Recent Sightings of the Blue Ridge

Recent Sightings of the Blue Ridge

By Cade Campbell - Pre-MRNR, Spring 2024

West Virginia White nectaring on Star Chickweed (Stellaria pubera) along Della’s Branch. Photo by Cade Campbell.

As anticipation builds for the 50th Spring Mt. Rogers Naturalist Rally, there are some species reappearing on the landscape to add to the excitement. During our programs for local schools over the past few weeks, the full force of spring has shared some special moments and special residents that call our Virginia mountains home.

The federally-threatened West Virginia White (Pieris virginiensis) butterflies are abundant in the forests behind the Schoolhouse searching for toothwort plants to lay their eggs. They’re easily recognized as the only solid-white butterfly found in the state of Virginia, and the dwindling species is endemic to the Appalachian Mountains. Look for them in sun-dappled areas of cove forest with lots of spring ephemeral wildflowers. The invasive-exotic garlic mustard is lethal to these butterflies but smell like their caterpillars’ favorite foods, other plants in the cabbage family. Our habitats around Whitetop Mountain composed of intact native plant communities are essential for the butterfly’s survival.

A Margined Madtom (Noturus insignis) captured accidentally during an aquatic macroinvertebrates program with Fries School. Photo by Cade Campbell.

Underwater, life is also thriving. Fish are entering the breeding season, moving from deep pools into the shallow waters where they’re easily visible. One of the more unusual fish we’ve been noticing recently with stream ecology programs is the tiny, mildly-venomous catfish known as the Margined Madtom (Noturus insignis). They’re only found in rushing water full of smooth stones with crevices and crayfish burrows. To protect themselves from the wide gape of larger fish, particularly trout, they’re armed with painful, needle-like pectoral barbs. When handled, they can leave a sharp, swollen pinprick, the aquatic equivalent of a bee sting. Margined madtoms are easily distinguished from other native catfish by eel-like, black-fringed fins and a silver, scaleless body, seldom growing more than six inches in length.

The large Dragonhunter (Hagenius brevistylis) nymph, an excellent leaf mimic.

Dragonflies are also emerging. Nymphs are large and ready to climb onto land, shedding hollow exuviae and drying into fast and bloodthirsty aerial predators. The largest native dragonfly, the Dragonhunter (Hagenius brevistylis), is one of the most charismatic. An impressive hunter that mainly captures other dragonflies, they can take down prey as large as a hummingbird. The aquatic nymphs are very different. The palm-sized juveniles are leaf-mimics, and hide flattened in clusters of sycamore and boxelder roots in larger streams where they eat other aquatic macroinvertebrates. Large, spider-like Allegheny River Cruisers (Macromia alleghaniensis) are also preparing to emerge. Both a Dragonhunter and River Cruiser nymph from this spring are pinned in the library collections. In the colder, smaller and more inhospitable waters of Della’s Branch, the delicate, golden-striped Southern Pygmy Clubtail (Lanthus vernalis) is emerging camouflaged against shimmering riffles as the creek flows through dense rhododendron thickets.

The mother Eastern Black Bear (Ursus americanus) beckoning her last cub to escape into the woods, just before the entire family vanished back into the hillside forests of Fairwood Valley.

Black bears are back! We observed a healthy family of bears in Fairwood Valley last week. The mother successfully raised three cubs last year we observed several times throughout the year, and they will remain a nomadic family unit this year. Early mornings and evenings are the best time to see bears foraging, but it is an unusual treat. Unlike other, more populous areas in the Southern Appalachians, the bears found in the Mt. Rogers region are rarely habituated, or accustomed to humans. Most are still very reclusive and fearful of humans, and it’s a unique privilege to see one of these truly wild bears. Since they utilize ancient strategies to find food, instead of raiding dumpsters, coolers, and picnic baskets, black bear signs are abundant. Right now, many black bears survive the surprisingly lean spring season by flipping rocks in streams to hunt salamanders, similar to herpetological adventures at the rally. However, unlike the humans attending our programs, bears are allowed to eat the salamanders.

Be aware of your surroundings, and you may get the chance to see some amazing creatures! The Spring Rally is a wonderful time to explore, with a host of experts to help you identify and understand some of Virginia’s strangest and most biodiverse communities of wildlife on a rejuvenated spring landscape. If you have not yet registered for the rally, you can do so below. The big weekend is almost here, and we hope to see you on the mountain.

Butterflies and Community Science

Butterflies are one of the most beautiful elements of the natural world, and scientists now recognize that they can also serve as one important indicator of the health of ecosystems. A dedicated group of naturalists and staff at BRDC gathered together Sunday, September 15th to enjoy their beauty and contribute to a nationwide community science program that conducts long-term monitoring of butterfly populations.

The North American Butterfly Association Count has been held since 1975. BRDC has selected a count area of 15 miles in diameter centered around our Center and Field Station. The staff and volunteers conducted a full day census of all butterflies observed within that circle. We intend this count to provide results useful for scientific monitoring and to track the species/host plants within various assets surrounding our Center.

