South Carolina Mountain Weekend, April 11-12, 2015

The Carolina Butterfly Society’s South Carolina Mountain Weekend was a success with extremely favorable weather and a congenial group. The only disappointment was, the same one experienced by the Midlands Chapter on their field trip to Chesterfield County the previous week, a lack of early season butterflies.

On Saturday, April 11, we covered Sassafras Mountain, Pickens County in the mourning, a very crowded Caesar’s Head State Park in the early afternoon and Ooleney State Park briefly in the late afternoon The later two parks are in Greenville County. Dennis Forsythe was our trip leader. In attendance were Doug Allen, Carl Ganser, Dave and Marty Kastner, Jeff Kline, Paul Seibert and Sherry Robertson.

Sassafras Mountain and road

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 4
Spring Azure 4
Azure species 3
Gemmed Satyr 1
Satyr species 1
Silver-spotted Skipper 1
Juvenal’s Duskywing approx. 98

Caesar’s Head SP

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 3
Falcate Orangetip 1
Cloudless Sulphur 1
Spring Azure 1
Azure species 2
Pearl Crescent 1
Juvenal’s Duskywing 6

Ooleney SP

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 3
Falcate Orangetip 1
Cloudless Sulphur 4
Eastern Tailed-Blue 2
Carolina Satyr 1
Juvenal’s Duskywing 10

On Sunday, April 12, we spent the morning exploring the Peach Orchard Angler’s Access and The Nature Conservancy’s Nine Times Preserve in the afternoon. Both locations are in Pickens County. Dennis Forsythe was our trip leader for the Peach Orchard and Jeff Click was our trip leader for the Nine Times Preserve. In attendance were Doug Allen, Jeff Click, Jean Fontaine, Carl Ganser, Dave and Marty Kastner, and Jeff Kline.

Peach Orchard Angler Access

Pipevine Swallowtail 1
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 4
West Virginia White 2
Red-banded Hairstreak 1
Hairstreak species 1
Spring Azure 4
Azure species 4
Red Admiral 1
Gemmed Satyr 1
Carolina/Intricate Satyr 1
Juvenal’s Duskywing approx. 52
Horace’s Duskywing 1
Duskywing species 1
Silver-spotted Skipper 3

Nine Times Preserve

Pipevine Swallowtail 1
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 12
Spicebush Swallowtail 1
Swallowtail species 1
West Virginia White 3 (one female ovipositing on Cut Leaf Toothworth (Cardamine concatenata) Egg found)
Pearl Crescent 1
Question Mark 1
Red-spotted Purple 1
Carolina/Intricate Satyr 1
Silver-spotted Skipper 4
Juvenal’s Duskywing approx. 165
Pepper and Salt Skipper 1

Marty Kastner and Dennis Forsythe