Brown Elfin Knob Trail, Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Hillborough, NC
Every lep observer has her favorite spot — a butterfly garden, a wet meadow, a relict bog. We hope you’ll share yours with us here.
LepLocales are our best picks for finding butterflies in the mid-Atlantic. It’s a collaborative effort, so help us by recommending sites to review, or sending us reviews more or less in the templates we already use here. If you have an experience visiting one of our reviewed sites, leave a comment!
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Patuxent Research Refuge, South Tract, and National Wildlife Visitor Center (Prince Georges Co MD)
Patuxent Research Refuge, North Tract (Anne Arundel Co., MD)
Plummer House Butterfly Garden (Anne Arundel Co MD)
Calvert Cliffs State Park (Calvert Co, MD)
Idylwild WMA (Caroline Co MD)
Green Ridge State Forest (Allegany Co MD)
Eastern Neck NWR (Kent Co MD)
Foster Estate Tract (Worcester Co MD)
Howard County Conservancy (Howard Co MD)
Elkhorn Gardens (Howard Co MD)
Soldiers Delight Conservation Area (Baltimore Co MD)
Finzel Swamp (Garrett-Allegany Cos)
Cranesville Swamp (Garrett Co MD-Preston Co WV)
Indian Springs WMA (Washington Co MD)
Frederick Municipal Watershed (Frederick Co MD)
Friendship Farm & Landing (Charles Co MD)
Point Lookout SP (St. Mary’s Co MD)
Herrington Manor SP (Garrett Co MD)
LepLog 
For Patuxent NWR South Tract, I think the flower garden in front of the visitor center is also worth a mention for mid-late summer. Skippers (including Broad-winged), bees, and wasps are abundant on the flowers, especially on the mint and yarrow. I agree that the Cash Lake loop isn’t very productive in summer, though I have found 15 species on a good day in late July by including the flower garden.
For Glendening, your description of the garden is spot-on except for the dimensions (wrong unit?). The satellite image on Google Maps suggests it’s about 80 x 30 feet. I consider two areas outside the garden to also be highlights for butterflies. Southeast of the garden in late summer and early fall is a large field of various wildflowers that hosts hundreds of skippers and some other butterflies and diurnal moths. And the open trails surrounding the small pine forest a little southwest of the garden are a good spot for Falcate Orangetips and American Coppers when they are in season.
Good thoughts, all. I was not just including the cultivated beds as part of the garden at Plummer, so I’ve clarified that, and added your notes to the text. Many thanks!
Rick, I had an American snout in Ellicott City today. I thought I saw in one of your logs that they had been absent so far this year. I have a picture, but don’t know how to attach.
You can always just send it to me by email to leptreks@gmail.com