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| an apparent Bell's Roadside-Skipper -- Kisatchie Ranger District, Kisatchie NF -- Though not flashy looking, these tiny brown butterflies were the highlight of the day (see: details below). |
- same count 2018 -
https://falloutbird2014.blogspot.com/2018/06/kisatchie-national-forest-natchitoches.html
- same location Sept. 2018 -
https://falloutbird2014.blogspot.com/2018/10/loose-alliance-field-trip-to-kisatchie.html
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This year's Kisatchie Longleaf Trail NABA Butterfly Count was held on June 22, 2019. The count circle is centered on the junction of Forest Service Roads 380 and 321 and encompasses everything within a 7.5 mile radius, which means that the count circle is primarily located in the Kisatchie National Forest (Kisatchie Ranger District, Natchitoches Parish). This is the 13th year that this count has been held, and the 2nd year in which I participated. This time my father Roland joined me. The other participants were Jeff Trahan (count organizer), Craig Marks (author of Butterflies and Skippers of Louisiana), Jean Trahan, Rosemary Seidler, Vicki LeFevers, Phillip Wallace, and Brad Moon. We met up at 9:30 a.m. at the Longleaf Scenic Vista Rec. Area before dividing into four parties to cover various locations in and around the NF. Everyone rejoined at 12:30 p.m. near the hillside bog on FS Rd 380 to look for Meske's Skipper at the traditional spot around the road junction. After an hour or so the groups parted again to cover additional locations before ending the count later in the afternoon.
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| Zebra Swallowtail - FS Rd 311 |
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| Zebra Swallowtail nectaring on Narrowleaf Mountainmint - FS Rd 311 |
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| Longleaf Scenic Vista |
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| Longleaf Scenic Vista Rec. Area |
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| FS Rd 342 |
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| FS Rd 380 |
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| creek near K281 |
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| FS Rd 365 |
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| Oak Camp on FS Rd 311 |
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| The best butterfly locale of the day was on FS Rd 311 just south of junction with FS Rd 377 / Corral Camp turn off. Our party's 3 Zebra Swallowtails., 2 Southern Cloudywings, and final Meske's Skipper were among the butterflies found here. There was a lot of Narrowleaf Mountainmint here, which the butterflies were nectaring on. |
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| Montrose Rd |
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| Longleaf Scenic Byway |
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| Meske's Skipper on Rudbeckia at FS Rd 380 |
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| one of the apparent Bell's Roadside-Skippers (Amblyscirtes belli) |
I had no experience with these roadside-skippers before.
Here's a link to Brad's sighting report on BAMONA, with details and a MUCH better photo.
https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sighting_details/1211756
You can see more about Bell's Roadside-Skipper at the species account on BAMONA: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Amblyscirtes-belli.
A third new count species, Eufala Skipper, was found by Craig at a different location in the count circle.
The most numerous species of the day was Carolina Satyr (67). The most numerous species for my father and me was Spicebush Swallowtail (15 of the total 40).
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| three Spicebush Swallowtails - FS Rd 311 |
Conditions were about 85-94 F.; sky variable/mixed, sunny; light wind.
Butterflies
39 species, 421 individuals
Pipevine Swallowtail - 15
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| Pipevine Swallowtail - Oak Camp |
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| Zebra Swallowtail - FS Rd 311 |
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| Zebra Swallowtail - FS Rd 311 |
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| Zebra Swallowtail - |
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| Zebra Swallowtail - |
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| Zebra Swallowtail - |
Spicebush Swallowtail - 40
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| Spicebush Swallowtail - FS Rd 346 |
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| Spicebush Swallowtail - FS Rd 342 |
Little Yellow - 11
Gray Hairstreak - 6
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| Gray Hairstreak on colicroot - FS Rd 311 |
Eastern Tailed Blue - 2
Summer Azure - 2
American Snout - 3
Variegated Fritillary - 1
Pearl Crescent - 37
Question Mark - 2
American Lady - 2
Common Buckeye - 30
'Astyanax' Red-spotted Purple - 4
Goatweed Leafwing - 1
Carolina Satyr - 67
Little Wood-Satyr - 1
Common Wood-Nymph - 14
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| Common Wood-Nymph - K281 |
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| Common Wood-Nymph - K281 |
Hoary Edge - 8
Southern Cloudywing - 20
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| Southern Cloudywing - FS Rd 311 |
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| So. Cloudywing - FS Rd 311 |
Horace's Duskywing - 6
Swarthy Skipper - 42
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| Swarthy Skipper - FS Rd 380 |
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| Swarthy Skipper - FS Rd 311 |
Southern Skipperling - 1
Fiery Skipper - 1
Meske's Skipper - 15
