Interactive Butterfly CD
Butterflies of the
Carolinas & Virginias

After spending a pleasant night in Naples Florida I managed to be at the gate when Collier-Seminole State Park opened. I paid my $3.50 entry fee yet it was still overcast and chilly so just took my time waiting for it to warm up.

First I walked along the salt marsh next to the boat basin I found a badly worn Mangrove Buckeye along the way, but missed finding any Texan Crescents. Also I found a huge crayfish that challenged me to a fight, I declined. Then I saw a mated pair of dragonflies fly by and managed a quick photo, later I learned they were Phantom Darners!

Next I walked the nature trail and met a couple of people collecting mosquito data in head- toe bug suits! Where was my bug suit the insect repellent wasn't`t very effective. I saw very little along the trail just a few Zebra Longwings and Twilight Darners(photos!). Then I checked the clearing behind the concession stand and found a Mangrove Skipper and several Scarlet Skimmers.

Next I headed towards Jane`s Scenic Drive in the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve(FSR). Right at the entrance of FSR I might have seen a Polydamas Swallowtail in flight crossing the road, but did get a close enough look to tell for sure. While stopped there I did have a close encounter with a herd of wild hogs maybe 8-10 of them fighting and carrying on in a thicket next to the road. The funny thing was the locals as they drove by they shouted obscenities at the hogs.

I ventured on Jane's Scenic Drive to a huge patch of Pickerelweed on the right of the road and found 3 Brazilian Skippers(found some in the same spot 3 years ago). The rangers had warned me the road was pretty torn up, but my luck would be the dump trucks were just finishing up fixing the road so I had to watch out for heavy traffic on the first half of the road. One of my best finds was a female Great Pondhawk that posed for my camera nicely even between trucks!

I`d been told to walk the canal at the end of Jane's Scenic Drive and I parked there to eat lunch and do just that. Right away I saw a Julia and went for my camera only to have it fly up the canal. Soon I figured out Julia's were everywhere in the lantana patches all along the canal downstream I counted over 80+ of them along that canal and found more at another canal in the abandoned subdivision. This abandoned subdivision was never built but has roads and canals all over the place, I took my chances and somehow managed to drive though the subdivision and exit it to the north.

Here`s the list for Collier County Florida.

Easter Tiger Swallowtail (3) huge and fresh!
Palamedes Swallowtail (12) most pretty worn
Cloudless Sulphur (75+)
Barred Yellow (24) photos
Little Yellow (1) photo
Gulf Fritillary (20)
Julia (100+)
Zebra Longwing (50+)
Pearl Crescent (1)
Mangrove Buckeye (3) photos
White Peacock (30+)
Viceroy (50+)
Carolina Satyr (6)
Monarch (15)
Queen (80+)
Mangrove Skipper (4)
Long-tailed Skipper (6)
Common/White Checkered Skipper (1)
Tropical Checkered Skipper (6)
Three-spotted Skipper (2) photos
Clouded Skipper (1)
Least Skipper (2)
Twin-spotted Skipper (on 11-12)
Brazilian Skipper (3) photos
Ocola Skipper (2) photo

Viceroy, Limenitis archippus
Lake Kissimmee State Park in Polk County Florida

On to Day 5 Citrus/Levy County Florida
Back to Day 3 Broward County Florida

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Julia (heliconian), Dryas julia on lantana
Julia (heliconian), Dryas julia on a climbing aster
Little Yellow, Eurema lisa
Mangrove Skipper, Phocides pigmalion
Ocola Skipper, Panoquina ocola on Spanish Needles

All above photos taken on 11-13-2001
in Collier County, Florida

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