Tag Archives: Walk Difficulty: Easy

Sumter NF Long Cane District (Edgefield, SC)

The Carolina Butterfly Society Midlands Chapter will hold butterfly walks on Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17, 2025, at the 123,360-acre Long Cane District of the Sumter National Forest in the Lick Fork Lake and Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve areas. Our target species are Tawny-edged Skipper and Twin-spotted Skipper, as well as other early-season butterflies. Prunella vulgaris should be blooming.

On Saturday, meet at the Lick Fork Creek parking lot on Lick Fork Creek Road, GPS coordinates 33.7298, -82.0407. There is a $3 per day self-pay parking fee for the area but this is only if you leave your car. We do not plan to start here so do not pay the fee. The fee is waived if you have the Federal “America the Beautiful” Pass as that covers Federal Recreation Areas as well as National Parks. The Sunday meeting location will be determined after the Saturday walk.

DIRECTIONS:

From I-20 get off at Exit 1 to Martintown Road (SC-230) and head north until you see the sign to turn right for Lick Fork Creek Recreation Area. If you get to the SC 23 intersection with SC 230 you have gone just a tad too far (less than 0.5 miles).
If you are coming up SC 125 from the south, take it to Martintown Road (SC-230) and head north. You will go over I-20 and then follow the directions above.
From the square in downtown Edgefield, travel south on Hwy-23 for 8.3 miles. Bear left onto Hwy-230 and travel for 0.4 miles. Turn left onto Lick Fork Lake Road (S 19-263) and travel 1.9 miles. The entrance is on the right.

There are bathrooms near the meeting area. There is no cell service in the areas we will be exploring. John Demko will lead. Either register on the CBS website (using the “Register” link above) or RSVP to John 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.

Fort Macon SP, Croatan NF, Holly Shelter Game Land (NC)

This full Carolina Butterfly Society 2-day field trip will be held in eastern North Carolina where we plan on visiting three different locations. Our target butterfly species varies by location and are listed below. The leader is Harry LeGrand and possibly Lori Arent.

Saturday, April 12, 2025: Meet at Fort Macon State Park, at the Coastal Education Center parking lot at the end of East Fort Macon Rd, Atlantic Beach, NC (GPS coordinates 34.6977, -76.6787). Meet at 10:00 am. Target species is Crystal Skipper, which should be easy; not many other species are present at this time of year here; Henry’s Elfin (unlikely). Probably eat lunch at the visitor center, outside on benches. Restrooms are available inside the visitor center. (They are not available in Croatan, so best to eat and use the restroom here.)

After lunch, we will travel to several sites in Croatan National Forest, such as Millis Road in Carteret County, and then much farther north to Little Road in Craven County. Millis Road and Little Road are gravel but should be fine for about all vehicles.

Target species are Carolina Roadside-Skipper, Lace-winged Roadside-Skipper, Intricate Satyr, and Holly Azure. Little field work occurs in the forest in spring, and few flowers are blooming then, so we have little previous data here for April. Thus, expectations are low but hopes are high!

Sunday, April 13, 2025: Holly Shelter Game Land. Meet at the eastern end of the Topsail Baptist Church parking lot, closest to the entrance road to the game land, on US 17 (GPS coordinates 34.4099, -77.6571). Meet at 10:00 am. This is about 4 miles northeast of Hampstead. Note that there is another church immediately to the southwest, on the same side (north) of the highway. Obviously, don’t park there; park at the church lot at Topsail church where you can literally see the entrance road to the game land. As this is a Sunday, there likely will be some churchgoers parking in the lot closer to the church anyway.

It may well be a bit too early and “dewy”/cool to start butterflying, so be prepared to look for birds such as Red-cockaded Woodpecker and Bachman’s Sparrow, and look for wildflowers and carnivorous plants, until things warm up. We will carpool here, as the gravel/dirt roads are usually fine for most vehicles but occasionally there are sandy places or wet spots in the road.

