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| Tawny Emperor - Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters Unit, 9/11/22 |
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Related Posts:
- 2021 Butterfly Counts:
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This year the Catahoula NWR North American Butterfly Association Butterfly Count was held on September 11th. A NABA Butterfly Count is conducted within a 15-mile diameter circle. The Catahoula NWR count circle is centered at the NWR HQ and contains areas in La Salle and Catahoula Parishes. In addition to counting butterflies on parts of the NWR's four Units--Headquarters, Willow Lake, French Fork, and Bushley Bayou--we also look for butterflies in off-refuge locations, which this year included the Archie/Little River Rec. Area in Catahoula Parish and Blade Loop, a road through hilly upland/piney-woods terrain in La Salle Parish.
We had six participants, with Craig Marks as the count organizer/compiler. The count began at 9:30am. All six participants, divided into three parties, looked for butterflies on parts of the HQ Unit of CNWR. After that, one party went to Archie Rec. Area, and two parties went to Willow Lake Unit. Then all parties went to Blade Loop, then Bushley Bayou Unit. One party then went to French Fork Unit, then to a location on HQ Unit that we didn't get to that morning, finishing up at 4:30pm.
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Habitat Shots:
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| Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit (north end of Duck Lake) |
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| HQ Unit (photo: 8/19/22) |
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| HQ Unit (photo: 8/19/22) |
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| CNWR HQ Unit (photo taken 8/19/22) |
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| CNWR Willow Lake Unit |
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| CNWR Willow Lake Unit |
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| Blade Loop (upland, piney-woods habitat not found on the NWR) |
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| CNWR Bushley Bayou Unit - impoundment levees by Minnow Ponds Rd. |
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| CNWR French Fork Unit (Muddy Bayou Rd.) |
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| CNWR French Fork Unit (Muddy Bayou Rd.) |
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Butterflies:
compiled by Craig Marks
6 observers (3 parties); 9:30am-4:30pm (total party-hours: 17.5); total party miles on foot: 5
78-88F.; sunny and mixed skies (AM and PM sun both 26-50%); wind 5-12mph
36 species; 934 individuals
(Thanks to Connie Guillory for sharing her pics from the count. Many of the pics used below are hers.)
Silver-spotted Skipper - 4
Long-tailed Skipper - 1
Horace's Duskywing - 11
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| Horace's Duskywing - photo by Connie Guillory |
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Common Checkered-Skipper - 25
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| Common Checkered-Skipper - French Fork Unit |
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Tropical Checkered-Skipper - 56
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| Tropical Checkered-Skipper - photo by Connie Guillory |
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| ditto |
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Southern Skipperling - 1
Clouded Skipper - 38
Fiery Skipper - 29
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| Fiery Skipper - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Whirlabout - 2
Southern Broken-Dash - 1
Dun Skipper - 6
Ocola Skipper - 34
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| Ocola Skipper nectaring on Brazilian Verbena - Willow Lake Unit |
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| Ocola Skipper - Willow Lake Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Pipevine Swallowtail - 5
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| Pipevine Swallowtail nectaring on Brazilian Verbena - Willow Lake Unit |
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| Pipevine Swallowtail - Willow Lake Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Black Swallowtail - 2
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - 6 (including 4 black form females)
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| Eastern Tiger Swallowtail nectaring on Brazilian Verbena - Willow Lake Unit |
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| Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - Willow Lake Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Cloudless Sulphur - 52
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| Cloudless Sulphur nectaring on ironweed (Vernonia) - Willow Lake Unit |
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Southern Dogface - 11
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| Southern Dogface - Willow Lake Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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| Southern Dogface - Willow Lake Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Little Yellow - 182
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| Little Yellow nectaring on Diodia - Blade Loop |
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| Little Yellow - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Sleepy Orange - 8
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| Sleepy Orange - Willow Lake Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Gray Hairstreak - 2
Red-banded Hairstreak - 7
Summer Azure - 1
American Snout - 2
Gulf Fritillary - 123
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| Gulf Fritillary - French Fork Unit |
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Variegated Fritillary - 10
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| Variegated Fritillary nectaring on Brazilian Verbena - Willow Lake Unit |
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| Variegated Fritillary - Willow Lake Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Pearl Crescent - 56
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| Pearl Crescent - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Phaon Crescent - 107
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| Phaon Crescent - HQ Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Common Buckeye - 72
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| Common Buckeye - Willow Lake Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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| Common Buckeye nectaring on Brazilian Verbena - Willow Lake Unit |
Question Mark - 3
Red Admiral - 1
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| Red Admiral - HQ Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Viceroy - 11
'Astyanax' Red-spotted Purple - 12
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| 'Astyanax' Red-spotted Purple - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Hackberry Emperor - 5
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| Hackberry Emperor - HQ Unit - Photo: Connie Guillory |
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| Hackberry Emperor - HQ Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Tawny Emperor - 5
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| Tawny Emperor - HQ Unit |
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| Tawny Emperor - HQ Unit - photo by Connie Guillory |
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| Tawny Emperor - HQ Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Carolina Satyr - 30
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| Carolina Satyr - HQ Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Monarch - 13
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| Monarch nectaring on Brazilian Verbena - French Fork Unit |
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| two Monarchs nectaring on Brazilian Verbena - French Fork Unit |
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| Monarch nectaring on Brazilian Verbena - Willow Lake Unit |
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| Monarch - photo by Connie Guillory |
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Birds (personal list, other observers may have had additional species):
Mourning Dove -
Wood Stork -
Neotropic Cormorant -
Anhinga -
Great Blue Heron -
Great Egret -
Snowy Egret -
Little Blue Heron -
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| Little Blue Heron - HQ Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Tricolored Heron -
Cattle Egret -
White Ibis -
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| White Ibis - HQ Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Roseate Spoonbill -
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| Roseate Spoonbill and Tricolored Heron - HQ Unit, afternoon |
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| Snowy Egret and Roseate Spoonbill - HQ Unit, afternoon |
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Turkey Vulture -
Red-shouldered Hawk -
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| Red-shouldered Hawk - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Belted Kingfisher -
Red-bellied Woodpecker -
Downy Woodpecker -
Pileated Woodpecker -
Eastern Wood-Pewee -
Acadian Flycatcher -
Great Crested Flycatcher -
White-eyed Vireo -
Yellow-throated Vireo -
Red-eyed Vireo -
Blue Jay -
American Crow -
crow sp. -
Carolina Chickadee -
Tufted Titmouse -
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher -
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| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Carolina Wren -
Northern Mockingbird -
Eastern Towhee -
Summer Tanager -
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| male Summer Tanager - photo: Connie Guillory |
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Northern Cardinal -
Blue Grosbeak -
Indigo Bunting -
Painted Bunting -
passerine sp. -
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A few other things....
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| Green Treefrog - Willow Lake Unit |
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| Cardinal Flower - HQ Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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| Swamp Leatherflower - photo: Connie Guillory |
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| Sweet Everlasting, aka Rabbit Tobacco - Blade Loop |
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| ? mushrooms - Willow Lake Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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As always, if you spot an incorrect ID, feel free to comment and let me know.
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| Cloudless Sulphur and ironweed sp. - WL Unit - photo: Connie Guillory |
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