Mitchell's Satyr An Endangered Butterfly Species Found in the Oakmulgee National Forest Article, images, and HTML coding by Thomas H. Wilson, Ph.D. Judson College, Marion, Alabama The Judson College, Marion, Alabama, North American Butterfly Association chapter was formed in association with the NABA 4th of July butterfly count for 2001. Dr. Jeffrey Glassberg, President of NABA, conducted the first butterfly count for the chapter. The count was centered in the Oakmulgee Division of the Talladega National Forest. Dr. Glassberg had located a Mitchell's Satyr individual in the Oakmulgee National Forest last summer and he returned to determine if a population of the endangered species of butterfly existed in the area. The search for the Mitchell's Satyr, Neonympha mitchellii, coincided with the formation of the Judson College Chapter of NABA and the Association's annual 4th of July butterfly count. The group counted 10 Mitchell's Satyrs in a marsh habitat that contained numerous sedges, brambles, and a small stream. The Mitchell's Satry has round to slightly oval eyespots below while the closely related Georgia Satyr has elongated eyespots. Before discovering the Mitchell's Satyr in the Oakmulgee National Forest, this endangered butterfly was known only from small colonies in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, and the New Jersey colony has been extirpated. Nine individuals made up the first Judson College Chapter of NABA 4th of July butterfly count. Thirty-one species of butterflies were counted with one endangered species, Mitchell's Satyr, being on the list. The exact location of the Judson College, June 5th, 2001, NABA 4th of July Butterfly Count sighting of a group of endangered Mitchell's Satyrs was in compartment 12 of the Oakmulgee Wildlife Management Area of the Talladega National Forest, in Bibb County, Alabama. Some of the more interesting butterfly species were the Byssus Skipper, Harvester (whose caterpillars are carnivorous), Banded Hairstreak, and 310 Common Buckeyes. The great habitat diversity of the Oakmulgee Division of the Talladega National Forest in west central Alabama presents outstanding opportunities for birding, observing butterflies, identifying plants and for other outdoor activities. The Oakmulgee is home for two endangered species ... the Mitchell's Satyr butterfly and the Red-cockaded Woodpecker. The Oakmulgee National Forest along with the Cahaba River provide rewarding and exciting environmental studies and recreational adventures for students attending Judson College in Marion, Alabama.

©Judson College, 2001

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