It is our hope to perform this count three times a year going forward; Spring, Summer and Fall. This recent count, our Fall count, produced 35 different species of butterflies; a great number of species for this late in the season. I am sure 80 degrees and sunshine contributed to the large showing. We also noted nearly 50 monarch caterpillars in a small area of Whitetop Mountain full of milkweed! We hope to add more community participation in the coming butterfly season. Please enjoy some of the photos and our species list below:

Painted lady
Common buckeye
Red spotted admiral
Monarch
Common wood nymph
Viceroy
Northern crescent
Silver spotted skipper
Sachem
Least skipper
Clouded skipper
Peck’s skipper
Tawny edged skipper
Horace’s duskywing
Zabulon skipper
Wild indigo duskywing
Fiery skipper

Eastern tiger swallowtail
Pipevine swallowtail
Spicebush swallowtail
Black swallowtail
Cabbage white
Clouded sulphur
Orange sulphur
Sleepy orange
Cloudless sulphur
Eastern tailed blue
American copper
Variegated fritillary
Great spangled fritillary
Aphrodite fritillary
Meadow fritillary
Pearl crescent
Silvery checkerspot
Red admiral

The Secret Life of Butterflies

Meadow fritillary (Boloria bellona)

With such striking coloration, this meadow fritillary (Boloria bellona) easily stands out against its floral backdrop when feeding and in flight. However, it needs to be a little more inconspicuous at times of rest. By situating itself on a dead plant and closing up its wings, this butterfly’s drab underwing (cryptic) coloration allows it to blend in with the dead flower buds. This camouflage, in addition to lack of movement, makes the meadow fritillary very difficult for predators to detect.   

Meadow fritillary (Boloria bellona) with cryptic coloration

Meadow fritillaries belong to the family Nymphalidae, or brushfoots, for the long brush-like scales on their reduced forelegs, as seen below. The brushfoots use these modified appendages for chemoreception (taste and smell), leaving only four legs for walking. Other brushfoots include monarchs, admirals, commas, and pearl crescents, to name a few. Together they make up the largest family of butterflies with over 6,000 species worldwide. Like the meadow fritillary, many butterflies in the Nymphalidae family are brightly colored above with cryptic coloration below.

Meadow fritillary (Boloria bellona) with brush-like forelegs

Life history strategies on display!

This most recent BRDC visitor, a pipevine swallowtail caterpillar, gets its name from its obligate host plant, pipevine. The pipevine (or Dutchman’s pipe) is so named for its unusual lobed flowers that resemble Dutch smoking pipes. While the flowers’ shape makes them an unsuitable food source for adult pipevine swallowtail butterflies, the rest of the plant is essential for this butterfly’s life cycle.  

These reddish-black, orange-spotted larvae feed exclusively on plants within the genus Aristolochia, which contain aristolochia acid, a toxin that the larvae ingest, making them distasteful and poisonous to potential predators. This toxin remains in the caterpillar’s body throughout metamorphosis and adulthood as a defense mechanism. Even the eggs retain this toxin when they are oviposited on the leaves and stems of the pipevine plant, ready to hatch out the next, hungry generation.

Here at BRDC we can currently see three different instars of the pipevine swallowtail caterpillar around the property! 

An August Nature Ramble

We have enjoyed exploring the mountains around Boone for its considerable natural wonders. In August the birds have mostly finished breeding and reduced their vocalizations, so we enjoy watching insects and anything else in the natural world that draws our attention.

I was surprised to find that in August the most common large butterfly near Boone is the pipevine swallowtail. This butterfly is toxic due to consumption of pipevines by the caterpillar. It advertises this fact by a distinctive blue color on the inside of the wings and a row of bright orange spots on the outside of the hindwing. A group of butterflies including the closely related female black tiger swallowtail, and the unrelated red-spotted purple (an admiral in the brushfoot family) mimic the pipevine swallowtail and thus obtain some protection from predators. Strangely enough, only some female tiger swallowtails are black mimics; other females are yellow as are all males. This not only confuses predators, it makes it difficult for humans to identify the "black and blue" butterfly mimics.

Pipevine swallowtail outer wings

Red spotted purple

Pipevine swallowtail

Tiger swallowtail black morph female basking

Milkweeds are growing in many places and not only attract monarchs but a number of other insects that specialize on these toxic plants. The caterpillars of the milkweed tussock moth are often found eating milkweeds in late summer when the leaves are tougher; their bright colors and bristles must serve to warn predators that they are toxic. The bright red milkweed beetle similarly has warning colors; it is often called the four-eyed beetle since each eye is divided by the base of the antenna.  

Milkweed tussock moth caterpillars

Red milkweed beetle

Another insect that humans and predators have learned to avoid is the yellow jacket wasp. I literally ran into a nest in the woods hanging from a branch while looking at the ground and got stung on my lip; I was surprised that this marvelous hanging paper nest was not inhabited by hornets, but by aerial yellow jackets; a more common yellow jacket species nests in the ground. These intricate nests are abandoned during winter when all of the wasps except the queen die. 

I have not seen many reptiles in the cooler high elevations but did find this "snake in the grass," a garter snake basking in the sun on a cool morning. It was well camouflaged except for the bright red tongue.  

Garter snake

Yellowjacket nest

There is often debate/controversy about the value of exotic shrubs for native birds and this photo of a young mockingbird feeding on the fruits of an exotic Mariesii viburnum is interesting. Many birds eat fruits from such exotic plants (privet is widely utilized especially by thrushes during winter).  A study in PA showed that areas containing exotic plants with fruits attracted many birds. One question that remains is whether this benefit is offset by problems with the supply of insects needed by birds to feed their young. In any case, the rigid dogma that exotic plants are all bad is unsupported by the facts. Instead, a careful evaluation of the specific value for wildlife of each plant is needed, whether native or exotic.  

Mockingbird eating mariesiii viburnum fruit

So continue to enjoy the wonders of the natural world as they change during the seasons. I especially urge birders not to stop going on field trips in summer just because the exciting times of migration and breeding are at a low ebb. Not only are birds ecologically connected to the rest of their natural communities, but the insects, amphibians, reptiles, and plants are really quite interesting and beautiful.
 

