CANCELLED
This walk has been cancelled because 3 of the 4 areas we planned to search have been burned and there is no grass around. This walk may be rescheduled for 2023 or 2024.
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Join us on May 7, 2022, in search of the elusive Dusted Skipper. This skipper seems to be rapidly declining throughout the Carolinas and is currently only known in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, from one powerline right-of-way.
We will meet up at Latta Nature Preserve at 10:00 in the Gar Creek Canoe Access parking lot, GPS coordinates 35.34968, -80.92404, to explore a once-reliable location for this skipper. Depending on the size of our group, we may split up into smaller groups to take advantage of extra eyes and search as many suitable locations for Dusted Skippers as we can. This outing aims to attempt to locate additional populations of the beautiful single brooded species. Refer to the website below for a map and additional information about Latta Nature Preserve.
If you plan on attending, please RSVP on the Carolina Butterfly Society website or email Robert Gilson at robert.gilson@faunaventures.com.
This trip will be co-led by Robert Gilson and Chris Talkington. Make sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, insect repellent, a hat, binoculars, a camera, and your favorite field guide.
The first CBS butterfly walk of the year will be held on March 5 at South Tibwin Trail in the Francis Marion National Forest. Target species will be the Falcate Orangetip. South Tibwin (both the trail and a road) is directly off Highway 17 approximately 3 miles southwest of McClellanville, South Carolina. The entrance is well marked by a forest service sign. There is a parking area, GPS coordinates 33.07048, -79.52006, just off the highway. The entrance to the trail is gated so the entire area must be explored on foot. There are no restroom facilities on site. The terrain is fairly even and consists mostly of dirt roads or mowed paths. Full length of the trail(s) is approximately 5 miles and includes several loops. Refer to the website below for a map and additional information. There are a variety of habitats – marsh, pine forests and fields. Bring hydration, insect repellant, binoculars, cameras and lunch. Contact Alison Smith at the email address below if you plan on attending.
This is to let you know that the butterfly garden visit this coming Saturday is CANCELLED for the time being. We hope to postpone it to a later date.
We have been keeping an eye on the status of COVID-19 in the Triad. New cases are rising dramatically. If we are going to ere, we want to do so in favor of the health and safety of our members and guests. Some of these folks have other health issues to consider, as well. Consequently, we have made the difficult decision to not meet as a group at the home of Pat & Gene Holder this coming Saturday. Pat invites anyone who would like to see the Holder native plant butterfly garden individually to contact her at <pat.holder@icloud.com> to arrange a date and time.
— Original Information Below —
Pat Holder is looking forward to having members of the Carolina Butterfly Society
visit their garden on Saturday, July 31, 2021 at 9:30 am. Pat’s address is:
1895 Lake Country Dr. Ext.
Asheboro, NC 27205
Webkeepers Note – For those who use GPS, I believe the coordinates for the entrance to Pat’s driveway are 35.747880, -79.848766
There will be safe parking on the side of the country road as well as a little parking in their driveway. Pat is seeing more and more butterflies, still not a huge number, and lots of bees and dragonflies. At the moment the garden is full of blooms, and as the Bee Balm fades, more Black-eyed Susans are popping open. It should be lovely, but warm.
Pat will be out of town until Tuesday, July 27 and will have access to email in case there are questions. Visitors should email Pat at the following address to let her know they are coming.
pat.holder@icloud.com
For this CBS walk, we are hoping to reorganize the Triangle Chapter of the Carolina Butterfly Society beginning with a garden walk followed by a field trip in the Raleigh-Durham area.
On Friday, August 6, we will meet in the parking lot of the J.C. Raulston Arboretum at 10:00 am for some easy butterflying in the gardens there. The arboretum address is 4415 Beryl Road, Raleigh, NC 27606. Currently the gardens are open from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm on weekdays only. The current arboretum policy is that masks are required indoors but not outdoors, and social distancing is required both indoors and outdoors. These policies may be relaxed by August 6th. Please check the arboretum’s website for the most up-to-date information at: https://jcra.ncsu.edu//
For those who use GPS, the coordinates of the arboretum entrance are 35.794921, -78.700278. Restrooms are available at the arboretum and good places to eat are not far away.
Harriet McCarthy has invited the Triad CBS Chapter to visit her home butterfly garden on Saturday, July 3, beginning at 9:30. She lives at 704 Surrey Path Trail, Winston-Salem, NC 27104. Some of you will recall that we visited there several years ago and had a great time in her beautiful garden.
