Rights-of-way (ROW) are increasingly being recognized for their value to early-successional wildlife species. However, little or no information exists about diurnal Lepidopteran (butterflies and skippers) diversity in these areas. In the spring, summer, and fall of 1997 we conducted daily butterfly and skipper surveys on 6, 0.6 km transects of ROW in Greenville and Oconee counties in the Upper Piedmont of South Carolina. A total of 101 butterfly and skipper species (24,057 individuals: 14,727 butterflies and 9330 skippers) were recorded across all seasons. Overall diversity, evenness, and richness did not differ among the 6 study sites for butterflies. However, abundances of butterflies and skippers and skipper richness did differ among the six ROW. Vegetative composition assessed in the spring, summer, and fall of 1997 revealed no differences in vegetative structure among the ROW for any season. We believe that ROW may provide vital habitats for Lepidoptera in many southeastern landscapes.