Join BRDC for the Summer Naturalist Rally!

Get Outdoors & Discover New Heights
August 18-20, 2017

EXPLORE THE NATURAL HISTORY OF MOUNT ROGERS, THE CROWN JEWEL OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

The Summer Rally gives us a chance to explore Mt. Rogers in a different season. We have assembled a wide variety of field trips with leaders who are experts in their field and able to make it understandable and interesting for everyone from inquisitive amateurs to accomplished naturalists.

GUIDED TRIPS INCLUDE:

• Mushrooms
• Butterflies
• Wildflowers
• Geology
• Birding
• Salamanders
• Stream Ecology
• Big Trees & More!

FEATURED SPEAKER

Ann Berry Somers, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, will discuss the natural history of the box turtle and the 100-year study The Box Turtle Connection (BTC), now entering its 10th year. 

An award-winning teacher of biology and wildlife conservation, Somers teaches courses on NC wildlife and sea turtles (travelling with students to Costa Rica to collect data). She serves on several conservation organization boards and is a member of the North American Box Turtle Conservation Committee. Her international work includes serving as a consultant for the “Safe Home for Turtles” conservation and education project at the University of Bengkulu in Sumatra, Indonesia.

FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER
5:30PM @ THE KONNAROCK COMMUNITY CENTER

BRDC is excited to partner with the Independence Farmers Market www.independencefarmersmarket.org to provide high quality and locally sourced ingredients!  The meal will feature a meat or vegetarian option, plenty of local veggies, home-made baguettes, and a garden salad to die for. Home-made desserts will finish off the meal.

Dinner is by pre-paid reservation ONLY.  There will be no dinners sold at the door. Registration is due by August 14. Please join us for this great meal, catchup with old friends, and proudly support our local farmers with this opportunity to eat a locally sourced home-cooked meal.

Mount Rogers Wilderness Camp

We finished off summer camp season by heading up the mountain and exploring the habitats of Mount Rogers with a basecamp at the Scales on Pine Mountain. Unfortunately we timed it with a massive system that brought three days of solid rain!!

After picking up the crew, the caravan of 4x4's crawled up the trail battling sheets of rain and a boulder covered road. When we arrived at the top 45 minutes later, it became abundantly clear that the rain had set in and our first task was to build some shelter. We all slipped on rain gear and started laying out our 16' wooden poles, making lashings and marking the corners of our tent shelter. A short time later we proudly huddled under our canvas tarp to get out of the rain! 

The first exploration of the trip was to check out the headwaters of Big Wilson Creek. The kids put on their wetsuits at camp since it was raining and down the trail we went. Fellow campers at Scales gave us some strange looks for sporting snorkel masks on top of the mountain! The kids insisted on getting to some holes deep enough to swim in so we hiked downstream until we came to a large plunge pool that was over six feet deep. The water was already dingy from the rain so observation was limited but the kids explored the edges of the pool and the falls. We tried our hand at seining for fish and came up with a small wild rainbow trout in the bubbles of a water fall. Max found an old beat up fly that still had monofilament attached to the hook and sure enough Zeke pulled out a small native drifting it through the current by hand! We also found lots of crayfish and even one that was munching on the head of a salamander. On the hike back we took a short detour to check out the Fraiser Fir Seed Plot and the Appalachian Bog of Sullivan Swamp. Lisa's ever delicious Walking Tacos were waiting for us at camp upon return. (Day 1: 3 miles)

Day 2. The camp awoke to heavy rains and but by 10am it had transitioned to a drizzle and then to a continuous cloud mist. After studying the maps the campers packed their day packs and slipped on rain gear and out into the weather we went. From the Scales basecamp we hiked west across the Southern Appalachian Shrub Balds of Pine Mountain and into Lewis Fork Wilderness in search of natural wonders. Even though the mist was thick, butterflies surfaced on multiple occasions including common wood nymphs and american coppers. During our snack break Max was convinced he saw a large black animal sauntering through the woods, so out came the binoculars and we went in hot pursuit hoping for a glimpse at a black bear. About a hundred yards away we found our subject, a massive black dog being put back on the leash by some hikers. 

Entering Lewis Fork the forest canopy protected us from the rain pouring down. While we worked our way deeper into the woods we found a huge black-bellied salamander, lots of red-backed salamanders, a dusky species and and one tiny pygmy salamander along the trails. Hiking through the High Elevation Cove Forest we came across a grove of massive red spruce trees that warrant future measurement for a possible state record! Nearing the end of the forest trail we became enchanted by what appeared to be a roar of wind from the ridge but upon further inspection we found a rather large creek running under the boulder field we were crossing. The rocks had a typical forest growing on top of it, so very disguised until you found an opening between the rocks to peer into. Returning to camp we picked a gallon of blackberries for the following night's dessert. (Day 2: 8 miles)

As the cooks prepped for a dutch oven lasagna dinner we did journal illustrations of observations along the trail. That evening we were joined by Christy and Ed from Friends of Mount Rogers who had sponsored four scholarship kids to the camp! The rain continued coming down so we circled under our shelter and got out the flint knapping kits. After giving a whack at some local rhyolite we had found along the trail, we moved on to more workable chert to produce some arrowheads with antler billets. As night fell it was cold and wet, so we built a small charcoal fire in the middle of our shelter and got out a deck of cards to play the ever fun game of assassin.  