Regarding restrictions due to the coronavirus, NC Executive Order 215 regarding COVID-19, effective until at least 5 p.m. July 30:
- Lifts all mandatory capacity and gathering limits
- Lifts all social distancing requirements
- Lifts mandatory mask requirements for most indoor and outdoor settings, excluding, public transportation, child care, schools, prisons and certain public health settings
We will meet at Harriet’s home at 9:30. If you have not been vaccinated for COVID-19, or if you have any symptoms at all, please do not come for the safety of others.
Please RSVP by Thursday, July 1, if you plan to come. Not only is it polite to do so, Harriet needs to know how many people to accommodate.
Harriet is the contact person: mamachka@triad.rr.com. Again, please let her know if you plan to come by Thursday, July 1st.
Join us on June 26, Sat., at 9:30 for our CBS Triad butterfly walk in the Greensboro Arboretum. It should be very comfortable for us. The long range forecast is that it will be mostly cloudy and around 74 degrees with the chance of a passing shower when we get started and a temperature of around 77 by noon.
Regarding restrictions due to the coronavirus, NC Executive Order 215 regarding COVID-19, effective until at least 5 p.m. July 30:
- Lifts all mandatory capacity and gathering limits
- Lifts all social distancing requirements
- Lifts mandatory mask requirements for most indoor and outdoor settings, excluding, public transportation, child care, schools, prisons and certain public health settings
Meet at the Arboretum entrance at 9:30 at 401 Ashland Dr., Greensboro 27403. If you have not been vaccinated for COVID-19, or if you have any symptoms at all, please do not come for the safety of others.
Contact person: Dennis Burnette, deburnette@triad.rr.com, 336-337-8692.
Please RSVP if you plan to come.
TENTATIVE
We will meet in the parking lot of Congaree Creek HP located at 634 Old State Road, Cayce, SC 29033; the GPS coordinates are 33.942633, -81.032142. We will explore areas in part of the Heritage Preserve and along Old State Road and the Timmerman Trail. Our target species are Goatweed Leafwing and Texan Crescent. Walking is easy but could be several miles if you choose to do that much. There is a restroom at the Cayce Tennis Center on Fort Congaree Trail Road, but we will not be in that area until later in the day. Marty and Dave Kastner will lead. Please register on the CBS website or with the Kastners if you plan to attend.
THIS WALK HAS BEEN POSTPONED – Check back for the reschedule date.
The walk will be led by Carlos Chacon who is a butterfly expert, both for our native butterflies as well as those in his native country of Costa Rica. In addition, he is knowledgeable about host and nectaring plants. Members have the option of staying for the weekend and doing more butterflying at nearby areas, some of which are listed below.
Carlos Chacon is the Manager of Natural History at the Coastal Discovery Museum and will lead the group on an exploration of the Karen Wertheimer Butterfly Habitat. The exploration will start with a short Power Point presentation covering the natural history, life cycle and other relevant facts of some of the most iconic Lowcountry butterflies. After the presentation the group will proceed on a short walk of the butterfly habitat and surrounding gardens where the group will be able to see several species of native butterflies in all the stages of their life cycle; egg, larvae, chrysalis and adult. Participants should wear good walking shoes and be prepared to spend a couple of hours in the field.
The Coastal Discovery Museum is very close to Pickney National Wildlife Refuge as well as the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge which are 2 possible venues for additional butterflying and/or birding the next day. The Sea Pines Forest Preserve, Mid Island Track and Michelville Freedom Park are also good locations to explore nearby.
Lodging is available along Highway 278. On your way home, there are numerous butterflying options in the ACE Basin off Highway 17 N. They include Donnelly WMA (Wildlife Management Area), Bear Island WMA, Edisto Nature Trail and Hollings National Wildlife Refuge.
If you plan on attending, please either register above or contact Alison Smith at the email address below.
Meet at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center where we will divide into smaller groups. Some will have longer areas to walk. Some trails will have roots and may be overgrown. There are no restaurants nearby. Contact David Shelley if you can help with this important count. You do not have to be an expert to help and may come for a whole or half day.
The Carolina Butterfly Society Midlands Chapter will hold a butterfly walk on FRIDAY, June 11 to Carolina Sandhills NWR (National Wildlife Refuge) in South Carolina. This is the walk that was rescheduled due to an unfavorable weather forecast on June 5.
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; The GPS coordinates are 34.502551, -80.223653.
Our target species will be hairstreaks including Banded, Coral and King’s and Southern Dogface. 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 sections of the NWR 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.
