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Appalachian
Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus wyandot)
{also known as Appalachian Checkered-Skipper}
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| Butterflies & Skippers | Dragonflies & Damselflies | Wildflowers |
| DISTRIBUTION in
North Carolina: Until 2005, this species had been known in NC
from decades-old records only at the White Oak Mountain area of
Polk County and at "Montvale". This last site was apparently also
in Polk County, and not from Transylvania County as previously
indicated. However, this very rare species was found in Ashe and
Alleghany counties in April 2005, remarkable discoveries for a
taxon listed as a Federal Species of Concern. Thus, its current
range extends down the Appalachians as far south as the extreme
northern mountains of NC. |
| ABUNDANCE in
North Carolina: Very rare in mountain counties bordering VA;
considered extirpated farther southward, but certainly could be
present in a few places south of Ashe and Alleghany Counties. |
| FLIGHT PERIOD in
North Carolina: A rather short spring brood only. Dates in 2005
ranged between April 11 and May 10. However, 2005 was a very cool
spring, with flights of most butterfly species delayed by one or
two weeks. 2006 had a warmer, earlier spring, and the first date
was April 2. Thus, early April (possibly late March) to early or
mid-May is the expected flight period, which is roughly the flight
period in WV (Allen 1997) but quite a bit later than the late March
to mid-April reported for the southern mountains of VA (Opler and
Krizek 1984). |
| COMMENTS:
Hardly any butterfly discovery in NC in the past 10 years rivals
that produced by Ted Wilcox when he found an individual of this
species in southern Ashe County on April 11, 2005. Will Cook and
Harry LeGrand, Jr. found one on public property in neighboring
Alleghany County on April 17, 2005. Will Cook's Appalachian
Checkered-Skipper photographs can be found here. |
Distribution, abundance, flight period, and map information
provided by Notes on the Butterflies of North Carolina. |
 03/31/07 ·
Ashe County, NC · male
(same Skipper as below) |
 03/31/07 ·
Ashe County, NC · male
(same Skipper as above) |
 04/21/07 ·
Ashe County, NC · female |
 04/21/07 ·
Ashe County, NC · female |
 04/22/07 ·
Ashe County, NC · mated pair
(same pair as below) |
 04/22/07 ·
Ashe County, NC · mated pair
(same pair as above) |