Day 3: We kicked off the following morning with wild blueberry pancakes and bacon. After reviewing the maps, we packed our daypacks and set off for the highest point in Virginia: Mount Rogers. Throughout the day we went from hot, to drenched, to cold, to hot again three times! In between the waves of rain butterflies abounded and the birds sang their bright songs. In one short cycle the kids caught three species of fritillary: Meadow, Variegated and Aphrodite! Other butterflies included common wood nymph, red-spotted purple, pearl crescent, eastern-tailed blue, american copper, clouded sulphur and eastern tiger-swallowtail.

As we ascended the trail the spruce-fir dome of Mount Rogers loomed in the clouds ahead. After climbing on some outcrops we entered into the red spruce and fraiser fir zone at around 5,400' in elevation. The trail was wet and muddy and alternated between meadows, laurel thickets and spruce trees. Along the way we spotted high elevation breeding birds including golden-crowned kinglets, dark-eyed juncos, magnolia warbler, black-capped chickadee, cedar waxwings, common ravens, common yellowthroat, hairy woodpecker and heard the enchanting songs of the hermit thrush and veery. The magnolia warbler was especially cooperative, gleaning insects from the blackberries only a few feet away. Over Wilburn Ridge we spotted a soaring broad-winged hawk. Entering the enchanting spruce forest near the peak astounded all of the hikers.

Although we did not need any more emphasis, the moss laden branches illustrated just how wet it is at 5,729' in elevation. Happy with their accomplishment of reaching the highest point in Virginia, the kids parked it for a snack, mended blisters and soaked up the dense forest. The return hike featured the standard pony fare and a report of a black bear from hikers heading the other way. With endlessly wet feet and many miles behind us we stopped frequently to patch up blisters on worn feet. Returning to camp the kids beamed with the accomplishment of having the highest peak of Virginia in their bag! (Day 3: 10 miles)

At basecamp we did a fire building session for coals to cook our dutch oven blackberry cobbler. (I don't recall what was for dinner...) While the fire cooked down we finished some arrowheads and made cordage from dried dogs bane. After dinner wrapped up we kicked up a game of ultimate frisbee until darkness prohibited us to continue. The last evening of the camp finally brought crystal clear skies. We set up the spotting scope and watched the moon fall behind the ridge, counted the moons of Jupiter and looked in awe at the rings of Saturn. As we sat around the campfire a neighboring cowboy wailed a sad trail tune and the coyotes took up chorus on the surrounding ridge tops. The camper's eyes got as wide and bright as the stars above. Resisting sleep hour, the kids talked us into another round of assassin, but this time we played with a deck of bird cards with the menacing golden-crowned kinglet as the killer! 

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Basecamp at Scales

Day 4: The last morning we chowed on a Mountain Man Breakfast (hash browns, bacon, eggs and cheese in the dutch oven) then compiled a comprehensive species list of the camp on the whiteboard and in journals: all the birds, butterflies, mammals, salamanders, fish, insects, rocks and habitats we visited! The kids broke camp and we headed down the mountain in our 4x4 caravan to conclude one awesome year of Blue Ridge Discovery Center Summer Camps!

Many thanks to the Friends of Mount Rogers for making this camp happen by providing four vital scholarships. Their support allowed a group of local kids to explore one of the most amazing habitats in the world that just happens to be right in their backyards. Also thank you to the US Forest Service for allowing us to explore these fantastic lands!

Deciphering Nature's Signs

So much is happening in nature and in our human constructed world that we tend to ignore some of the most obvious events of the natural world.  Plus there are literally thousands of sights and sounds vying for our attention and it takes a significant effort of will to focus and be observant.  A certain training of the mind helps in watching even subconsciously for important clues and selecting them from the background "noise." 

Here are a few examples of what you might see while walking around our VA farm in the middle of summer.  As I was toiling up a steep hill along my neighbor's barbed wire cow fence, I was shocked to notice three green June beetles impaled on the wire!  This was exciting since it was unexpected, and because I knew immediately what this must mean.  It revealed that a loggerhead shrike was feeding in the vicinity; they are famous for impaling their extra prey on thorns and barbed wire.  Yet I had not seen the bird, only interpreted its presence by this sign.  

Green June bug impaled on barb wire

Shrike loggerhead

Our common milkweeds are in bloom in large numbers and I am on alert for signs that monarch caterpillars are present.  Caterpillars are eating machines so the best indication they occur is the presence of their feces or "frass" and bite marks on the leaves.  Since caterpillars often hide under the leaves, these two signs are crucial in finding them.

Monarch frass

Monarch caterpillar

In June and July I often see strange white foamy patches in certain of our ponds.  I know from experience that these are the remnants of bullfrog breeding from the previous night and there will be hundreds of embryos in these areas.  They quickly dissipate as the eggs hatch and tadpoles disperse into the pond.

Bullfrog egg mass

Bullfrog male

Within a mile of our farm there is the New River, which is said to be the second oldest river in the world (after the Nile).  It has different aquatic fauna than our small spring fed streams and ponds and I often go there to see new species.   This cobra clubtail dragonfly is a fierce predator on small insects; on a hot summer day it was "obelisking" or holding its abdomen in a vertical position to minimize heat gain from the sun.  Nearby there was a damselfly that I never see on our ponds, a ruby spot damselfly.  The male is much more brilliant than the female and is quite a spectacular fellow.  Both of these species are characteristic of larger streams and rivers, presumably due to some specific but generally unknown requirements for the larvae and/or adults. 

Cobra clubtail on New River, Fries

Rubyspot American

This tiger swallowtail was perching on dung and extending its proboscis, a clear sign of "puddling" behavior.  This is well known to represent drinking of fluids from vertebrate digestion and excretion that contain needed salts, especially sodium, which are scarce in the diets of herbivores.  I have become a big fan of horses on trails since their poop attracts beautiful butterflies and holds them for close observation. 

