April 2011
This is the first year I can remember seeing more Eastern Commas than Question Marks, although there were plenty of the latter, too. See the 4/4 entry to see how to distinguish these two species. Two Selys' Sundragons showed up. There were lots of inchworms (mostly not pictured). Many species normally found in colder climates showed up, e.g., Canadian Violets, a Pearl Crescent that looked remarkably like a Northern Crescent, and Common Snipe Flies.
Congaree National Park, Richland County, SC 4/30/11
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| Deer Fly | Creole Pearly Eye | Filmy Dome Spider with fly prey | Blooming Partridge berry |
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| Running crab spider (Philodromidae family) | Prothonotary Warbler on a Bald Cypress knee | Jack-in-the-Pulpit. Small spathe dwarfed by large leaves in the middle. | Bald Cypress knees |
Santee National Wildlife Refuge (Bluff Unit), Clarendon County, SC 4/30/11
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| White-lined Burrowing Bug | Red-winged Blackbird | Picture-winged fly | Appalachian Brown | Muscadine grape |
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| Anole | Orchard Spider | Blue-eyed Grass |
Santee National Wildlife Refuge (Bluff Unit), Clarendon County, SC 4/29/11
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| Spicebush Swallowtail | Bald Eagle | Orchard Spider (dorsal view) |
Lake Marion (swamp), Orangeburg County, SC 4/29/11
Thanks to Fisheagle Tours, we were able to visit the shallowest water in the lake, full of Bald Cypresses and little islands.
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| Osprey in nest | Cormorant | Great Egret | Anhingas | Great Crested Flycatcher |
Santee (in town), Orangeburg County, SC 4/29/11
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| False Garlic (looks like Nothoscordum borbonicum, but only N. bivalve has been reported inland) |
Santee State Park, Orangeburg County, SC 4/28/11
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| Osprey | Northern Flicker |
Durham, NC 4/27/11
Today I saw a turtle (probably a Painted Turtle) chasing a crayfish in one of the many streams coming off drainage ditches in my area. The crayfish turned around and faced the turtle displaying its red-tipped claws. Then the turtle disappeared without a trace while the crayfish relaxed partially out of the water. These pictures are in order of comprehensibility rather than chronology.
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| Crayfish | Turtle, pursuing crayfish | Crayfish facing turtle |
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| Ant-mimic spider (Castaneira trilineata) |
Durham, NC 4/26/11
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| Parent winged aphid (Sitobion avenae, about 2 mm long) with two newborn aphids on a Cattail leaf. | Tiny eggs on a Horse Nettle leaf |
Durham, NC 4/25/11
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| Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle larva | Flat-headed Pine Heartwood Borer (Chalcophora virginiensis) | Bumble Flower Beetle |
Durham, NC 4/24/11
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| Fishfly |
Eno River State Park, Old Cole Mill Road access, Durham & Orange Counties, NC 4/24/11
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| Eastern Tailed Blue | American Lady | Common Snipe Fly | Worm Snake | Jumping spider (Habronattus decorus) |
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| Female Juvenal's Duskywing | Male Juvenal's Duskywing | Carolina Satyr (dorsal view) | Long-jawed orb weaver | Alderfly, Sialis genus |
Duke Gardens, Durham, NC 4/21/11
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| Song Sparrow | The very last of the Wisteria flowers | Mystery swan, maybe a hybrid | Mystery swan spreading wings | Common Shelduck |
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| Tulips | Crossvine | Catfish |
Durham, NC 4/20/11
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| Spurge, maybe | Assassin bug (Pselliopus cinctus) | Blue Toadflax |
Durham, NC 4/19/11
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| Wolf spider, Alopecosa genus | Crab spider, Xysticus genus | Crimson Clover | Carolina Cranesbill (Geranium carolinianum) |
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| Partially blooming Crimson Clover | Common Vetch | Wasp | Cornsalad |
Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC 4/19/11
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| Ashy Clubtail | Common Snipe Fly (Rhagio mystaceus), a species normally found in colder climates | Blister beetle | Gemmed Satyr |
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| Canada Violet, a cold-climate species, as suggested by the USDA Plants Viola canadensis page for North Carolina. | Green-and-Gold | Foamflower | Southern Chervil (Chaerophyllum procumbens) |
Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC 4/18/11
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| Pearl Crescent. But it has certain northern characteristics, maybe because of our cold winter or recent cold front from the northwest. | Red Admiral | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | American Snout |
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| Jack-in-the-Pulpit | Ichneumon wasps mating | Blue Toadflax |
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| Carolina Satyr | Blue Corporal | Eastern Bluestar |
Durham, NC 4/17/11
