[Butterfly Header - North American Butterfly Association]

Butterflies of High Point State Park, Sussex County, New Jersey

DIRECTIONS: Take I-80 to Route 23 north and continue for 42 miles to the entrance of the park. Alternatively, you could also turn left onto Route 650, just after you go through the town of Sussex on Route 23. Route 650 will lead you to Sawmill Road in the park. Turn right onto Sawmill Road.

HABITAT: 13,400 acres of forest with the highest elevation in New Jersey. It contains some wet and dry meadows, bogs, wooded ridges and woodland openings.

BUTTERFLY LIST:

Abbreviations are:
A, abundant, likely to see more than 20 individuals per visit to the right spot at the right time
C, common, likely to see 4-20 individuals per visit to the right spot at the right time
U, uncommon, likely to see 0-3 individuals per visit to the right spot at the right time
R, rare, unlikely to see any individuals even at the right spots at the right time
S, stray, vagrant, not seen most years

E, early in month
M, middle of month
L, late in month

Numbers refer to months. For example, the first species, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, is uncommon to common from May through September.
Swallowtails Family Papilionidae
Frequency
Season
__Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
U-C
5-9
__Spicebush Swallowtail
U-C
5-9

Whites and Sulphurs Family Pieridae
Frequency
Season
__Cabbage White
C-A
4-10
__Falcate Orangetip
U
L4-L5
__Clouded Sulphur
U
4-10
__Orange Sulphur
C
4-10

Gossamer Wings Family Lycaenidae
Frequency
Season
__American Copper
C
M6-7
__Eastern Tailed-Blue
C
5-9
__Spring Azure
U-C
4-M5
__Summer Azure
U-C
M6-9

Brush-footed Butterflies Family Nymphalidae
Frequency
Season
__Pearl Crescent
R-U
5-9
__American Lady
U-C
L4-E10
__Painted Lady
R
5-E10
__Little Wood-Satyr
C-A
L5-7
Milkweed Butterflies Family Danaidae
Frequency
Season
__Monarch
U-C
6-10

Skippers Family Hesperiidae
Frequency
Season
__Juvenal's Duskywing
C
5-E6
__Arctic Skipper
C
L5-E6
__Least Skipper
C
6-E9
__Leonard's Skipper
U-C
L8-E9
__Peck's Skipper
C-A
6-9
__Tawny-edged Skipper
C
6-9
__Long Dash
U-C
6
__Hobomok Skipper
U-C
L5-E7
__Pepper and Salt Skipper
U
E6-M6

BEST TIME AND SPOTS TO VISIT: Gasline cut at Sawmill Road is best visited in early June for Arctic Skipper, Pepper and Salt Skipper and Long Dash on Wild Flag Iris and Wild Geranium. A visit in early September will reward you with Leonard Skipper, found on little blue stem fields a few hundred yards before the headquarters building along Route 23.

SPECIALTIES: Leonard's Skipper, Long Dash, Pepper and Salt Skipper, Arctic Skipper

NOTES:

31 Jan 2000 / Main New Jersey Page