Tag Archives: South Carolina

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 SC – Tom Austin – Land Protection Specialist for the Edisto Island Open Land Trust

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

Native Plants that Attract Butterflies – Dennis 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.

Gum Swamp Road and Silver Bluff Audubon Sanctuary (Aiken Co, SC)

This is a Full CBS Walk to areas near Aiken, South Carolina, to look for the Texan Crescent, Tawny Emperor, Hackberry Emperor and other summer butterflies. On Saturday, August 5, we will drive along Gum Swamp Road and stop at various locations along the road to explore areas of interest (or wherever we see butterflies). On Sunday, August 6, we will explore areas within the Silver Bluff Audubon Center and Sanctuary that are generally not open to the public. The gate to the lakes (see below for the location) will be open on Sunday at dawn if you want to do some birding before our butterfly walk.

We will meet both days at the Kathwood Lakes parking area (GPS coordinates 33.33728, -81.84345) of the Silver Bluff Audubon Center and Sanctuary. We will leave some cars at this location and consolidate the number of vehicles. Kathwood Lakes is located on Silver Bluff Road just before the paved road turns to dirt and approximately 200 yards after crossing the railroad tracks coming south. Kathwood Lakes is the name Google Maps uses for the bodies of water at this location.

If you are coming from the north, Beech Island is the nearest place with bathrooms, places to eat and gas stations. If coming from the south, Jackson is the nearest place for these items. If coming from the east down Silver Bluff Road, (SC 302), Aiken will be the last town on your way. Jackson will be to your south on SC 125 if you need to stop just prior to the meeting spot.

No restrooms are available along Gum Swamp Road. Please RSVP to John Demko at the email address below if you plan to participate.

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Salleyland – Late-Summer Butterflies (Salley, SC)

The Midlands Chapter of CBS (Carolina Butterfly Society) will hold a butterfly walk at Salleyland near Salley, South Carolina, to look for late-summer butterflies. Please note that this is a Sunday walk.

Salleyland is an approximately 100-acre undeveloped (except for a small cabin) tract of land that includes a hardwood forest, a sandhills area, a stream and a swamp. Our host and Salleyland co-owner, Whit Gibbons, is a renowned naturalist and editor, author or co-author of more than 20 books. He also has written numerous articles that have been published in scientific journals.

We will meet at the Salleyland cabin. The address is 2838 Firetower Road, Salley, South Carolina, 29137 in Orangeburg County. GPS coordinates for the entrance to the access road that leads back to the cabin are 33.53716, -81.27444. Parking at the cabin is limited and the access road is difficult for low ground clearance vehicles.

Restrooms are available on the property. Please RSVP or send any questions to Tom Austin at the email address below if you plan to participate.

NABA Butterfly Count (CSRV, Aiken County, SC)

On Saturday, July 8, 2023, NABA (North American Butterfly Association) will hold a butterfly count in the CSRV (Central Savannah River Valley) at the Silver Bluff Audubon Center in Jackson, South Carolina. Audubon’s Silver Bluff Sanctuary is a 3,400-acre woodland overlooking the Savannah River. Here you’ll find extensive pine forests and bottomland hardwood forests; beautiful walking trails; 50 acres of lakes and ponds; 100 acres of grassland; and all manner of birds, butterflies and wildlife. Refer to the website below for specific directions and additional information about Silver Bluff Sanctuary.

Meet at the Silver Bluff Audubon Visitor Center in Jackson, South Carolina. The GPS coordinates for the gate just outside the visitor center are 33.32451, -81.84501. Please RSVP to John Demko at the email address below if you plan to participate.

Important note: Using the street address, some GPS systems tell you that you’ve arrived one mile before you actually reach the Silver Bluff gates. At that point, Silver Bluff Road transitions from a paved road to a well-maintained sand/clay road. Continue driving for one more mile and you’ll see the gates on your right. As stated earlier, the GPS coordinates above are for the gate located just outside the visitor’s center.

On this same date, there will also be another group conducting the NABA count over on the Georgia side of the river. If anyone is interested in participating with this other group in Georgia, contact John Demko at the email address below for more information.

CANCELLED – Etheredge Mill Pond – Aaron’s Skipper (North, SC)

CANCELLED – After numerous recent scouting visits, no Aaron’s Skippers could be found. Consequently, this year’s walk has been CANCELLED! Here’s to hoping they’ll be back next year.

The Midlands Chapter of CBS (Carolina Butterfly Society) will hold a butterfly walk at Etheredge Mill Pond near North, South Carolina, to look for Aaron’s Skipper fall brood and other late-season butterflies. Please note that this is a Tuesday walk. Locations of interest will be around the mill pond. At times, we will be walking along the fairly wide shoulders of paved roads.

Meet on the east side of Etheredge Mill Pond at the corner of Highway 178 / North Road and Highway 172 / Redmond Mill Road (GPS coordinates 33.62726, -81.04808) in the open area on the north side of Highway 178 and just to the west of Highway 172.

No restrooms are available on the property. Please RSVP to John Demko at the email address below if you plan to participate.