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Flat River Impoundment, Mangum, Durham County, NC
Created by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to provide a food and water alternative source to areas flooded by dams for migrating birds, this place consists of artificially created ponds that stay full of water even during droughts. Common Sneezeweed takes over this area in midsummer, drawing many species of butterflies and day-flying moths. The Flat River and the woods surrounding it constitute a different type of habitat next to the impoundment; these show the effects of historical human development, e.g., mills, dams, roads and introduced plants such as rosebushes and the occasional English Ivy. For directions, see the live map.
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| A windy moment, 1/29/11 | More trees here, 1/29/11 | The Flat River itself, 1/29/11. Photo by Karl D. Gottschalk | Swamp Milkweed seeds, 1/29/11 |
10/27/11
Highs were in the high 70s, and it was unpleasantly hot.
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| Variegated Fritillary | Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle | Common Buckeye, with reddish hindwing | Checkered skipper |
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| Heal-All (Prunella vulgaris) | Flower fly | Cabbage White on aster | Large fungus | Swamp Milkweed pods with seeds |
10/10/11
This was a mild, very windy day. The water was very low, but covered with duckweed. No migrating birds appeared, although several Northern Mockingbirds were sitting in one tree.
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| White-M Hairstreak. Part of the near hindwing (including the bottom half of the red spot) has been torn off, showing the deep blue dorsal side on the far hindwing. | Cloudless Sulphur | Mourning Cloak | Moth (Epipagis huronalis) | American Snout |
7/17/11
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| Bee fly (Xenox tigrinus) | Green Heron | Checkered skipper | Hackberry Emperor |
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| Swamp Rose Mallow, one of hundreds bloomin | Common Mullein, with a sideways thumbnail problem | Moth Mullein | Scoliid wasp (Scolia nobilitata) on Common Sneezeweed. ID thanks to Brian Bockhahn. | Red Admiral (ventral view), hiding in the shade | Sleepy Orange |
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| Jumping spider (female Phidippus clarus), with prey | Mating Robber flies (Diogmites neoternatus) | Thread-waisted wasp (Ammophila genus) and two small weevils on Common Sneezeweed | Variegated Fritillary | Robberfly, with wings partially open |
6/3/11
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| Dogbane Beetle | Male Eastern Amberwing | Hackberry Emperor | Colorado Potato Beetle | Male Spangled Skimmer |
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| Aphid and exuvia. White material on the aphid may be unremoved part of exuvia. | Backswimmer | Toad Bug, seems to have growths on its back: they do seem to help with camouflage. |
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| Broad-headed bug | Adult male Eastern Pondhawk | Male Eastern Pondhawk transitioning from recent metamorph (green) to adult (blue except for the head) | Salt Marsh Moth (Estigmene acrea) | Moth caterpillar |
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| Carolina Rose | Yellowbelly Slider. ID thanks to Brian Bockhahn. | Same Yellowbelly Slider (newly emerged from duckweed-covered swamp) |
2/6/11
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| Putty Root Orchid leaf |
Durham, NC 10/27/10
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| Clouded Sulphur | Orange Sulphur | Female Sachem on Brazilian Verbena | Variegated Fritillary | Cabbage White |
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| Milkweed seeds emerging from pod | Fungus beetle, maybe Asian Oak Weevil | White Morning Glory (Ipomoea lacunosa) | Common Sneezeweed | Aster - unusual. Only Daisy Fleabane flowers have this many petals. |
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| Brown Stink Bug (Euschistus servus) | Field Cricket |
10/4/10
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| Variegated Frillary | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Monarch | Viceroy | Mating Cloudless Sulphurs The male was on top, carrying the upside-down female during intermittent flights. | Sleepy Orange |
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| Checkered skipper | Gray Hairstreak | Regular Orange Sulphur | Albino Orange Sulphur |
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| Broad-headed Bug | Ailanthus Webworm | Yellow-collared Scape Moth | Large Milkweed Bug on milkweed pod | Infested milkweed pod with Large Milkweed Bug. Several more were deeper inside, hiding under the seeds. |
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| American Bird Grasshopper | Flower fly, Eristalis genus |
8/15/10
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| Silvery Checkerspot | Dun Skipper (on Common Sneezeweed), discovered and IDed by Randy Emmitt | Crab spider | Clouded Skipper | Orange Sulphur, the only one I saw |
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| Silvery Checkerspot | Zebra Swallowtail | Question Mark | Mating Silvery Checkerspots |
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| Red Admiral | Passionflower, one of about 10 | Sleepy Orange | Jumping spider (Phidippus clarus) |
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| Common Sootywing, discovered and IDed by Randy Emmitt | Question Mark | Leaffooted Bug | Obedient Plants | Mating Variegated Fritillaries |
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| Mating picture-winged flies (Tritoxa genus) | Bomber Fly (Heterostylum robustum) | Cloudless Sulphur | Carolina Dayflower, near the Flat River | Swamp Milkweed (Ascepias incarnata), Flat River Impoundment, Durham, NC, 8/15/10 |
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| Exposed Bird Dropping Moth (Tarache aprica), on a pokeweed stem | A crambid snout moth (Epipagis huronalis). ID thanks to Maury J. Heiman. |
Copyright © 2010 by Dorothy E. Pugh. All rights reserved. Please contact for rights to use photos.
Flat River Impoundment area: Continue southwest from the Lake Michie Dam Road turn ("A") to the Flat River Impoundment, on the other side of the road (a very short distance). The impoundment stands out on the map: the green and brown stripes are square artificial ponds. A loop path surrounds some of them.
