This past weekend 5 enthusiastic lepsters (Rick Cheicante, Matt Orsie, Barry Marts, Mike Smith and Tom Pendleton) from WV, MD and VA went on a field trip to SE North Carolina spending time in various locations within Croatan National Forest with a side trip to Fort Macon State Park. The weather could not have been better with low humidity, light breezes and plentiful sunshine. For Barry, Mike and I this was our second trip of the year to SE NC, the first being in early May. Our primary targets were Roadside Skippers and any other rare / regional specialties that have been found in that area. 42 species were seen with the best butterfly being a Berry’s Skipper which posed nicely for photos and played tag team with a Delaware Skipper which made for a nice comparison. Three Cane specialists were seen in decent numbers (Lace-winged Roadside-Skipper (13), Carolina Roadside-Skipper (37), Reversed Roadside-Skipper (6)). Other notables for us were Giant Swallowtails at Fort Macon SP, Little Metalmark, Gulf Fritillary, Georgia Satyr, Zarucco Duskywing, Whirlabout, Byssus Skipper and Twin-spot Skipper.
8-22/23 Croatan NF and Fort Macon SP, NC 2 Giant Swallowtail 7 Eastern Tiger Swallowtial 1 Spicebush Swallowtail 46 Palamedes Swallowtail 135 Cloudless Sulphur 38 Sleepy Oranage 7 Gray Hairstreak 9 Red-banded Hairstreak 2 Eastern Tailed-Blue 3 Summer Azure 4 Little Metalmark 1 Gulf Fritillary 9 Pearl Crescent 12 Common Buckeye 3 Red-spotted Purple 42 Carolina Satyr 12 Georgia Satyr 2 Common Wood-Nymph 1 Monarch 2 Silver-spotted Skipper 1 Southern Cloudywing 1 Hayhurst's Scallopwing 3 Horace's Duskywing 2 Zarucco Duskywing 1 Swarthy Skipper 4 Clouded Skipper 3 Least Skipper 16 Firey Skipper 8 Tawny-edged Skipper 1 Whirlabout 22 Southern Broken-Dash 1 Little Glassywing 1 Delaware Skipper 6 Byssus Skipper 1 Berry's Skipper 3 Dun Skipper 13 Lace-winged Roadside-Skipper 37 Carolina Roadside-Skipper 6 Reversed Roadside-Skipper 28 Twin-spot Skipper 1 Salt Marsh Skipper 16 Ocola Skipper
Click on any image below to enlarge
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