Although I was still tired from the long NJ trip the day before, the great weather forecast for the WV mountains pulled my wife and I and our dog Shadow outward and upward to the 3,150ft elevation of Blackwater Falls State Park. We spent a couple of hours looking for butterflies and found 10 species. The highlight was a pair of Pepper and Salt Skippers (lifer). This rare grass skipper is a more northern species but also is seen down the spine of the Appalachians. I just love the checkered margins. Its host plants include Indian grass and Bluegrass. A number of azures were also seen on the wing. The location and time of year favors C. lucia (Northern Azure). Dreamy Duskywings (5) were in good suuply along with a couple of Meadow Fritillaries (FOY). Another FOY was the large Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail. There is only one flight for this species ending around the first of July. For more information on this recently described species go here: Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail
