Tag Archives: South Carolina

Kalmia Gardens and Cheraw State Park – Hessel’s Hairstreak and Elfins (Hartsville, SC)

We will begin the day at Kalmia Gardens. The address on their website is listed as 1624 West Carolina Avenue, Hartsville, SC 29550, but that is the mailing address for the building in the center of the gardens. We will meet in the parking lot; the entrance to the parking lot on West Carolina Avenue is located at GPS coordinates 34.36548, -80.11746. At Kalmia we will be looking for the stand of Atlantic White Cedar which is the host plant for Hessel’s Hairstreak.

After spending some time in and around the gardens, we will drive approximately 30 minutes to Cheraw State Park. Our target species at Cheraw are all the elfins and, again, Hessel’s Hairstreak.

Marty and Dave Kastner will lead this walk. Please RSVP to Marty at the email address below if you plan to participate. Please bring water, lunch, binoculars, cameras and field guides. Sunscreen, bug spray, long pants and close-toed shoes are highly recommended.

Wateree River HP & WMA (Eastover, near Columbia, SC)

The Carolina Butterfly Society Midlands Chapter will hold a butterfly walk on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the 3,674-acre Wateree River Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area. Our target species are Henry’s Elfin and Falcate Orangetip, but we will also be looking for other early-season butterflies as well. We will drive to various areas and walk some of the trails. Areas may be a little overgrown, but the walking is mostly on level ground and easy.

Meet at the first kiosk that is located on the right, about 0.45 miles along Goodwill Road after entering the property. GPS coordinates for the kiosk are 33.9495, -80.6530. The HP / WMA entrance is located at 15001 Goodwill Road, Eastover, SC 29044 (GPS coordinates 33.9435, -80.6555) on the north side of Garners Ferry Road, US Highway 378, just across from Goodwill Baptist Church.

No restrooms are available on the property. Refer to the SCDNR website link below for additional information and maps of the property. Either register on the CBS website or RSVP to Marty Kastner at the email address below if you plan to participate. Please bring water, lunch, binoculars, cameras and field guides. Sunscreen, bug spray, long pants and close-toed shoes are highly recommended.

See the website link below for hiking trails and other information about the Wateree River Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area.

DATE CHANGE – Congaree Creek HP and Timmerman Trail (Cayce, SC)

DUE TO THE INCLEMENT WEATHER FORECAST FOR SATURDAY, MARCH 9, THE DATE FOR THIS WALK HAS BEEN CHANGED TO TUESDAY, MARCH 12. Also, due to the expected low temperature Monday night, the start time has been moved back to 11:00 am (from 10:00 am).

The Carolina Butterfly Society Midlands Chapter will hold a butterfly walk on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. We will meet in the parking lot of Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve located at 634 Old State Road, Cayce, SC 29033 (GPS coordinates 33.9426, -81.0325). We will explore areas in and near part of the Heritage Preserve, along Old State Road and the Timmerman Trail. Our target species are Goatweed Leafwing, Falcate Orangetip and Elfins. Walking is easy and the distance is up to the participants.

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. Please register online at the CBS website or RSVP to Marty Kastner at the email address below if you plan to participate. Please bring water, lunch, binoculars, cameras and field guides. Sunscreen, bug spray, long pants and close-toed shoes are highly recommended.

Post-Symposium Walk – Wateree River HP and WMA (Eastover, near Columbia, SC)

This is a post-symposium butterfly walk at the 3,674-acre Wateree River Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area but anyone is welcome whether they plan on attending the symposium or not. We will drive to various areas and walk some of the trails. Areas may be a little overgrown, but the walking is mostly on level ground and easy. The Southern Dogface has been seen consistently at this site.

Meet at the first kiosk that is located on the right, about 0.45 miles along Goodwill Road after entering the property. GPS coordinates for the kiosk are 33.94949, -80.65303. The HP / WMA entrance is located at 15001 Goodwill Road, Eastover, SC 29044 (GPS coordinates 33.94353, -80.65551) on the north side of Garners Ferry Road, US Highway 378, just across from Goodwill Baptist Church.

No restrooms are available on the property. Please register online at the CBS website or RSVP to Marty Kastner at the email address below if you plan to participate. Please bring water, lunch, binoculars, cameras and field guides. Sunscreen, bug spray, long pants and close-toed shoes are highly recommended.

See the SCDNR website link below for hiking trails and other information about the Wateree River Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area.

Pre-Symposium Walk – Timmerman Trail (Cayce, SC)

This is a pre-symposium butterfly walk but anyone is welcome whether they plan on attending the symposium or not.

We will meet at the trailhead on Fort Congaree Trail (which is the road name). Take I-77 to exit 2, called 12th Street Extension, and turn onto Fort Congaree Trail. Drive past the Courtyard Hotel and the Lexington Tennis Center. The GPS coordinates are 33.9345, -81.0370 and there is a large area for parking on the left just before the trailhead. The beginning of this trail is paved. We will follow it for a short distance and then walk down Old State Road which is dirt.

No restrooms are available on the property. Please register online at the CBS website or RSVP to Marty Kastner at the email address below if you plan to participate. Please bring water, lunch, binoculars, cameras and field guides. Sunscreen, bug spray, long pants and close-toed shoes are highly recommended.

2023 Symposium – Saluda Shoals Park (Columbia, SC)

Come and join us for the Carolina Butterfly Society 2023 Symposium that will be held on Saturday, October 7 at Saluda Shoals Park, 5605 Bush River Road in Columbia, South Carolina. Check-in will be from 9:15 am to 9:45 am. Presentations will be from 9:45 am to 11:45 am and 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm with a break for lunch and a short butterfly walk around Saluda Shoals Park from 11:45 am to 1:30 pm. There is no cost to attend but if you would like to purchase a lunch using the Registration and Lunch Form below, there is a $15.00 charge. (Please note that lunch cannot be guaranteed if we do not receive your lunch form and payment by October 2).

Featured Presentations

Tips for Field Expedient Identification of the Intricate Satyr in Coastal SCTom Austin – Land Protection Specialist for the Edisto Island Open Land Trust

Sex, Salt, and the Single ButterflyCarol Boggs Ph.D. – Professor & Director, School of the Earth, Ocean, & Environment, University of South Carolina

Native Plants that Attract ButterfliesDennis Burnette – Retired Professor and Current Nature Educator

Where’s Waldo: What Species Do We Need to Search for in South Carolina?Brian Scholtens Ph.D. – Professor of Biology, College of Charleston

 

Symposium Registration and Lunch Form – Copy and paste the following link into your browser of choice – https://www.carolinabutterflysociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Registration-and-Lunch-Form-2023.pdf

Please note: We are NOT providing single-use water bottles. Please bring your own water bottle and coffee cup. We will provide coffee, creamer, sugar, sweetener, morning snacks, sweet and unsweet tea, cups for tea, and ice. There are drinking fountains in the building where water bottles can be filled or refilled. Ice will be available for the tea and water.

Area Lodging – There are several choices at the intersection of I-20 and Bush River Road:
Doubletree by Hilton                       Best Western Inns and Suites
Quality Inns and Suites                   Sleep Inn Columbia
Other area hotels are also available.

Butterfly walks have also been planned for Friday, October 6, from 2:00 pm until 4:30 pm at Timmerman Trail in Cayce, SC, and Sunday, October 8, from 9:30 am until 2:30 pm at Wateree River HP and WMA in Eastover, SC.

Make plans now to bring a friend and join us.

Francis Marion National Forest (McClellanville, NE of Charleston, SC)

SAVE THE DATES

This is a full CBS walk. Exact locations for butterflying within the FMNF (Francis Marion National Forest) will be determined after the NABA count the weekend before this scheduled CBS walk. We will go to the most productive areas in the FMNF based on NABA count results.

On Saturday, we will meet at the Circle K convenience store at the intersection of Highway 17 and Route 45 in McClellanville, SC (GPS coordinates 33.09514, -79.47558). Restrooms are available at this location. From there we will drive to the areas within the FMNF to butterfly. We will be on forest roads within the national forest. There is a fairly large area to explore so we will be driving to specific sites, parking and walking along the roadside, then driving to other areas to explore on foot. There are no facilities within the FMNF. The meeting location for Sunday will be determined at the end of the walk on Saturday.

Make sure to bring plenty of water, bug repellant and a lunch. You can attend either or both days. Please contact Alison Smith at the email address below if you plan to participate.

Wateree River HP & WMA – Southern Dogface (Eastover, near Columbia, SC)

The Carolina Butterfly Society Midlands Chapter will hold a butterfly walk on October 21,2023 at the 3,674-acre Wateree River Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area. Our target species is the Southern Dogface, but we will also be looking for other late-season butterflies as well. We will drive to various areas and walk some of the trails. Areas may be a little overgrown, but the walking is mostly on level ground and easy.

Meet at the first kiosk that is located on the right, about 0.45 miles along Goodwill Road after entering the property. GPS coordinates for the kiosk are 33.94949, -80.65303. The HP / WMA entrance is located at 15001 Goodwill Road, Eastover, SC 29044 (GPS coordinates 33.94353, -80.65551) on the north side of Garners Ferry Road, US Highway 378, just across from Goodwill Baptist Church.

No restrooms are available on the property. Refer to the SCDNR website link below for additional information and maps of the property. Please RSVP to Marty Kastner at the email address below if you plan to participate. Please bring water, lunch, binoculars, cameras and field guides. Sunscreen, bug spray, long pants and close-toed shoes are highly recommended.

See the website link below for hiking trails and other information about the Wateree River Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area.

SI Group Hundred Acre Woods – Goatweed Leafwing (Orangeburg, SC)

TIME CHANGED (from 10:00am-3:00pm to 1:00pm-4:00pm)

DATE CHANGED (from September 30 to October 14)

On Saturday, October 14, 2023, the Midlands Chapter of CBS (Carolina Butterfly Society) will hold a butterfly walk at the SI Group Hundred Acre Woods in Orangeburg, South Carolina, to look for the Goatweed Leafwing (we believe there is an existing, ongoing colony) and other fall butterflies. There will be a short drive on an unpaved road to get to our staging point, and, after parking, we will walk around the property. This site was last visited in 2019.

There is a porta potty on site. Restaurants and gas stations are nearby. The walk will be on flat ground, but some field areas may be overgrown.

The address is 725 Cannon Bridge Road, Orangeburg, SC 29115 (GPS coordinates 33.465095, -80.884050). Traveling south on Cannon Bridge Road from Highway 301, go past the railroad crossing and come in the third entrance on the left just after the main parking lot area for the SI Group and just before the fenced-in electrical substation enclosure. After turning in, look to your right and follow the short dirt road, on the east side of the electrical substation enclosure, towards the tree line where we will meet and line up our cars. After everyone has arrived, a safety officer from the SI Group will lead the caravan of cars back to the Hundred Acre Woods parking area.

Please register online at the CBS website or RSVP to Diane Curlee, our trip organizer, at the email address below if you plan to participate.

NABA Count – Congaree National Park (Hopkins, SC)

On Saturday, September 16, 2023, the Midlands Chapter of CBS (Carolina Butterfly Society) will participate in a NABA (North American Butterfly Association) count at Congaree National Park near Columbia, South Carolina, to look for mid to late-season butterflies.

Meet at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center (GPS coordinates 33.82984, -80.82343) where we will divide into smaller groups. Some groups will have larger areas to explore than others. Some of the trails will have roots and/or may be overgrown. There are no restaurants nearby. You do not have to be an expert to participate and may come for a whole or half day. Please bring water, lunch, snacks, and if you have them, binoculars, a camera and field guide. Sunscreen, bug spray, long pants and close-toed shoes are highly recommended.

Refer to the national park website link below for additional information and maps of the property. Please RSVP to Theresa Yednoc at the email address below if you can help with this important count.