Butterfly Count at the Lower Suwannee NWR – Saturday, April 8, 2017
Come one, come all – join us for the 6th annual Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge Nature Drive butterfly count.
Saturday, April 8th, (weather permitting), we’ll meet at the southern entrance of the Lower Suwannee Nature Drive for a full day of exciting spring butterfly fun in the refuge. We have now documented 86 species for the drive, and in past years we have seen 52 species on this weekend in one day. It’s always fun, and the refuge is especially gorgeous this time of year.
For six years, we have joined Barbara Woodmansee and our other friends from Florida in the annual Spring Butterfly Extravaganza.
The 9-mile scenic Lower Suwannee Nature Drive is located approximately 10 miles north of Cedar Key, about three hours from Tallahassee. The drive is on well-maintained dirt roads and the drive/walk within the Refuge itself to the best butterfly areas will probably last four to six hours. Bring insect repellent, water and a lunch in addition to the usual binoculars and cameras. Long pants are recommended. The nearest place to purchase food is in Cedar Key or Chiefland. There are no bathrooms on the Nature Drive and cell phone service is spotty.
This is an all-day trip and requires an early start. Carpooling from Tallahassee is recommended.
We will meet at the Village Square Shopping Center (Thomasville Road at Village Square Blvd.) near Newk’s at 7:00 AM. We will leave as soon as carpools are determined.
Directions for drivers: Take 1-10 east to the Perry exit. In Perry, take U.S. 19, Alt. 27, U.S. 98 (same road) to Chiefland. In Chiefland, turn right on CR 345. The road turns sharply left, and then watch for CR 330 (NW 70th St.) toward Fowler’s Bluff. The road becomes CR 347. Passing Fowler’s Bluff on your right, stay on CR 347 toward Cedar Key for about 8 miles. You will see a sign for the north entrance to the Lower Suwannee Nature Drive. Continue on for about four miles and you will see a large brown sign showing the south entrance to the drive where you will turn right to meet the group. We plan to arrive at 10:00 AM.
For a map: http://www.fws.gov/lowersuwannee/directions.html.
For more information, please contact Dave McElveen at d.mcelveen@comcast.net or (850) 841-0899
For more information about the NABA-Hairstreak chapter visit http://naba-hairstreak.com
