Barbara Woodmansee's Butterfly Walk

It was perfect butterfly viewing weather for Barbara Woodmansee's  popular walk on April 4 down Cabin Road. The day was sunny to warm the butterflies and with a light breeze to keep sand gnats away. We walked slowly down Cabin Road and observed an estimated count of 50 Sweadner's Juniper Hairstreaks!

Other species we saw included:
Swallowtails:  Palamedes and Eastern Tiger
Crescents:  Pearl and Phaon
Satyrs:  Carolina and Viola's Little Wood Satyr
Skippers:  Palatka, Least, Northern Broken-dash, Tawny-edged, Saltmarsh, Whirlabout and Zarucco Duskywing
Nymphalids:  Common Buckeye and Queen
Hairstreaks:  Sweadner's Juniper, Red-banded and Gray

It was an excellent list for 2 hours in one small area.

Barbara points out the location of a beautiful butterfly

Barbara surveys butterflies on the Lower Suwannee NWR. She started over 20 years ago and her data has helped Refuge staff better understand how to manage pollinator habitat. A picture guidebook featuring Barbara's photos is published and sold by the Friends for $20.