The Magpies had trailed for much of the game after a smash 'n' grab Michael Twiss effort saw the visitors take an undeserved lead to the break, leaving the hosts jeered from the pitch by their ever-diminishing support.
Fans' frustrations only grew during an uninspiring second half, with manager Steve Thompson's blushes spared only by Butcher's late header three minutes from time.
In truth, however, the Magpies should have buried the tie before the first half was even at a close.
Striker Hector Sam, making his first league start of the season, somehow directed his header wide of on-loan 'keeper Joe Lewis' unguarded net from just four yards early on in the half.
The striker's glaring miss set the tone for a frustrating afternoon for Sam and his team-mates, with the Trinidadian front man again misfiring nine minutes later after his lob hung in the air and escaping the onrushing Lewis, and, eventually, the Morecambe cross-bar.
It had taken just twenty minutes for the Magpies' problem to become obvious: Steve Thompson's men were lacking a proven marksman.
With Jason Lee (suspended), Myles Weston (hamstring) and Lawrie Dudfield (ill) all missing, the Magpies fielded a weakened strike force whose best efforts were easily quashed by the robust Morecambe centre halves.
The case for the defence was further underlined by a long-range Jay Smith effort, which rocketed high into the Kop stand, peppered with Morecombe's modest following.
The league's latest arrivals were buoyed, though, by the performance of Michael Twiss, who lead the line superbly at the sharp-end of manager
Sammy McIllroy's prudent 4-5-1 formation.
First, Twiss - a 'been there, done that' performer of the non-league circuit - showed explosive pace to charge clear of makeshift Notts captain, Stephen Hunt and Adam Tann to fire wide, before producing the goods from close range to punish the hosts for their finishing.
The lone-striker lost his marker to fire a Jim Bentley knock-down into the roof of the net to snatch an undeserved lead.
Confidence amongst Steve Thompson's side plummeted, and any fight back seemed unlikely given the sheer lack of imagination and cutting edge in the final third.
Time and again Notts looked to Neil Mackenzie for inspiration, although even his endeavour seemed in vain against a hardworking, yet ultimately toothless Morecambe side.
A stooping Paul Mayo header looked to have tested the visitor's resolves, only for full-back Adam Yates to clear off the line right on half-time to confirm the Magpies' woes.
Jeered at the break by their supporters, Steve Thompson's men emerged from the break unchanged and, likewise, so did their fortunes.
Immediately after the break, winger Gary Thompson - who had the beating of Notts left back, Austin McCann for much of the first half - ripped a lacklustre Magpies defence wide apart, only for Kevin Pilkington to narrow the angle and prevent a second, punishing blow.
Cries of 'Thommo, sort it out!' did not fail on deaf ears, as Spencer Weir Daley replaced the hopeless Hector Sam, who found time to squander another decent chance before being remove from the action.
Stef Frost and Matt Somner soon followed the young striker into the fray, as Thompson looked to relieve custodian Kevin Pilkington from a wave of pressure. Twice the visitors asked questions
of the former Manchester United custodian, and he responded brilliantly to rebuff the visitor's attempts.
After firing wide in the first half, Paul Mayo - who, admittedly, had fired hot and cold all afternoon - dusted himself down after blazing a second effort wide by teeing up Man of the Hour, Richard Butcher for the Magpies' equaliser.
The otherwise anonymous Butcher - who joined the club for an undisclosed
fee from League Two rivals, Peterborough United in the summer - continued his glittering goal scoring form by heading home Mayo's cross beyond the flat-footed Joe Lewis.
And whilst, in truth, a late Stephen Hunt header will complement a host of missed chances, it would be harsh to take anything away from a hardworking Morecambe display, who - like many so-called 'lesser' sides before them - set up their stall admirably to claim a share of the spoils at Meadow Lane.
Despite going unbeaten in their opening four games, only a minority of the Meadow Lane faithful will deem the proverbial glass half full, as, ultimately, today's slip-up only underlines the Magpies' obvious reliance on 36-year old journeyman Jason Lee, notable only in his absence today.
Put bluntly, the club must somehow muster a 'Plan B' in Lee's absence if they are as fixed on promotion as they have the waning Magpies support believe.
An eleventh hour stop-gap from a midfielder - in the context of a long season - simply will not wash with more established League Two sides, and certainly not with the club's long-suffering supporters.