Target species (all formerly regular but now may be difficult) are Frosted Elfin, Yucca Giant-Skipper, Reversed Roadside-Skipper, Dusky Roadside-Skipper. Other targets are Dusted Skipper, Holly Azure. It might be slightly early for Little Metalmark, which is regular by late April. We will have lunch in the field. There are no restrooms here (or in Croatan). The gate is “always” open in April but is closed from May to about Labor Day; this helps deter Venus Flytrap poaching. So, yes, we may well look for flytraps here, but they won’t be in bloom.

There are many motels in Jacksonville, which is a good midway point between these two trips. Of course, people may want lodging the day before in the Morehead City or Havelock areas, or the Wilmington area after Holly Shelter.

As stated previously, Harry LeGrand will lead. Either register on the CBS website (using the “Register” link above) or RSVP to Harry 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.

Southern 8ths Farm & Cheraw SP (Chesterfield Co., SC)

On Sunday, March 23, 2025, tentative plans are for Tom Austin to lead a second-day SCAN trip to a new Southern 8ths property from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Brad Turley, the Southern 8ths Farm owner, is in the process of buying land in Chesterfield County, adjacent to Cheraw State Park, located roughly at GPS coordinates 34.6604, -79.8907. He is interested in getting some eyes on that property while we’re in the area. A specific meeting location will be provided later.

Afterwards, those who wish can head over to Cheraw State Park in Patrick, SC on Society Hill Road. The GPS coordinates for the meeting location are 34.6196, -79.9452. The target species are Brown Elfin, Henry’s Elfin, Hessel’s Hairstreak and Great Purple Hairstreak. There is also an option, if time permits and there is interest, to go to Carolina Sandhills NWR to look for Frosted Elfin. Walking is off trail and easy.

There are no restroom facilities. Tom Austin will lead the Southern 8ths walk and Dave and Marty Kastner will lead the Cheraw State Park walk and, if we go, Carolina Sandhills NWR walk. Either register on the CBS website (using the “Register” link above) or RSVP to Tom or Marty at one of the email addresses below if you plan to participate. Please bring water, lunch, binoculars, cameras and field guides. For any of these walks, sunscreen, bug spray, long pants and close-toed shoes are highly recommended.

Southern 8ths Farm (Chesterfield, SC)

On Saturday, March 22, 2025, there will be a joint field trip between CBS (Carolina Butterfly Society) and SCAN (South Carolina Association of Naturalists). The trip leader for both groups will be Tom Austin, President of CBS and Database Manager for SCAN, and staff from Southern 8ths Farm. Southern 8ths Farm staff will escort us throughout the property. Southern 8ths Farm is a private conservation property and the home of the Carolina Wildlands Foundation. Southern 8ths Farm is located on the SC/NC border primarily in Chesterfield County, SC with a portion of the property extending into Anson County, NC. The property sits on Thompson Creek in an ecoregional and geological boundary straddling the fall line just above the Sandhills. This unique geology has birthed a rich diversity of native plant communities and Coastal Wildlands Foundation has done extensive work to restore prairie habitat across the property. CBS is working with Southern 8ths Farm to help them create an introductory field guide on their butterfly diversity for their outreach and education programs.

Target Species include: Common Sootywing, Falcate Orangetip, Orange Sulphur, Clouded Sulphur, Harvester, and Southern Skipperling. CBS is working with Southern 8ths Farm to catalogue and document as many butterfly species as we can on the property. So, an emphasis for the day will be placed on adding news species to the site’s biodiversity list in addition to surveys for target species.

Learn More about Southern 8ths Farm and the Carolina Wildlands Foundation at the website listed below. A video about Thompson Creek and the geology of the region can be viewed at: https://vimeo.com/1002041941

There are restrooms on site. On-site camping is permitted. There are 10 RV pads available on site with power hook-ups (no wastewater) and the ability for on-site camping. There are two guest rooms available at Southern 8ths Farm, which can be rented for $149/night. (Contact Southern 8ths Farm directly to reserve.) The nearest hotels are 20-30 miles away in Cheraw SC, Rockingham NC, and Monroe NC.

