Dansville SGA Butterfly Survey 2012

Dansville State Game Area is located in south eastern Ingham County, Michigan. Ingham County is located in the third tier of counties and centered north of Ohio and Indiana.  

Some 5,600 acres of diverse habitats, including 2 lakes, planted pine groves, fallow fields and marshes, combine for excellent wildlife viewing, photography, hunting and fishing.

 Ingham County has approximately 900 different native trees, shrubs, ferns and wildflowers. This diverse flora provides a wide variety of host plants for southern Michigan butterflies.

The Dansville SGA counting area has its center point at the parking lot at the end of Seven Gables Road. From this point, a circle radiating out 7.5 miles is the survey area. Included within the circle are Dansville Sewage Lagoons, Dansville SGA, and a place named Muck Meadow. 

Survey season started May 14 and ended on September 3. A total of 7 surveys were conducted. Survey dates were May 14, 20, 27, June 8, July 15, 29 and September 3. Most surveys were conducted between 9:00am and 3:00pm. Six of seven surveys were conducted by one individual. One survey had two people. Most surveys started at the center point on Seven Gables Road.

A total of 49 species were observed during the surveys. Total individuals numbered 1181.
May 27 and July 15 had the highest daily totals with 29 species. September 3 and May 14 had the lowest daily totals with 14 species. July 15 had the highest number of individuals with 257. May 14 had the lowest total of individuals with 49.    

DANSVILLE SGA BUTTERFLY SURVEY – 2012

	May.14	May.20	May.27	Jun.8	Jul.15	Jul.29	Sep.3	TOTALS
Black Swallowtail		1			1		1	3
Giant Swallowtail		1	1		1	2		5
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail	7	20	21	2	1	4		55
Spicebush Swallowtail		8	5		3	1	1	18
Mustard White								0
Cabbage White	3	4	4	61	102	79	88	269
Clouded Sulphur	2	8	1	1	42	16	10	80
Orange Sulphur		2	2	1	28	1	3	37
Dainty Sulphur						2	27	29
American Copper	4	8	4	2	6		2	26
Bronze Copper								0
Banded Hairstreak								0
Hairstreak sp.				1				1
Eastern Tailed Blue		2	1		1		2	6
Spring Azure								0
Summer Azure			1	1	3			5
Great Spangled Fritillary					8	3		11
Silver-boardered Fritillary	3	6	8	12	12	7		48
Pearl Crescent	3	15	32	2	18	18	7	95
Baltimore Checkerspot				1				1
Question Mark	5	5	9	3	1	1		24
Eastern Comma			2	1		2		5
Gray Comma								0
Mourning Cloak	4		1	1				6
Milbert's Tortoiseshell		1	3					4
American Lady	1			1				2
Painted Lady		1						1
Red Admiral	10	5	4	3	1	1		24
Common Buckeye					3	15	15	33
Red-spotted Purple		2	4	2	4	4		16
Viceroy					4	3	2	9
Northern Pearly Eye					3	1		4
Northern Eyed Brown					2	1		3
Little Wood Satyr		8	22	3				33
Inornate Ringlet								0
Common Wood Nymph						1		1
Monarch			3		2	4		9
Silver Spotted Skipper	3	30	55	4	1	3	1	97
	May.14	May.20	May.27	Jun.8	Jul.15	Jul.29	Sep.3.	TOTALS
Dreamy Duskywing								0
Sleepy Duskywing								0
Juvenal's Duskywing		1	1					2
Columbine Duskywing		1						1
Duskwing sp.	2							2
Common Checkered Skipper	1				2	1		3
Common Sootywing					2			2
Least Skipper			15	7	1	2	1	26
European Skipper			1	24				25
Fiery Skipper							21	21
Peck's Skipper		8	6	2		1		17
Tawny-edge Skipepr	1	3	1	1				6
Long Dash			2	1				3
Northern Broken Dash				1				1
Little Glassywing				1	1			2
Delaware Skipper					1	1		2
Hobomok Sipper		3	4					7
Broad-winged Skipper			1					1
Dun Skipper					2			2
Common Roadside Skipper		3	4		1	1		9
Skipper sp.				10				10
TOTALS	49	149	218	152	257	175	181	1181

Note: Species mark “0” have been seen at Dansville SGA, but were not seen on                 surveys.

Surveys conducted by Jeff Pavlik. Doug McWhirter surveyed with me one time.

Photos by Jeff Pavlik