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| Barred Owl, visiting my neighborhood from the usual Barred Owl hang-out in a marshy patch of woods where people usually don't go | Flea beetle, at the edge of my neighborhood marsh/former swamp | Little fruit fly (Drosophila genus), at the edge of the marsh/swamp | Seed bug |
Oconeechee Mountain Natural Area, Eno River State Park, Orange County, NC 4/14/11
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| Brown Elfin | Northern Fence Lizard | Common Five-lined Skink | Black Swallowtail |
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| Carolina Saddlebags, in flight | Pinxter Flower | Potter Wasp | Tadpoles, most likely Fowler's Toads, at pond |
Durham, NC 4/13/11
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| Breeding male Common Five-lined Skink | Mazus japonicus | Adult male Blue Corporal | Common Starling |
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| Tadpoles in a cement drainage channel, most likely Fowler's Toads. |
Durham, NC 4/12/11
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| Polyphemus Moth |
American Tobacco Trail (miles 4-6), Durham, NC 4/11/11
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| Question Mark. See other butterflies. | Brown-headed Nuthatch | Cherry tree | Wisteria | Cherry flowers |
Durham, NC 4/10/11
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| Blister beetle (Lytta aenea) |
Sandy Creek Park, Durham, NC 4/8/11
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| American Lady | Wolf spider, which walked easily on the surface of this puddle over to land | Mallard family | Bumble flower beetle | Cuckoo bee (Nomada genus) |
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| Orange Sulphur on Common Dandelion (note separate flower parts) | Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle, attempting to hide | Forget-me-nots | Canada Goose |
Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC 4/7/11
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| Grapevine Epimenis (Psychomorpha epimenis), an owlet moth | Young Blue Corporal | Deserted bird's nest | Red Admiral | Question Mark |
Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC 4/6/11
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| Selys' Sundragon | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Large Bee Fly (Bombilius major) | Female Juvenal's Duskywing |
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| Spring Azure, very worn | Hermit Thrush | Flower fly, Syrphus genus | Velvet ant (Pseudomethoca simillima) |
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| Giant Chickweed | Cutleaf Toothwort | Rue Anemone | Speedwell | Sugar Hackberry |
Durham, NC 4/5/11
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| Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi) | Dogwood flowers | Lily-of-the-valley |
Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC 4/4/11
Here you can see the contrast between an Eastern Comma and a Question Mark: the most obvious differences are in the spot patterns on the forewings.
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| Female Selys' Sundragon | Eastern Comma | Question Mark | Female Eastern Tailed Blue |
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| Snowberry Clearwing Moth (dorsal view) | Snowberry Clearwing Moth at flower | Tufted Titmouse | Mourning Dove |
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| Downy Yellow Violet (Viola pubescens) | Dutchman's Breeches | Early Saxifrage | Rue Anemone | Green Six-spotted Tiger Beetle |
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| This Black Rat Snake was lying on a branch in the middle of the trail. | It moved away, | and went up a small tree. |
Durham, NC 4/3/11
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| Mourning Cloak | Eastern Comma | Green Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (which actually has eight spots) | Coral Honeysuckle |
Jordan Lake Gameland, Chatham County, NC 4/3/11
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| Eastern Comma | Estern tiger Swallowtail | Orange Sulphur | Common Oak Moth, which I chased down the field, trying to determine if it were really a grasshopper |
Durham, NC 4/5/11
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| Male midge |
Durham, NC 4/3/11
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| Mite (Leptus genus) on Cattail leaf. BugGuide page |
Ebenezer Church -- Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, Chatham County, NC 4/2/11
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| Young adult Blue Corporal | Common Wood Sorrel | Fly | Immature pine branch with new cones |
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| Male Falcate Orangetip on Spring Beauty | Female Falcate Orangetip | Male Falcate Orangetip | Female Falcate Orangetip |
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| Windsurfer. These three pictures were taken by Karl Gottschalk. | Windsurfer | Windsurfer |
Durham, NC 4/1/11
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| Henbit | Carolina Cranesbill |
April Fools Day (yes, we know only small minds observe it!)
For those who are concerned that this kind of gag might be misunderstand, the moth below was photographed unharmed many moons ago, and the photo liberally enhanced with Adobe Photoshop CS5, making generous use of the Healing Brush Tool.
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| A fantastic new species of moth. Evidence suggests it was heavily chewed by giant bats in series before escaping. Revolutionary ecological implications abound in this eleventh hour find! |
Copyright © 2011-2020 by Dorothy E. Pugh. All rights reserved. Please contact for rights to use photos.
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