Below are the results from yesterday's count at Lower Hatchie. It was a steamy
day, but the butterflying was good. It was nice to see the good numbers of
Pierids (whites and sulphurs) as they have been really low so far this year.
Even so, the numbers were a little below average for them on this count, which
is known for the huge numbers of them. It was particularly nice to see the 61
Little Yellows, as this species has been very scarce in the West TN area for
two years. We had 2 Bronze Coppers which seems to have become quite reliable
at the NWR. Grass-Skippers continue to struggle with low numbers and only
about half the normal amount of species. In fact the number of species were
down somewhat and even though we saw 1652 individuals, that is also just a bit
depressed. Part of the reason for this can be attributed to the fact that the
berms at the refuge had been mowed entirely. This wiped out two huge stands of
dogbane that are massive nectar magnets as well as lots of red clover. At
least I didn't see a lot of herbicide usage. The dry conditions this summer
must have dried up some of the small wetland areas and the refuge staff decided
it was a good idea to just plow them up. I have no idea why. This could have
an impact on the Bronze Coppers as they like to have small bodies of water
around. I'm not sure if the other party encountered some of these issues at
their locations.
The next count will be Aug. 27 at Clifton Bend.
Bart
________________________________
Region 13
Appalachians (KY, TN, WV)
Bart Jones, Regional Editor
1. Lower Hatchie, TN. Yr. 15, 35.6525°, -89.7774°, center at jct. of Peters Rd.
and SH 87, 9 mi W of Henning, Lauderdale Co. See 2008 report for habitats.
Habitat changes since last year: Most of the berms at the Lower Hatchie NWR
were heavily mowed, eliminating some very large stands of dogbane and much of
the red clover that is usually very good for nectar. A few small wetland areas
were plowed for some reason. 23 July 2022; 0930-1700 hrs; sun AM 76-100%, PM
76-100%; 83-94°F; wind 3-7 mi/hr. 5 observers in 2 parties. Total party-hours
14; total party-miles on foot 5. Observers: H. Alpaugh, B. Ault, Bart Jones
(2047 Higbee Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104; bjones7777@xxxxxxxxxxx), M. McMasters,
A. Trently.
Zebra Swallowtail 6, E. Tiger Sw. 18, Spicebush Sw. 89, Checkered White 5,
Cabbage Wh. 7, Orange Sulphur 123, S. Dogface 24, Cloudless Su. 200, Little
Yellow 61, Sleepy Orange 121, Dainty Su. 4, Bronze Copper 2, Gray Hairstreak 1,
E. Tailed-Blue 316, 'Summer' Spring Azure 3, Am. Snout 32, Gulf Fritillary 10,
Variegated Fr. 68, Pearl Crescent 127, Question Mark 12, Red Admiral 4, Com.
Buckeye 52, Red-spotted Purple 30, Viceroy 48, Hackberry Emperor 134, Tawny Em.
4, Carolina Satyr 6, Monarch 2, Silver-spotted Skipper 37, Horace's Duskywing
5, Com. Checkered-Sk. 33, Com. Sootywing 23, Clouded Sk. 1, Least Sk. 26, Fiery
Sk. 10, Sachem 4, Dun Sk. 1. Unidentified: Anglewing sp. 2, Grass-Skipper sp.
1. Total 37 species, 1652 individuals. Immatures: Gulf Fr. 2 eggs on
passionflower leaf.
Attachment:
Bronze Copper (1024x682).jpg
Description: Bronze Copper (1024x682).jpg
Attachment:
Tawny Emperor (1024x683).jpg
Description: Tawny Emperor (1024x683).jpg
