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birding & butterfly combo



Hi Carolinabirders and butterfliers,
I was on two NABA butterfly counts this weekend: the Francis Marion
Count, Charleston County on Friday, July 5 and the Hobcaw Barony Count,
Georgetown County, on Saturday the sixth.  I will leave all the
pertinant details (I don't know them anyway) to Pat Sutton the compiler.
In the butterfly department I got a confirming look at an Hoary Edge
located in North Tibwin and had Eufala Skipper nectoring on Lantana at a
private residence in McClellanville, and Salt Marsh Skipper at the dock
in McClellanville. The highlight of the day was this incredible spoils
site in McClellanville which was a monoculture of this low spreading
plant (unknown to me) that held variety but most of all 30 common
Checkered Skipper in only about 1% of its area. Interpolating that
number could reveal the CCS capital of the world.  That same area had 7
Mississippi and 1 adult Swallow-tailed Kite prowling the area and diving
after the large grasshopper population. This was as good a look as I
have ever had at these two birds.
My highpoint for Saturday, was a Monarch and a Viceroy and Hackberry
Emperor at HBSP in the afternoon.  This is the third year in a row I
have had a Hackberry, in June/July at the area on the carriage path
where you can view Mullet Pond. At Brookgreen Gardens the lantana around
the Fountain of the Muses was very good and Dwight Williams and I saw
Broad-winged, Ocala, and Dun Skipper as well as the more common
skippers. The birding highlight was the Coopers Hawk at the middle
school off of Sandy Island Road and the report by Clay Sutton of a
Masked Booby he saw 17 miles offshore while fishing earlier in the week.
    Both days there were few wild nector sources available mainly
something Dwight called Vervain, (that's how its pronunciation sounds to
me-I couldn't find it in a quick perusal of Porcher's "Wildflowers of
South Carolina"), and frogfruit. Everything else that had butterflies on
it were coming to planted nector sources. Anything else was just
patrolling for nector and stopped to rest.  This points out the
importance of butterfly gardening. Even some of the public areas with
nice planting of composites, lantana and penta, such as the Hanser House
Restaurant on 17 in North Litchfield lacked butterflies and I suspect
spraying for mosquitoes was a prime reason.
Both days were hot and sticky but we avoided rain. It was a real
pleasure to participate in both counts.
I really enjoyed my day in the field and the pleasant company of Dwight.

Good butterflying and some good birds.

Jack Peachey
Conway, SC