Normally, I would come in from the North end of Merritt Island but the Haulover bridge is under repairs until June 1st. I asked if this was damage from Hurricane Matthew and was told that's it's routine maintenance that hadn't been done for a number of years. My approach was therefore from the South over the Max Brewer Memorial Bridge. Once over there are a number of pullouts where you can stop and I often stop at the one bu Peacock's Pocket and check for butterflies. Here i was blessed with another 11 species making a total of 14 species for the afternoon plus another life butterfly - Whirlabout Skipper. Again here, the most common butterfly was the Great Southern White but there sure were lots of Eastern Pygmy-Blues and Salt Marsh Skippers mixed in with them.
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| Whirlabout Skipper |
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| Whirlabout Skipper |
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| Salt Marsh Skipper |
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| Salt Marsh Skipper |
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| Eastern Pygmy-Blue |
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| Eastern Pygmy-Blue |
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| Gray Hairstreak |
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| Red-banded Hairstreak |
Another check of the park area found 4 more butterfly species not seen here yesterday. This brings my trip species to 23 which includes 4 species in South Carolina. Really nice considering it's Day #4. I know it won't keep up but spring must be coming!