Tiger swallowtail puddling on feces

We have planted cup plants (Silphium) which have large yellow blossoms in mid-summer attractive to butterflies.  Here a pipevine swallowtail is finding nectar in the flowers while being protected from the attacks of birds by its black and blue coloration which advertises toxicity obtained as a caterpillar from its food plant (Aristolochia species).  There are many other butterflies that mimic this coloration in an apparent bid to inhibit birds from attacking them.  One of the most beautiful is this red spotted purple, a type of brushfoot butterfly (kin to admirals and buckeyes).

Pipevine swallowtail on cup plant

Red spotted purple

So remain alert in nature and you will observe a tiny fraction of what is actually happening, and be awe struck by the intricate and complex lives that our fellow creatures are engaged in.  Trying to understand some of these remarkable stories enriches and enlarges our own existence beyond measure.

Bill Dunson
Galax, VA and Englewood, FL

Lepidopteras on Display

In late July on our VA farm, the predominant color of the landscape is GREEN!  But our 10 year old pollinator field is now predominantly yellow with the blooms of oxeye sunflower.  This is a table set for the multitude of mouths of the lepidopterans (butterflies and moths), which are a prime food for birds. While some of these insects may be considered pests, many are spectacularly colored and have very interesting habits for study by the naturalist.

Aphrodite fritillary Whitetop

There are three beautiful species of large fritillary butterflies in this area.  The Aphrodite from higher altitudes is only slightly different from the more common great spangled, which has a broader white band on the margins of the outer hindwing, and one less spot on the inside margin of the forewing.  A third member of the genus Speyeria , the Diana fritillary, is rare in our area but a friend, Cecelia Mathis, has obtained a wonderful photo of two male Dianas with a great spangled on the flowers of a common milkweed along a remote forest road.  In contrast with most sexual differences in which the male is more showy, the male Dianas are a relatively dull brown and orange color compared with the brighter black and blue female.  The color of the female is even more remarkable since it appears to be a case of mimicry of the toxic pipevine swallowtail.

Diana fritillaries

Some of the moths can be quite spectacular.  The hummingbird clearwing sphinx moth hovers as it drinks nectar from flowers.  The yellow collared scape moth lands on flowers and is apparently mimicking a wasp and thus avoiding some predation during its daytime feeding.   The brown hooded owlet moth is very inconspicuous as an adult, but its caterpillar is absolutely gorgeous in yellow, black and red stripes; such advertisement usually accompanies toxicity but little is known about such chemical warfare in this species.  It also appears to have head/tail mimicry by calling attention to the tail rather than the head to divert attacks by birds.

Hummingbird clearwing sphiinx moth at bergamot

Buttonbush flower with yellow collared scape moth

Caterpillar brown hooded owlet moth Cucullia convexipennis on wingstem

An examination of the numerous flowers in bloom will reveal a wide variety of butterflies visiting them.  Some examples are the silver spotted skipper on wild bergamot, a white morph orange/clouded sulphur on red clover, and a red admiral on purple coneflower.  I have also noticed a number of monarchs mating in our fields where we have thousands of common milkweeds ready for them to lay eggs.  The leaves of many of these milkweeds are tender and thus attractive to monarch caterpillars since the fields were mowed for hay about six weeks ago and the plants have regrown.  This is an example of how careful timing of mowing can benefit monarchs.

Silver spotted skipper on bergamot

White morph sulphur orange or clouded

Red admiral

Monarchs mating

So in late July bird song is definitely waning, but the insects and especially lepidopterans are abundant and active for you to observe and enjoy.

Bill Dunson
Galax, VA and Englewood, FL

Educational resource planted last Fall shows us life!

On September 15th we started a second Young Explorers Club with seventeen pumped up 10-13 year olds. The program kicked off our 2015-16 Galax After School Enrichment Program. We will be meeting with the kids two days a week and taking one extended Saturday field trip each month during the school year. The Young Explorers will earn a Junior Naturalist Certificate over the course of 2015-16.

For our first session the group gathered to discuss official club items in the classroom. After talking about the array of subjects we will be studying and what it means to be a naturalist, we honed in on insects in preparation for an October 17th field trip to the Hokie BugFest in Blacksburg. Our first club activity was to visit the butterfly garden on school grounds to do some maintenance and field investigation.  

Last fall, BRDC, led by Sarah Osborne, planted a brand new butterfly garden on the grounds of the Galax High School as part of the Fall 2014 Middle School Enrichment Program. The results a year later are astounding! The garden is lush with life and the sharp eyes of the students quickly discovered a Monarch butterfly, then a caterpillar, then a bigger caterpillar, then three chrysalises and a caterpillar forming it's chrysalis! They were ecstatic to say they least!

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Monarch Caterpillar 

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Hanging Caterpillar

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Monarch Chrysalis

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Monarch Butterfly

In the short time available the students weeded out the crab grass, collected seeds to be planted in the spring and found an array of insects in the garden. We are looking forward to studying the garden in detail during the coming weeks. The students will also be building a club insect collection to be entered into the insect collection contest at the Hokie BugFest. 

What a fantastic resource for young scientists to explore life! Every school needs a pollinator garden. 

Biking for Natural History

Although the typical means of enjoying nature would be by walking, I have found that biking can be a great way to find natural wonders in any area which has biking trails.  The rails to trails paths are ideal since they tend to be easy to ride while watching the passing nature show.  One of our favorites is the New River Trail State Park in VA which has repaid repeated rides on the same trail segment to spot daily and seasonal changes in natural history.

