Lower Suwannee Refuge Butterfly Survey

photo by Barbara Woodmansee

Saturday, April 8 started cold . . . in the high 30s . . . and ended delightfully . . . in the mid 70s. The weather supported two refuge-related activities.

In the morning, Friends members joined members of the North American Butterfly Association for the annual survey of butterflies at the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge. Well, we DID have a productive day on Saturday!  On a perfectly sunny and clear all day, on a Refuge with plenty of great nectar, the team started seeing butterflies before it even warmed up.  The count totaled 33 species, including Southern Pearly Eye Satyr - a new one for the Nature Drive on the Levy County south side of the Refuge. That brings the total list of species to a whopping 87!!

If you click on the "Got Butterflies" banner above, it will take you to a primer of the butterflies with marvelous photos by Friends member and butterfly expert Barbara Woodmansee.

Tiger swallowtail
Pipevine swallowtail  3
Spicebush swallowtail
Palamedes swallowtail
Cloudless Sulphur
Southern Dogface
Red banded Hairstreak
Sweadner’s Hairstreak6
White-m Hairstreak
Little Metal Mark
Gulf Fritillary
Zebra Heliconian
Carolina Satyr
Viola’s L.W. Satyr
S. Pearly Eye (a write-in)
Pearl Crescent
Phaon Crescent
Red Admiral
Monarch
Queen
Viceroy
Common Buckeye
N. Cloudywing
Aaron’s Skipper 3
Palatka 2
Whirlabout Skipper
Clouded Skipper
Twin-spot Skipper
Least Skipper
Silver-spotted Skipper
Broadwing Skipper 6
Salt-marsh Skipper
Obscure Skipper 2

Sweadner's Juniper Hairstreak

Pearl Crescent

Phaon Crescent

Queen

Southern Oak Hairstreak