Hi Folks,
Considering that the majority of the day was spent under cloud cover, the
numbers ended up being quite nice. I think if the sun had shone the numbers of
sulphurs would have been doubled, because whenever it peeked through, Cloudless
Sulphurs just seemed to appear from nowhere. The amount of Red-banded
Hairstreaks was amazing. This is almost double the next highest amount that
we've seen on this count. The 67 Summer Azures is also a really good number.
This is one of the few species that seems to have had a good year. On the
other side of that spectrum has been Eastern Tailed-Blues. Usually, one of the
most common species on any count, they have been really scarce this year.
Bart Jones
Memphis, Shelby Co.
________________________________
Region 13
Appalachians (KY, TN, WV)
William Haley, Regional Editor
1. Clifton Bend, TN. Yr. 7, 35.3759°, -88.0379°, center at jct. of TN Hwys. 114
and 128 in Hardin Co., just W of Clifton. See 2011 report for habitats. 26
August 2017; 0930-1800 hrs; sun AM 10%, PM 11-25%; 69-83°F; wind 0-5 mi/hr. 5
observers in 2 parties. Total party-hours 16; total party-miles on foot 5.
Observers: R. Aycock, Bart Jones (2047 Higbee Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104;
bjones7777@xxxxxxxxxxx), R. Light, A. Trently, D. Ward.
Pipevine Swallowtail 24, Black Sw. 1, Giant Sw. 4, E. Tiger Sw. 23,
Spicebush Sw. 26, Cloudless Sulphur 205, Little Yellow 14, Sleepy Orange 46,
Juniper Hairstreak 3, Gray Ha. 15, 1Red-banded Ha. 267, E. Tailed-Blue 18,
2'Summer' Spring Azure 67, Am. Snout 1, Gulf Fritillary 26, Gr. Spangled Fr. 2,
Silvery Checkerspot 1, Pearl Crescent 32, Question Mark 6, Am. Lady 2, Painted
La. 21, Red Admiral 1, Com. Buckeye 4, Red-spotted Purple 33, Viceroy 3,
Hackberry Emperor 102, Tawny Em. 7, S. Pearly-eye 2, N. Pe.-eye 4, Carolina
Satyr 45, Monarch 6, Silver-spotted Skipper 39, Hoary Edge 2, Horace's
Duskywing 15, Swarthy Sk. 15, Clouded Sk. 27, Fiery Sk. 12, Tawny-edged Sk. 2,
Crossline Sk. 2, S. Broken-Dash 4, N. Broken-Da. 8, Sachem 24, Zabulon Sk. 13,
Dun Sk. 16, Lace-winged Roadside-Sk. 1. Unidentified: Lady sp. 1, Hairstreak
sp. 3, Swallowtail sp. 1, Pearly-eye sp. 2, Grass-Skipper sp. 6. Total 45
species, 1204 individuals. Immatures: Gulf Fr. 1 caterpillar on Passiflora
leaf. Field Notes: Cloud cover, particularly in the morning, kept butterflies
fairly inactive. Many of the sightings were from individuals flushed from
grass, etc.1High number. 2High number. This has been an exceptionally good year
for this species.