Some butterflies tend to congregate on trails as open spots in the forest.  This eastern comma seemed to be sunning itself with open wings as did a nearby red admiral.  However a clubtail dragonfly, a black shouldered spiny legs, was also admiring the red admiral and swooped over, caught and ate it !   Another feature of this trail which attracts butterflies is the prevalence of horse dung which provides sodium salts; this male spicebush swallowtail seemed to be sipping fluids from dung in a behavior termed "puddling."  

Box turtles are often seen on bike trails, perhaps attracted by the sun light and/or a place for egg laying and interactions with other turtles.  Males typically have a red iris and a concave lower shell, the plastron.  Females have a darker iris and a convex plastron.  Animals sometimes do unexpected things, as this male box turtle observed swimming in a pond.  Although he was an inefficient swimmer, he did manage to cross the pond safely while floating like a cork.  Since box turtles live to a considerable age, more than 50 years, and reproduce slowly, they deserve our respect and care for their well being in coping with the dangers of the modern world.

We observed a great egret along the New River Trail and became excited by this since we had not seen one this year in the mountains of VA.  This indicates that not only is the value of real estate determined by location, but also the value of a bird siting.  In FL and along the SE coasts the great egret is a "trash bird" hardly worthy of notice.   Yet in the Blue Ridge Mountains it is a regular but uncommon visitor which attracts some attention.  It is also one native species that is coping fairly well with the changes made by humans to the planet, since it seems to be able to respond in a flexible manner to feeding opportunities.  

So get that bike out of the garage and take a ride on the wild side, cover more territory than you can on foot, and scan the surroundings for interesting natural history occurrences.  It is fun, healthy and a very productive way to observe nature.

BUTTERFLIES OF SULLIVAN SWAMP, GRAYSON HIGHLANDS STATE PARK

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Our 2012 collaboration finished up in January of 2013.  This project was a partnership with the Grayson County High School 2nd year art class and BRDC’s Project SiteSection.  With this poster we will be helping to spotlight the globally unique habit that is Sullivan Swamp by illustrating the full list of butterflies documented by the SiteSection program.  The illustrations were originally attempted as wood block prints but we decided to ultimately pursue colored pencil illustrations.  We also used a combination of staff and student illustrations in order to complete a comprehensive poster of the butterflies documented at Sullivan Swamp. The final poster consists of over 20 illustrations and has been printed on 18x24 and is now available through BRDC and other outlets.

May 26 visit to Matthews Farm

Cecelia Mathis and

I had a good time at the farm today. We started at 8:30 a.m. and completed our survey by 11:30 a.m. Highlights: 14 species of butterflies, a Baetidae sp mayfly (think tiny), a fishfly of the Negronia genus, and lots of blooms. Our next survey visit will be mid-June.

Bob Perkins

Woodlawn, Virginia

Historian and General Outdoorsman

Butterflies of Matthews Living History Farm Museum

Approximation one, August 28, 2010.

Sachem. By Robert Perkins.

swallowtail, pipevine

swallowtail, black

swallowtail, eastern tiger

white, cabbage

sulphur, Clouded

sulphur, orange

hairstreak, gray

tailed-blue, eastern

fritillary, variegated

fritillary, great spangled

fritillary, Aphrodite

crescent, pearl

question mark

buckeye, common

purple, red-spotted

viceroy

wood-nymph, common

monarch

skipper, least

sachem

skipper, dun

forage looper

Question mark. By Robert Perkins.

List compiled by Robert Perkins.

Butterflies of MOW, Approximation 1

Last week I had the good fortune of being able to roam some highland fields. I spent most of my time in Mouth of Wilson, VA., a cultural and ecological crossroads. A variety of lifeways and pathways meet at this locality, steered by the geology and its mason, the New River. Along Wilson Creek just upstream from its mouth at the New River, summer wildflower meadows abound. This arterial waterway charts its coarse up and up, finding a multitude of spring heads upon Mount Rogers and lesser surrounding mountains and hills.

The following is a list of butterflies observed immediately along Wilson Creek in Mouth of Wilson from August 24-26, 2010. I still don't haven't ventured into the realm of skippers, so this list is far short of complete. One swampy area in particular was dancing with a variety skippers.

Eastern comma

Viceroy

Monarch

Black swallowtail

Eastern tiger swallowtail

Red spotted purple

Pipevine swallowtail

Cabbage white

Common buckeye

Silvery checkerspot

Pearl crescent

Great spangled fritillary

Meadow fritillary

Eastern tailed-blue

Wild indigo duskywing

Northern pearly eye

Rocky Knob Migration Watch, Fall 2010: Report # 1

American Copper (

Lycaena phlaeas

), nectaring on white clover bloom.

Sunday 29 August 2010

Bruce Grimes & I arrived at Rocky Knob at Noon and stayed till 4 p.m. We were playing hooky from a lot of tasks that we both need to get done, but the hours of migration watch were worth it.

First, some background:

Rocky Knob Hawk Watch occurs at milepost 168 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We watch from the Saddle Overlook sometimes, which gives us a fairly good view of Rock Castle Gorge to the east, and Buffalo Mountain westward. Mostly we watch from a large pasture just to the north of the Saddle Overlook parking lot. We affectionately call this location the Cow Pie Palace.

The hawk watch is occasional, mostly on weekends, and even then we seem to steal time from other activities. I wish that it could be closer to more daily monitoring of migration.