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| Meske's Skipper - 1st individual on Red Bluff Rd |
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| one of the two Meske's Skippers from the second spot on Red Bluff Rd |
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| Meske's Skipper - FS Rd 380 |
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| Meske's Skipper - FS Rd 365 |
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| Meske's Skipper - FS Rd 311 |
Southern Broken-Dash - 13
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| Southern Broken-Dash -- Red Bluff Rd |
Dun Skipper - 2
Bell's Roadside-Skipper - 2
Dusky Roadside-Skipper - 1
Eufala Skipper - 1
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Birds
9:04 a.m. - 4:50 p.m; ~20 miles
85-94 F.; sky highly variable, generally sunny; light wind
Northern Bobwhite - 6
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| female Northern Bobwhite - FS Rd 346 -- she and male are in video below |
Wild Turkey - 2 males together beside Longleaf Scenic Byway
Mourning Dove - 1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 1
Chimney Swift - 2
Red-headed Woodpecker - 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Red-cockaded Woodpecker - 2 - one (possibly two) at vista rec. area, one at FS Rd 380
Hairy Woodpecker - 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 1
Great Crested Flycatcher - 1
White-eyed Vireo - 6
Red-eyed Vireo - 1
Blue Jay - 2
American Crow - 4
Purple Martin - 1
Carolina Chickadee - 9
Brown-headed Nuthatch - 3
Carolina Wren - 7
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 3
Brown Thrasher - 1
Northern Mockingbird - 1
Bachman's Sparrow - 10
Eastern Towhee - 5
Yellow-breasted Chat - 5
Kentucky Warbler - 1
Hooded Warbler - 3
Pine Warbler - 31
Prairie Warbler - 2
Northern Cardinal - 16
Indigo Bunting - 24
Mammals -- Fox Squirrel, two White-tailed Deer
Herps -- Green (Bronze) Frog, Cope's Gray Treefrog; Prairie Lizard
Fish -- Longear Sunfish, Blackstripe/Blackspotted Topminnow, Western Mosquitofish
Dragonflies & Damselflies --
Texas Emerald -
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| female Texas Emerald - Longleaf Vista Rec. Area -- caught by Brad |
Yellow-sided Skimmer -
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| Yellow-sided Skimmer - Red Bluff Rd |
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| Yellow-sided Skimmer |
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| Golden-winged Skimmer (or Needham's Skimmer?) - FS Rd 346 |
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| Great Blue Skimmer - K281 |
Common Sanddragon -
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| Common Sanddragon - Red Bluff Rd |
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| Common Sanddragon - FS Rd 342 |
Ebony Jewelwing -
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| Ebony Jewelwings - K281 |
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| Seepage Dancer - FS Rd 380 |
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| female - K281 |
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| male - K281 |
Wildflowers --
Propeller Flower aka Pineland Lily (Alophia drummondii)...
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| Pineland Lily - Red Bluff Rd |
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| Pineland Lily - Red Bluff Rd |
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| ? - Red Bluff Rd |
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| Physostegia sp. - FS Rd 365 |
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| Physostegia sp. - FS Rd 365 |
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| Featherbells - close-up below -- FS Rd 321 -- Many thanks, Mr. Shively, for the ID! I had no idea what they were until his comment (see comment section). |
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| Featherbells -- FS Rd 321 |
Combleaf Yellow False Foxglove (Aureolaria pectinata) ...
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| Combleaf Yellow False Foxglove - FS Rd 342 |
coneflower sp. ...
pitcherplant (Sarracenia sp.) ...
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| pitcherplants at hillside bog - DO NOT TRAMPLE PLANTS! |
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| Narrowleaf Mountainmin with Southern Cloudywing -- There was a stretch of FS Rd 311 with lots of these mountainmints growing on either side. This location had the best concentration and diversity of butterflies of any spot we visited all day. |
Pinewoods Gentian (Sabatia gentianoides) ...
gentian sp. (Sabatia) ...
Yellow Meadow-Beauty (Rhexia lutea) ...
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| Yellow Meadow-Beauty - FS Rd 380 |
Bidens sp. ...
lady's tresses (Spiranthes sp.)...
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| Lady's Tresses sp. - FS Rd 380 |
wild petunia sp. (Ruellia) ...
Carolina nightshade (Solanum sp.) ...
dayflower sp. (Commelina) ...
Verbena spp. ...
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| Verbena sp. - Longleaf Scenic Byway |
...some other plants:
New Jersey Tea...
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| New Jersey Tea - FS Rd 380 -- Thanks to Brad Moon for locating this plant. |
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| Sweetbay - FS Rd 346 |
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| Sweetbay - FS Rd 346 |
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| tentative i.d.: Sweetleaf -- creek near K281 -- Sweetleaf is the host plant for King's Hairstreak |
The Kisatchie Ranger District has a lot to offer nature enthusiasts and I look forward to my next visit.
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| Longleaf Scenic Vista... |
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| ... |
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| ... |
