Tag Archives: Walking Distance: Short

Harriet McCarthy’s Home Butterfly Garden (Forsyth County, NC)

On Saturday, May 14, 2022, the Triad Chapter of CBS (Carolina Butterfly Society) will hold a butterfly walk at Harriet McCarthy’s home butterfly garden in Forsyth County, which has been certified as a Monarch Waystation. The whole property is beautifully landscaped. Harriet, who is a Master Gardener, has planted her property extensively with native species (as well as some non-native plants) to provide host plants for butterfly caterpillars and nectar for adult butterflies and other pollinators. Most of the mature plantings are in her back garden. In addition, she has a flowerbed at the base of the lawn in front of her home with one end set aside for shade-loving plants under the cover of mature trees.

If you would like to attend, please contact Harriet McCarthy at the email address below to RSVP and obtain her address (which, for privacy and security concerns, is not published here).

Greensboro Arboretum, NC

DATE CHANGE – Now Saturday, April 23, 2022 (was April 30)

On Saturday, April 23, 2022, the Triad Chapter of CBS (Carolina Butterfly Society) will hold a butterfly walk at the Greensboro Arboretum to look for early butterflies. This 17-acre site features 14 plant collections, special display gardens and distinct structural features. The extensive variety of plants offers chances to observe butterflies and provides rich educational opportunities for children and adults, landscape designers, and homeowners. Refer to the website below for a map and additional information.

Meet at the arboretum entrance at 401 Ashland Drive, Greensboro, North Carolina 27403 (or for those who prefer GPS coordinates, 36.07027, -79.84208). Please RSVP to Dennis Burnette at the email address below if you plan to participate.

Carolina Sandhills NWR

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.

Edisto Memorial Gardens

The Edisto Memorial Gardens is owned and operated by the City of Orangeburg. There is No Admission Fee. Come see this South Carolina treasure and hopefully we will spot some butterflies too!

Suggestion: Park in the Upper Parking Lot and park toward the far end.

Restrooms are located to the far-right upper corner of the parking lot. Follow the sidewalk to the buildings down the hill and to the right.

We will meet in the Lower Parking lot to begin our walk. Follow the pavement to the far upper left and walk down the incline to the parking area below. Our walk will end back at the Upper Parking area.

This is an easy walk with some steps and moderate inclines. There is a board walk that enables us to see the North Fork of the Edisto River. The Edisto River is the longest free flowing Black Water River in North America. What makes this a black water river? Come and discover the answer.

Bring: Bug Spray, Water, Snacks, Insect Guides, Camera.

We will see Roses, Canada Geese, Turtles, a Chinese Waterwheel, and the river. We hope to see butterflies. There will be an opportunity to stand on a million gallons of water, you will not get your feet wet! Come see how the old city dump was transformed (1920’s) into an area of beauty before it became the “in thing to do!”

The gardens are affiliated with the American Garden Rose Selections (AGRS) and has an American Rose Society Award of Excellence Test Garden.

The Edisto Memorial Gardens are located at 218 Riverside Drive, SW, Orangeburg, SC 29115. The website is: www.orangeburg.sc.us/edisto-memorial-gardens.

Contact: Diane Curlee, cell phone (803) 378-0536 if you are planning to attend the walk.

Carolina Sandhills NWR, Cheraw SP and Horseshoe Mountain

The first walk for the CBS Midlands Chapter will be on April 3. We will visit Cheraw State Park and Horseshoe Mountain. Due to a recent controlled burn and lack of nectar, we will NOT explore Carolina Sandhills NWR; we will only meet there in the parking lot at 10:00 (which, due to the expected cool temperature, is later than the original time of 9:30 ). 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. We will caravan to Cheraw SP and then to Horseshoe Mountain.

Please note that masks and social distancing are mandated on all federal lands (Sandhills) and masks are only required in areas where people congregate at Cheraw SP. If you want to explore the Carolina Sandhills NWR, a youth turkey hunt is taking place on this date and our permit limits us to either side of Wildlife Drive from Hwy 1 to RT 9. Please bring an orange hat or vest to wear in the NWR other than the parking lot.

Please note that the area at Cheraw SP is not a trail and we will be walking on uneven ground covered with pine needles and some vegetation. Also, at Horseshoe Mountain there is a walk with some steps to get up to the top. The high temperature is only supposed to be 59 on Saturday, but we did see butterflies while scouting when it was only 55 degrees. It is supposed to be sunny.

As before we will practice social distancing as much as possible during the walk. Be sure to bring your mask since the area will be more crowded on a holiday weekend. Bathrooms are available at Horseshoe Mountain.

The target species are Henry’s Elfin, Brown Elfin, Frosted Elfin and Hessel’s Hairstreak. Please bring your binoculars, camera, field guides, lunch, snacks and water. We will end around 3:00. Marty and Dave Kastner will lead the walk. Please sign up on the CBS website or contact Marty and Dave if you plan to attend. kastners@aol.com

CANCELLED – Parris Island, South Carolina

CANCELLED

Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), we have been informed by our contact at Parris Island that, “It has been extremely difficult to get non-DOD affiliated personnel on the Depot, especially Friday-Sunday.” Consequently, this walk has been CANCELLED. The invitation to visit Parris Island is still open and we intend to include it in the planning schedule for 2021.

This is a very rare opportunity to butterfly on Parris Island.

The walk will be LIMITED TO THE FIRST 12 PEOPLE who sign up by September 12 either on the CBS website or by contacting Marty Kastner at kastners@aol.com. When you register, you will need to provide your FULL NAME, DATE OF BIRTH and SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. This information will be given to John Holloway (our trip leader and the natural resources person for Parris Island) which he will submit to Parris Island base security for the purpose of vetting all attendees. Dennis Forsythe is the organizer for this walk.

We will meet at the Parris Island Gateway entrance just south of US Highway 21 at Malecon Drive. Once through the main gate, we will pull over to caravan. The GPS coordinates for the front entry gate are 32.375001, -80.716649.

Long pants, sturdy shoes and a hat are recommended. Please bring sunscreen, insect repellent, water and lunch. Binoculars, a camera (for the photographers in the group) and field guide will be helpful for butterfly identification.

+ GOOGLE CALENDAR+ ICAL EXPORT

Pilot Mountain State Park

The Triad Chapter of Carolina Butterfly Society will hold a butterfly walk at Pilot Mountain State Park in Surry County.  Meet at the base of the mountain at the drive entrance.  We will check out the butterflies in the meadow in this area.  Be alert for changes in this plan in case we have to change the meeting place due to weekend crowding.  After exploring the meadow, we will proceed up the mountain to the parking lot at the top near the restrooms.

Contact the field trip coordinator, Gene Schepker geneschepker@gmail.com, if you plan to participate. Participants are welcome to come on our walks without contacting the coordinator, but you may miss us if there are last minute changes in the trip details. Trip coordinators will contact those who register for our field trips with updates on weather issues, changes in timing or meeting places, and other details.

Wear sturdy shoes, bring plenty of water to drink, and dress for the summer weather. Binoculars, cameras, field guides, insect repellent and sunscreen probably will be useful. Those who wish to have a picnic lunch while on the top should bring their own food and drink because there is no place nearby to get them.

Our targets are Common Roadside Skipper, Mourning Cloak, and Hoary Edge, as well as other butterflies.

This trip is suitable for beginners as well as seasoned butterfliers. However, since the ground is uneven and there are potential tripping and falling hazards, it would be best for parents with kids and folks with ambulatory issues to seriously consider the possible dangers. Guests are welcome but no pets, please.