Jordan Lake Dam area

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B. Everett Jordan Lake Dam, Cape Fear township, Chatham County, NC

Jordan Lake is a natural treasure, but the dam is a special habitat because water, both deep and shallow, is abundant there regardless of climate patterns. Vultures and morning glories are far more common there than in any other place in the region. Jordan Lake is on one side of the dam, the Haw River on the other. All of these photos were taken near the edge of the Haw River side of the dam, on the far side from the parking lot, unless otherwise specified. See the live map on the bottom of the page; click on "See Larger Map" to navigate.

9/3/11

As usual, this was a prime spot for seeing vultures and morning glories. Despite the obvious impact of harsh summer weather, several species managed to survive.

Black Vulture Common Buckeye Snowberry Clearwing Moth on Lantana at the Visitors Center Checkered skipper Sleepy Orange

Pearl Crescent Sachem Turkey Vulture Dancer Chinese Goose

Small beetle visiting a flower on a sneezeweed blossom Another little beetle on the way to the underside of the sneezeweed flower's petals Virgin's Bower, near the woodland nature trail Purslane, in the picnicking area American Beauty Berry, in the woods between the picnicking area and the dam

Purple Morning Glory (Ipomoea purpurea) Redstars (Ipomoea coccinea) Little whitish morning glory (Ipomoea lacunosa) Morning glories. White ones are likely to be Hedge Bindweed (Calystegia sepium, an introduced species). Pink ones may be a variety of Ipomoea purpurea.

9/20/10

Female Checkered White, dorsal view Same female Checkered White, ventral view Male Checkered White, ventral view Checkered White, with what seems to be a bee in the foreground. It isn't clearly a male or female, might be a faded female. New metamorph male Checkered White, or with deformed wing Female Checkered White. Photo by Karl D. Gottschalk

Great Blue Heron on Haw River side of the dam. Photo by Karl D. Gottschalk Snowberry Clearwing Moth, at butterfly garden Little Yellow, at top of dam Female Sachem, at butterfly garden Winter form Sleepy Orange

Turkey Vultures at dam water level gate control area Common Buckeye, with dark coloring characteristic for later in the season Black Widow, near parking lot Redstars

Jordan Lake, seen from the top of the dam Asian Multi-colored Ladybug Beetle larva Morning glories (Ipomoea purpurea) Jordan Lake Dam spillway (and the source of the Haw River). The far side was where the Checkered Whites showed up.

Copyright © 2011-2019 by Dorothy E. Pugh. All rights reserved. Please contact for rights to use photos.

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