As previously stated, Tom Austin will lead. Either register on the CBS website (using the “Register” link above) or RSVP to Tom 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.

Participants will need to sign a waiver with Carolina Wildlands Foundation in order to participate.

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

The Carolina Butterfly Society Midlands Chapter will hold a butterfly walk on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at the 3,674-acre Wateree River Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area. Our target species is Southern Dogface, but we will also be looking for other late-season butterflies as well. We will drive to various areas, walk some of the trails and quite possibly “bushwhack” through fields following the elusive Southern Dogface. Some 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. Dave and Marty Kastner will lead. Either register on the CBS website (using the “Register” link above) or 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.

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)

The Carolina Butterfly Society Midlands Chapter will hold a butterfly walk on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at the SI Group Hundred Acre Woods in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Our target species will be the Goatweed Leafwing (we believe there is an existing, ongoing colony), but we will also be looking other fall butterflies. The walk will be on flat ground, but some field areas may be overgrown. 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.

We will meet at the access road to the Hundred Acre Woods. The address is 725 Cannon Bridge Road, Orangeburg, SC 29115 (GPS coordinates 33.4651, -80.8841). 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.

There may be a porta potty on site. Restaurants and gas stations are nearby. Diane Curlee will lead. Either register on the CBS website (using the “Register” link above) or RSVP to Diane 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.

Gum Swamp Road (Jackson, SC)

The Carolina Butterfly Society Midlands Chapter will hold a butterfly walk on Saturday, August 9, 2025, to areas near Aiken, South Carolina. 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). Our target species are the Texan Crescent, Tawny Emperor, and Hackberry Emperor, but we will also be looking for other summer butterflies as well.

We will meet at the Kathwood Lakes parking area (GPS coordinates 33.3373, -81.8435) 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. John Demko will lead. Either register on the CBS website (using the “Register” link above) or RSVP to John 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.

NABA Butterfly Count (CSRV, Aiken County, SC)

On Saturday, July 12, 2025, 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. The street address is 4542 Silver Bluff Road, Jackson, SC 29831. 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.

The restroom at the visitor center will be accessible at the beginning of the day and at lunchtime. We will eat lunch at the picnic area by the visitor center. John Demko will lead. Either register on the CBS website (using the “Register” link above) or RSVP to John 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.

Carolina Sandhills NWR (Hairstreaks – near McBee, SC)

The Carolina Butterfly Society Midlands Chapter will hold a butterfly walk on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at the 47,850-acre Carolina Sandhills NWR (National Wildlife Refuge) in Chesterfield County, South Carolina. Our target species will be all the Hairstreaks, including Banded, Coral and King’s, but we will also be looking for other late spring butterflies as well.

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, and the GPS coordinates are 34.5026, -80.2237.

There are restroom facilities at Lake Bee, but we will not be near there until later in the day. There are also gas stations in McBee. We will drive to different sections of the NWR and stop to look for butterflies. Walking will be minimal and should be easy, but some fields may be overgrown. Dave and Marty Kastner will lead. Either register on the CBS website (using the “Register” link above) or 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.

Sumter NF, Enoree District (Whitmire, SC)

The Carolina Butterfly Society Midlands Chapter will hold a butterfly walk on Saturday, April 19, 2025, to the Enoree District of the Sumter National Forest in South Carolina. Possible species are the Juniper Hairstreak, Pepper and Salt Roadside Skipper, and Common Roadside Skipper, but we will also be looking for other early-season butterflies as well. If we get really lucky, we may even spot a Dusted Skipper.

Meet at the BP gas station on Highway 66, Whitmire Highway, just off I-26 at exit 60. The GPS coordinates of the gas station are 34.4383, -81.7628. We will then drive to various parts of the forest. Walking will be minimal.

There are bathrooms in the camping area of Sumter National Forest, but we may not be near them. There is also a rest stop on westbound I-26 shortly before exit 60. Dave and Marty Kastner will lead. Either register on the CBS website (using the “Register” link above) or 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.