Every September, many local lepidopteraphiles (butterfly lovers) make a pilgrimage to the Flat River Waterfowl Impoundment in northern Durham County, North Carolina. Located just north of Historic Stagville along Old Oxford Highway, the impoundment offers a gravel loop trail through wetland habitat. The area abounds with alternate wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia), passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), bitterweed (Helenium amarum), and willows (Salix spp.), all of which are attractive to adult butterflies or support their larvae.
Time: 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Date: Sunday, September 8, 2013
Weather: Full sun; 85–90°F
Butterfly count: 14 species
Cabbage White – 1
Question Mark – 1
Hackberry Emperor – 8
Tiger Swallowtail – 4
Clouded Sulphur – 2
Orange Sulphur – 10
Cloudless Sulphur – 11
Variegated Fritillary – 3
Pearl Crescent – 3
Common Buckeye – 13
Viceroy – 8
Clouded Skipper – 3
Fiery Skipper – 1
Red-spotted Purple – 2
Today, as we started walking the trail at the Flat River Waterfowl Impoundment, Buckeyes frequently intercepted our path. Occasionally, they were accompanied by Clouded Skippers. In years past, we have seen a much larger number and variety of skippers, although we often go two to three weeks later in the season.
Further down the trail, a large willow—which we call “the butterfly tree”—was alive with Hackberry Emperors and horseflies gleaning sap. Beneath the willow, a Question Mark hung upside-down from a blackberry (Rubus spp.).
Dung piles are excellent microhabitats for beetles, flies, and butterflies. On one pile of raccoon scat (filled with crayfish and persimmon seeds), we found a Viceroy and Hackberry Emperor competing for the rich trove of much-needed nutrients, including salts and amino acids.
As the morning heated up, we were greeted by the bright orange of the Fiery Skipper. We also saw three Variegated Fritillaries near blossoming Passiflora incarnata, a known host for Variegated Fritillary caterpillars.
Sense of Place 