Outing for the Winged Creatures

In order to document dragonfly and butterfly species in the Buffalo Creek Watershed, Washington County, volunteers gathered for two outings held on Saturday, July 3, and Saturday, August 7. This information will be included in the Buffalo Creek Protection Plan, currently being developed by WPC's Watershed Assistance Center. These outings have been successful due to the help of partner organizations, including Three Rivers Birding Club, Westmoreland Bird and Nature Club, and the Buffalo Creek Watershed Association. Special thanks is owed to volunteer naturalists Walt and Dana Shaffer and Tom Pearson for making these walks possible.

At the most recent walk, held on August 7, there were 24 participants from partner organizations and the community. They identified 31 species of butterflies and 16 species of dragonflies/damselflies. Butterflies of interest included Milbert's tortoiseshell (5), bronze copper (2), and fiery skipper (1), a southern migrant. Aphrodite fritillary was a new sighting for the watershed. Dragonflies of interest included calico pennant and wandering glider.

Picture above are some pictures from the walks influding (clockwise from top left) slender spreadwing damselfly, volunteer naturalist Dana Shaffer inspecting a butterfly in a net, a Carolina saddlebags dragonfly being examined by naturalist Tom Pearson, and a Milberts tortoiseshell butterfly. Volunteers interested in learning about future walks in this watershed can contact Christy Meredith, WPC Watershed Resource Specialist, at (724) 459-0953 ext. 103.

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