Tag Archives: South Carolina

POSTPONED – Coastal Discovery Museum, Hilton Head, SC

THIS WALK HAS BEEN POSTPONED – Check back for the reschedule date.

The walk will be led by Carlos Chacon who is a butterfly expert, both for our native butterflies as well as those in his native country of Costa Rica. In addition, he is knowledgeable about host and nectaring plants. Members have the option of staying for the weekend and doing more butterflying at nearby areas, some of which are listed below.

Carlos Chacon is the Manager of Natural History at the Coastal Discovery Museum and will lead the group on an exploration of the Karen Wertheimer Butterfly Habitat. The exploration will start with a short Power Point presentation covering the natural history, life cycle and other relevant facts of some of the most iconic Lowcountry butterflies. After the presentation the group will proceed on a short walk of the butterfly habitat and surrounding gardens where the group will be able to see several species of native butterflies in all the stages of their life cycle; egg, larvae, chrysalis and adult. Participants should wear good walking shoes and be prepared to spend a couple of hours in the field.

The Coastal Discovery Museum is very close to Pickney National Wildlife Refuge as well as the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge which are 2 possible venues for additional butterflying and/or birding the next day. The Sea Pines Forest Preserve, Mid Island Track and Michelville Freedom Park are also good locations to explore nearby.

Lodging is available along Highway 278. On your way home, there are numerous butterflying options in the ACE Basin off Highway 17 N. They include  Donnelly WMA (Wildlife Management Area), Bear Island WMA, Edisto Nature Trail and Hollings National Wildlife Refuge.

If you plan on attending, please either register above or contact Alison Smith at the email address below.

NABA Count – Congaree National Park

Meet at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center where we will divide into smaller groups.  Some will have longer areas to walk.  Some trails will have roots and may be overgrown.  There are no restaurants nearby.  Contact David Shelley if you can help with this important count.  You do not have to be an expert to help and may come for a whole or half day.

Carolina Sandhills NWR

The Carolina Butterfly Society Midlands Chapter will hold a butterfly walk on FRIDAY, June 11 to Carolina Sandhills NWR (National Wildlife Refuge) in South Carolina. This is the walk that was rescheduled due to an unfavorable weather forecast on June 5.

Please meet in the parking lot at the visitor center of Carolina Sandhills NWR. The main entrance is on US Highway 1, about 4 miles northeast of McBee, SC. The address is 23734 U.S. Highway 1, McBee, SC 29101; The GPS coordinates are 34.502551, -80.223653.

Our target species will be hairstreaks including Banded, Coral and King’s and Southern Dogface. There are restroom facilities at Lake Bee, but we will not be near there until later in the day if at all. There are gas stations in McBee. We will drive to sections of the NWR and stop to look for butterflies. Walking will be minimal. Please bring water, lunch, binoculars, cameras, sunscreen, and bug spray. Long pants and close-toed shoes are recommended. Marty and Dave Kastner will lead. Please register on the CBS website or contact [email protected] if you can attend.

NABA Count – Congaree National Park

Meet at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center where we will divide into smaller groups.  Some will have longer areas to walk.  Some trails will have roots and may be overgrown.  There are no restaurants nearby.  Contact David Shelley if you can help with this important count.  You do not have to be an expert to help and may come for a whole or half day.

Edisto Memorial Gardens

The Edisto Memorial Gardens is owned and operated by the City of Orangeburg. There is No Admission Fee. Come see this South Carolina treasure and hopefully we will spot some butterflies too!

Suggestion: Park in the Upper Parking Lot and park toward the far end.

Restrooms are located to the far-right upper corner of the parking lot. Follow the sidewalk to the buildings down the hill and to the right.

We will meet in the Lower Parking lot to begin our walk. Follow the pavement to the far upper left and walk down the incline to the parking area below. Our walk will end back at the Upper Parking area.

This is an easy walk with some steps and moderate inclines. There is a board walk that enables us to see the North Fork of the Edisto River. The Edisto River is the longest free flowing Black Water River in North America. What makes this a black water river? Come and discover the answer.

Bring: Bug Spray, Water, Snacks, Insect Guides, Camera.