There are other hawk migration watch sites on the Parkway, and these are monitored far more frequently than our migration watch site at Rocky Knob:

Rockfish Gap (aka Afton Mountain)

Harvey's Knob

Mahogany Rock

If you are in this part of the universe, stop by and take a look for yourself: hawks are circling, gliding, soaring, flapping, hurrying or easing southward. So are many other species of birds: ruby-throated hummingbirds, chimney swifts, swallows, thrushes, warblers, tanagers, orioles, and many other kinds. And other creatures are pushing south also: several kinds of dragonflies, mostly common green darners, black saddlebags, wandering gliders, and twelve-spotted skimmers; and several species of butterflies too: besides monarchs, these include, Cloudless Sulphurs, Sleepy Orange Sulphurs, Little Yellows, Variegated Fritillaries, Eastern Commas, Mourning Cloaks, Painted Ladies, American Ladies, Red Admirals, and Common Buckeyes.

As soon as we got there yesterday, we noticed that Common Buckeyes, and Common Green Darners were flying by. We stayed busy trying to watch high and low for species that were on the move. The buckeyes mostly flew low just above grass blade and cow pie, but a few of them were actually fairly high up--one even buzzed a black saddlebags dragonfly, then flew on south. Some of the monarchs and buckeyes, the two most common insect migrants yesterday, would stop a while and refuel at thistle blossoms.

Tally for the 29th:

Raptors:

Osprey 1

American Kestrel 1

Other migrating birds:

Chimney Swift 16

Ruby-throated Hummingbird 5 (two were adult males)

Barn Swallow 5

Scarlet Tanager 2

Migrating butterflies:

Variegated Fritillary 1

American Lady 1

Painted Lady 1

unidentified

Vanessa

sp. 2

Common Buckeye 34

Monarch 31

Migrating Dragonflies:

Common Green Darner 20

Spot-winged Glider 2

Wandering Glider 1

Black Saddlebags 23

Carolina Saddlebags 1

Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele), nectaring on thistle.

There were many other species of butterflies nectaring on thistles and other flowers in the fields: seemed to be gazillions of Pipevine and Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, one female Black Swallowtail, a few Spicebush Swallowtails, lots of Great Spangled Fritillaries (probably close to 100) and three Aphrodite Fritillaries, and one male Diana Fritillary. There were a few American Coppers, and a small horde of Peck's Skippers and Sachems!

The one Painted Lady that migrated through the field, stopped a couple of times for a portrait pose while it nectared on some flowers. Bruce got some pictures of this critter, plus some of the other butterfly species.

Hopefully there will be a few more migration reports during September. Please do stop by and check out the migration scene at Rocky Knob.

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), nectaring on a thistle flower. Thistles are also host plants for the caterpillars. Painted Ladies have nearly worldwide distribution, and are one of the most common migrating butterflies in the world.

Butterflies at Big Meadows

On Saturday, August 21, the Rivanna chapter of Virginia Master Naturalists hosted a butterfly walk. The outing was organized by John Holden and the hike leader was butterfly extraordinaire, Linda Marchman.

The group of 15+ walked along a gravel road on the west end of the meadows, giving us access to the meadow wildflowers and butterflies on both sides. Some species, notably the red admiral, were enjoying the minerals in the road. Thistle and white snakeroot were in full bloom, and dense patches of these plants provided the most variety.

We quickly exhausted the two hours allotted for this walk. The plan was to take the gravel drive to the woods, pass through a fern meadow forest, and take a meandering route through the heart of the Big Meadow to return to the parking lot. The butterflies had other plans for us!

A few hungry and thirsty die-hards did stick around to complete the hike. Two additional species were spotted, the common wood nymph and the gray comma (a really cool find!).

If you are interested in learning more about the habitats at Big Meadows, visit the links below. Big meadows has the greatest variety of rare plants in the Shenandoah National Park. In fact, it is host to the only existing Northern Blue Ridge Mafic Fen plant community.

The following is a list of butterflies observed today (a total of 22 species):

Spread-wing Skippers

Horace's duskywing, Erynnis horatius

Wild indigo duskywing, Erynnis baptisiae

Silver spotted skipper, Epargyreus clarus

Common checkered-skipper, Pyrgus communis

Grass Skippers

Sachem skipper, Atalopedes campestris

Swallowtails

Eastern tiger swallowtail, Papilio glaucus

Black swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes

Spicebush Swallowtail, Papilio troilus

Whites

Cabbage white, Pieris rapae

Sulphers

Orange sulphur, Colias eurytheme

Clouded sulphur, Colias philodice

Brush-footed longwings

Variegated fritillary, Euptoieta claudia

Great Spangled fritillary, Speyeria cybele

Meadow frittillary, Boloria bellona

Brush-footed Milkweed Butterflies

Monarch, Danaus plexippus

True Brushfoots

Pearl crescent, Phyciodes tharos

Red admiral, Vanessa atalanta

American lady, Vanessa virginiensis

Painted lady, Vanessa cardui

Gray Comma, Polygonia progne

Common buckeye, Junonia coenia

Satyrs and Wood-Nymphs

Common wood nymph, Cercyonis pegala

All photographs by Devin Floyd, unless otherwise noted.

Sources:

http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/

http://wisconsinbutterflies.org/butterfly

Big Meadows Links:

Comprehensive report on vegetation in the Northern Mafic Fen:

http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.738585

Department of Conservation and Recreation's habitat description:

http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/ncP11l.shtml

Giant swallowtail in Grayson County, VA

An exciting sighting at our butterfly bushes today at 7 PM was a giant swallowtail (see photos). It is a difficult critter to photograph since it constantly flutters its wings while feeding.

I see one of these every few years but they are sporadic. It was a very huge year for tiger swallowtails but this may have not impacted the giants which is logical since they have different food plants.

