Monongahela NF - 6/30/02

[Mark Walker]

Well, I finally am getting back to the rest of the story.  On Sunday, I
awoke in Monterey, VA., and headed west into West Virginia.  What stunning
countryside this is.  The mountain ridges run in parallel, as if someone
large and omnipotent had dragged their fingers in the mud, and so you find
yourself driving up and down between glorious habitat - highland to
riparian.  Marvelous.
 
One of the things most different about this area from George Washington N.F.
is that the predominant Speyeria seen was Speyeria atlantis (Atlantis
Fritillary).  A bit smaller, with chocolate ground cover on the ventral
hindwing, and with black margins on the forewing - this bug is easy to tell
apart from it's cousins S. aphrodite and S. cybele (both were present).  On
the highest ridges, I found S. atlantis common at nectar.
 
There were also many folded wing skippers about.  Here a few of them:
 
Thymelicus lineola (European Skipper)
Polites peckius (Peck's Skipper)
Polites themistocles (Tawny-edged Skipper)
Polites origenes (Crossline Skipper)
Polites mystic (Long Dash)
Pompeius verna (Little Glassywing)
Poanes hobomok (Hobomok Skipper)
Poanes zabulon (Zabulon Skipper)
 
I saw most of the insects that I saw the day before, except C. nycteis,
Asterocampa, Enodia, and Cercyonis.  I also saw no hairstreaks, which I find
rather curious.
 
I did see a few other new bugs - including Papilio polyxenes (Black
Swallowtail), a single specimen of Colias interior (Pink Edged Sulphur), and
Nymphalis antiopa (Mourning Cloak).
 
The weather was fantastic, and the humidity not unpleasant.  There are roads
and more roads, and plenty of locations to explore.  One day in this region
is insufficient, to say the least.
 
I had a long drive from Thomas, W.V., to Middletown, N.J., but after a great
day in the field, driving is a piece of cake (ZZZZZZZ!).
 
Mark Walker
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