2016 Santa Rita Mountains Fall

Date & Time: 
October 2, 2016 - 7:30am
Meeting Place: 
McDonald's/Safeway parking lot in Green Valley at Continental exit from I-19 (exit 63) at 7:30 AM.
Compiler: 
Mary Klinkle
Compiler Email: 
munchita@msn.com

Join your friends for fun in the field on the Fall Santa Rita Mts butterfly count in SE AZ.  We will meet at 7:30am on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016 at the McDonald's/Safeway parking lot on Continental Road in Green Valley, just west of I-19.  This count circle includes such famous butterfly areas as Madera, Montosa, Florida and Box Canyons.  Coronado National Forest pass or Senior/Golden Age/Golden Access pass is required for some areas.

If you have a favorite place you want to go, please make arrangements with compiler Mary Klinkel prior to the count.  Some of my regular counters will be out of the area on this date, so I really need your help!  We have had one tropical storm in September and another is on the way, so influx species are possible.

Compilation dinner will be held at Pub 22 in Sahuarita Town Center, about 1/4 mile east of I-19 at Sahuarita Road exit.  Bring $3 compilation fee and $ for your dinner.

The 2015 Santa Rita Mountains Fall count with 66 species was tied (with Francis Marion NF, SC) for 3rd highest fall count in the nation behind Patagonia and Ramsey Canyon. Additionally, that Santa Rita Mtns Fall count had 5 high individual species counts, with Chiracahua White and Red-bordered Satyr being unique to the nation.

Trip Butterfly Reports: 
  1. *Pipevine Swallowtail 65
  2. Black Swallowtail 6
  3. Giant Swallowtail 19
  4. Two-tailed Swallowtail 3
  5. Checkered White 1
  6. Orange Sulphur 1
  7. Southern Dogface 85
  8. *Cloudless Sulphur 108
  9. Large Orange Sulphur 1
  10. Mexican Yellow 268
  11. Tailed Orange 23
  12. Sleepy Orange 57
  13. Dainty Sulphur 151
  14. Gray Hairstreak 7
  15. *Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak 2
  16. Leda Ministreak 2
  17. W. Pygmy-Blue 28
  18. Marine Blue 32
  19. Ceraunus Blue 66
  20. Reakirt's Blue 16
  21. Spring Azure 105
  22. Acmon Blue 2
  23. *Fatal Metalmark 35
  24. *Arizona Metalmark 18
  25. *Palmer's Metalmark 470
  26. Am. Snout 138
  27. Gulf Fritillary 6
  28. Variegated Fritillary 5
  29. *Bordered Patch 287
  30. **Elf 152
  31. Tiny Checkerspot 198
  32. Elada Checkerspot 40
  33. *Texan Crescent 201
  34. Mourning Cloak 1
  35. American Lady 5
  36. Painted Lady 10
  37. Common Buckeye 8
  38. Tropical Buckeye 5
  39. Red-spotted Purple 44
  40. *Viceroy 1
  41. California Sister 32
  42. Hackberry Emperor 16
  43. *Empress Leilia 143
  44. Tawny Emperor 38
  45. Nabokov's Satyr 16
  46. Red Satyr 1
  47. Red-bordered Satyr. 16
  48. Monarch 6
  49. Queen 72
  50. Arizona Skipper 2
  51. Dorantes Longtail 35
  52. Acacia Skipper 1
  53. Golden-headed Scallopwing 3
  54. Arizona Powdered-Skipper 9
  55. *Funereal Duskywing 31
  56. Common/White Checkered-Skipper 6
  57. Desert Checkered-Skipper 5
  58. Erichson's White- Skipper 1
  59. Orange Skipperling 49
  60. Pahaska Skipper 1
  61. Sheep Skipper 3
  62. Eufala Skipper 1
  63. Arizona Giant-Skipper 2

 

 

Total 63 species, 3161 individuals. Immatures: Two-tailed Sw. 1 caterpillar on Velvet Ash.

Field Notes: *New high count. +New species for count. **New Record High Count.