Bill Dunson

Galax, VA

Baywood

Exploring Cumberland Knob

BRDC Cumberland Knob field trip, May 26

th

, 2010

Front row (L-R):

Eric Pratt, Jacob Pratt, Ben Pratt, Molly Widener, Filson Williams, Krista Shaw

Middle row (L-R):

Matthew Rose, Abigail Williams, Cassidy Williams, Claire Gleason, India Williams, Alli Worrell

Back row (L-R):

Michael Rose, Bill Perkins, Dr. Bob Perkins, Scott Jackson-Ricketts, Jason Shaw

Coordinating with Lisa Shaw, Southwest Virginia Home Educators Administrator, BRDC conducted a field trip at Cumberland Knob from 9AM until noon.Fifteen kids strong, with several parents, broke into two groups and hit the trail.Guiding for BRDC were Robert Perkins and Scott Jackson-Ricketts.Bob brought his brother Bill along, who helped keep an eye on the scramble into the woods.

Cumberland knob has a 2½ mile loop trail, and though we did not traverse it entirely, one group headed uphill and one down, with paying attention to all that was seen or heard on the agenda.

Hardly a log or rock went unturned, (and all were replaced), as we searched for hiding creatures, various forms of fungi, any evidence of former or current inhabitants, various seed pods, and such.We compared ground cover in opened-up areas to full canopy, stages of rotting logs, the visible differences based on slope orientation, and habitat in general.There were opportunities to discover the basics of camouflage, mimicry, and other techniques of survival.

It was noted that not long after nine, birdsong began to drop off in volume and intensity on the edges around the big field.

But the deeper we went into the woods, the more we heard, causing us to wonder if the woodland birds were more active later in the day…perhaps because the morning light was just finding its way into some of the denser parts.

I assigned one young person in each group to be the keeper of the list.

Following are those documents:

Claire Gleason recorded the birds seen for Bob’s group:

• brown thrasher

• red-eyed vireo

• American robin

• blue jay

• wood thrush

• blue-gray gnatcatcher

• white-breasted nuthatch

• American crow

• pileated woodpecker

• scarlet tanager

• black vulture

• blue-headed vireo

Bob added (though all were not seen or heard by the entire group):

• oven bird

• cedar waxwing

• great-crested flycatcher

• tufted titmouse,

• ...as well as these butterflies:

• Eastern tiger swallowtail

• cabbage white

• red-spotted purple

• silver-spotted skipper

Scott’s team assigned Michael Rose who recorded the following in order of appearance:

• red-eyed vireo

• turkey vulture

• black vulture

• wood thrush

• brown thrasher

• white-breasted nuthatch

• blue bird

• chickadee

• ovenbird

• sapsucker*

• scarlet tanager

• black & white warbler

• American robin

• Northern cardinal

• red-bellied woodpecker

• red-spotted purple butterfly

*I don’t recall this, but we did discuss the evidence of the sap wells

And Scott adds:

• American toad

• slug

• brown-hooded cockroach

• flat-backed millipede (everywhere along the trail)

• bold jumping spider

• some kind of woodland grasshopper

• robber fly that mimicked a bee or wasp

• wood boring beetle of some kind

• mouse or vole (I did not see it)

• monarch or viceroy butterfly

The grand finale was Terry Gleason’s copperhead find.

Though our group had already assembled at the picnic tables to begin our sketches and field notes, when alerted to this news we all ran back into the woods.

The evidence of the impression this snake had on the crowd is self-evident.

Sunning itself about 20 feet off the path on the fat end of a fallen tree, it seemed quite unaware of us, thus providing everyone the opportunity to get a long studied look.

As we prepared to disperse a little after noon, we agreed to plan a fall butterfly and insect foray for the home schoolers.

When the date and place are finalized, we will let everyone know.

Many many thanks go to Lisa Shaw for helping BRDC put this together, as well as Bob and Bill for the guiding efforts.

And finally, a big round of applause go to Claire and Michael for keeping the lists.

-Scott Jackson-Ricketts

Those confusing black and blue butterflies!

Well it is Spring again, that most wonderful time of year when life renews itself, and we have to figure out the names of all those confusing Spring flowers and butterflies that we have not generally seen for many months. I just encountered my first spicebush swallowtail butterfly and since it was a male, it was relatively easy to recognize (see photo). However there are a surprising number of large black and blue butterflies, many in different families and thus not closely related, that resemble one another to an amazing degree. Just for example consider the photos of four species that I have included here: the spicebush and pipevine swallowtails, the female Diana fritillary, and the red-spotted purple (a brushfoot). Considering that the males and females of some species are much more different in appearance than these butterflies from totally different families, what is going on here?

This is believed to be the result of convergence in coloration among butterflies that are poisonous to eat (especially the pipevine swallowtail that feeds on toxic Dutchman's pipe as a caterpillar and thus serves as a model) and tasty or partially tasty mimics that find it advantageous to gain protection from a resemblance to the pipevine swallowtail. Yet why would males and females within one species be so different? For example male eastern tiger swallowtails are yellow and black as are many females, yet some females are dark, especially in the South. Male and female Diana fritillaries are always different and the male is more cryptic.

This similarity in coloration among dissimilar species should remind you of the mimicry group among orange and black butterflies (all poisonous to some degree) that feed on milkweed (monarch, queen, soldier), willow (viceroy) and passionvine (gulf fritillary).

So the predators, mainly birds, are clearly scrutinizing their prey in great detail trying to figure out which ones are good to eat and which are poisonous. The prey are doing their best to confuse the birds. The military "arms race" and strategic deterrence were obviously not invented by the Russians and Americans. Once again we are amazed by the diversity and complexity of life!

-Bill Dunson

Galax, VA & Englewood, FL