There are no restaurants nearby. You do not have to be an expert to participate and may come for a whole or half day. Please bring water, lunch, snacks, and if you have them, binoculars, a camera and field guide. Sunscreen, bug spray, long pants and close-toed shoes are highly recommended.

Refer to the national park website link below for additional information and maps of the property. Please RSVP to Theresa Yednoc at the email address below if you can help with this important count.

Salleyland – Late-Summer Butterflies (Salley, SC)

The Midlands Chapter of CBS (Carolina Butterfly Society) will hold a butterfly walk at Salleyland near Salley, South Carolina, to look for late-summer butterflies. Please note that this is a Sunday walk.

Salleyland is an approximately 100-acre undeveloped (except for a small cabin) tract of land that includes a hardwood forest, a sandhills area, a stream and a swamp. Our host and Salleyland co-owner, Whit Gibbons, is a renowned naturalist and editor, author or co-author of more than 20 books. He also has written numerous articles that have been published in scientific journals.

We will meet at the Salleyland cabin. The address is 2838 Firetower Road, Salley, South Carolina, 29137 in Orangeburg County. GPS coordinates for the entrance to the access road that leads back to the cabin are 33.53716, -81.27444. Parking at the cabin is limited and the access road is difficult for low ground clearance vehicles.

Restrooms are available on the property. Please RSVP or send any questions to Tom Austin at the email address below if you plan to participate.

NABA Butterfly Count (CSRV, Aiken County, SC)

On Saturday, July 8, 2023, NABA (North American Butterfly Association) will hold a butterfly count in the CSRV (Central Savannah River Valley) at the Silver Bluff Audubon Center in Jackson, South Carolina. Audubon’s Silver Bluff Sanctuary is a 3,400-acre woodland overlooking the Savannah River. Here you’ll find extensive pine forests and bottomland hardwood forests; beautiful walking trails; 50 acres of lakes and ponds; 100 acres of grassland; and all manner of birds, butterflies and wildlife. Refer to the website below for specific directions and additional information about Silver Bluff Sanctuary.

Meet at the Silver Bluff Audubon Visitor Center in Jackson, South Carolina. The GPS coordinates for the gate just outside the visitor center are 33.32451, -81.84501. Please RSVP to John Demko at the email address below if you plan to participate.

Important note: Using the street address, some GPS systems tell you that you’ve arrived one mile before you actually reach the Silver Bluff gates. At that point, Silver Bluff Road transitions from a paved road to a well-maintained sand/clay road. Continue driving for one more mile and you’ll see the gates on your right. As stated earlier, the GPS coordinates above are for the gate located just outside the visitor’s center.

On this same date, there will also be another group conducting the NABA count over on the Georgia side of the river. If anyone is interested in participating with this other group in Georgia, contact John Demko at the email address below for more information.

NABA Count – Congaree National Park (Hopkins, SC)

On Saturday, August 17, 2023, the Midlands Chapter of CBS (Carolina Butterfly Society) will participate in a NABA (North American Butterfly Association) count at Congaree National Park near Columbia, South Carolina, to look for seasonal butterflies.

Meet at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center (GPS coordinates 33.82984, -80.82343) where we will divide into smaller groups. Some groups will have longer areas to walk than others. Some of the trails will have roots and/or may be overgrown. There are no restaurants nearby. You do not have to be an expert to participate and may come for a whole or half day.

Refer to the national park website link below for additional information and maps of the property. If possible, bring water, lunch, binoculars, cameras, sunscreen, and bug spray. If you do not have binoculars, Congaree may be able to provide a set for the day. Long pants and close-toed shoes are recommended. Please register on the CBS website or RSVP to Marty Kastner at the email address below if you can help with this important count.

Congaree NP, Highway 601 Area – Spring Butterflies (near Columbia, SC)

===== DATE CHANGE =====

Due to the weather forecast of 70% chance of rain, on Saturday, April 22, this walk has been changed to Sunday, April 23. This walk was originally scheduled for April 29 but, due to other event conflicts, had been changed to April 22.

The Carolina Butterfly Society Midlands Chapter will hold a butterfly walk at the “Highway 601 Area” of Congaree National Park in South Carolina. Our target species are any Spring butterflies. We will be exploring several locations in the immediate vicinity. Some areas may be a little overgrown, but the walking is mostly on level ground and easy.

We will meet at the head of the Bates Trail off Highway 601. Meeting place GPS coordinates are 33.762318, -80.642496.

We will drive to different areas and hike the trails to look for butterflies. Parking should be available at all locations but there are no restrooms. Please bring water, lunch, binoculars, cameras, sunscreen, and bug spray. Long pants and close-toed shoes are recommended. Dave and Marty Kastner will lead. Please register on the CBS website or contact them at kastners@aol.com if you can attend.

REVISED DATE – Carolina Sandhills NWR and Cheraw State Park – Elfins & Hessel’s Hairstreak (near McBee, SC)

REVISED DATE – Moved to Sunday, April 2 (from Saturday, April 1)

The Carolina Butterfly Society Midlands Chapter will hold a butterfly walk at the Carolina Sandhills NWR (National Wildlife Refuge) and Cheraw State Park in Chesterfield County, South Carolina. Our target species will be all the elfins and Hessel’s Hairstreak.

Please meet in the parking lot at the visitor center of Carolina Sandhills NWR. The main entrance is on US Highway 1, about 4 miles northeast of McBee, SC. The address is 23734 U.S. Highway 1, McBee, SC 29101, and the GPS coordinates are 34.502551, -80.223653.

There are restroom facilities at Lake Bee, but we will not be near there until later in the day if at all. There are gas stations in McBee. We will drive to different areas at both locations and stop to look for butterflies. Walking will be minimal. Please bring water, lunch, binoculars, cameras, sunscreen, and bug spray. Long pants and close-toed shoes are recommended. Marty and Dave Kastner will lead. Please register on the CBS website or contact kastners@aol.com if you can attend.

NABA Count – Congaree National Park (Hopkins, SC)

On Saturday, September 17, 2022, the Midlands Chapter of CBS (Carolina Butterfly Society) will participate in a NABA (North American Butterfly Association) count at Congaree National Park near Columbia, South Carolina, to look for seasonal butterflies.

Refer to the national park website link below for additional information and maps of the property. Please RSVP to Claudia Santiago at the email address below if you can help with this important count.

NABA Count – Congaree National Park (Hopkins, SC)

On Saturday, August 13, 2022, the Midlands Chapter of CBS (Carolina Butterfly Society) will participate in a NABA (North American Butterfly Association) count at Congaree National Park near Columbia, South Carolina, to look for mid-season butterflies.