We will see Roses, Canada Geese, Turtles, a Chinese Waterwheel, and the river. We hope to see butterflies. There will be an opportunity to stand on a million gallons of water, you will not get your feet wet! Come see how the old city dump was transformed (1920’s) into an area of beauty before it became the “in thing to do!”

The gardens are affiliated with the American Garden Rose Selections (AGRS) and has an American Rose Society Award of Excellence Test Garden.

The Edisto Memorial Gardens are located at 218 Riverside Drive, SW, Orangeburg, SC 29115. The website is: www.orangeburg.sc.us/edisto-memorial-gardens.

Contact: Diane Curlee, cell phone (803) 378-0536 if you are planning to attend the walk.

Lowcountry – Francis Marion NF

On Saturday, May 15, there will be a walk in the Francis Marion National Forest near Huger, South Carolina. The walk will start at 10:00 AM and everyone should meet at the intersection of Dog Swamp Road (dirt road) and 3047 Steed Creek Road. The GPS coordinates of the meeting place are 33.074667, -79.736444 (or 33°04’28.8″N 79°44’11.2″W). Google Maps indicates this location is 55 minutes or 38 miles from the Coburg Cow sign in Charleston.

Jock Stender will lead and Alison Smith will co-lead.

Please either register for this walk on the CBS website or contact the trip leader(s) so he/she will know you are coming. It is always wise to pack a portable lunch, snacks and plenty of water. Long pants and close-toed shoes are recommended. Bring your camera, binoculars, field guide, sunscreen and bug spray.

Carolina Sandhills NWR, Cheraw SP and Horseshoe Mountain

The first walk for the CBS Midlands Chapter will be on April 3. We will visit Cheraw State Park and Horseshoe Mountain. Due to a recent controlled burn and lack of nectar, we will NOT explore Carolina Sandhills NWR; we will only meet there in the parking lot at 10:00 (which, due to the expected cool temperature, is later than the original time of 9:30 ). The main entrance is on US Highway 1, about 4 miles northeast of McBee, SC.  The address is 23734 U.S. Highway 1, McBee, SC 29101. We will caravan to Cheraw SP and then to Horseshoe Mountain.

Please note that masks and social distancing are mandated on all federal lands (Sandhills) and masks are only required in areas where people congregate at Cheraw SP. If you want to explore the Carolina Sandhills NWR, a youth turkey hunt is taking place on this date and our permit limits us to either side of Wildlife Drive from Hwy 1 to RT 9. Please bring an orange hat or vest to wear in the NWR other than the parking lot.

Please note that the area at Cheraw SP is not a trail and we will be walking on uneven ground covered with pine needles and some vegetation. Also, at Horseshoe Mountain there is a walk with some steps to get up to the top. The high temperature is only supposed to be 59 on Saturday, but we did see butterflies while scouting when it was only 55 degrees. It is supposed to be sunny.

As before we will practice social distancing as much as possible during the walk. Be sure to bring your mask since the area will be more crowded on a holiday weekend. Bathrooms are available at Horseshoe Mountain.

The target species are Henry’s Elfin, Brown Elfin, Frosted Elfin and Hessel’s Hairstreak. Please bring your binoculars, camera, field guides, lunch, snacks and water. We will end around 3:00. Marty and Dave Kastner will lead the walk. Please sign up on the CBS website or contact Marty and Dave if you plan to attend. [email protected]

CANCELLED – Timmerman Trail of the Cayce Riverwalk

CANCELLED

Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and out of an abundance of caution, this walk has been CANCELLED.

This walk will begin at 11:00 (to allow the sun to get up over the trees) and end between 3:00 and 4:00.  The GPS coordinates on their website is for a different location than where we will be exploring.  The GPS coordinates for where we will meet are 33.934482, -81.037010.  To get there, take I-77 to exit 2 and exit onto 12th Street Extension heading north.  Turn right onto Fort Congaree Trail.  Go straight and park on the side of the road just before the gate.  There are restrooms at the Cayce Tennis Center, but it is currently not known if they will be opened.  Much of the Timmerman Trail is paved, but we will be walking a dirt road (which is Old State Road). On 3/12/20, Marty and Dave Kastner saw 25 Falcate Orangetip butterflies, mostly males, along with 10 other species.

Marty and Dave Kastner will lead.  Please register on the CBS website or contact Marty if you are coming.  [email protected]