Peña Blanca Lake

Date & Time: 
April 2, 2017 -
8:00am to 1:15pm
Meeting Place: 
8:00AM at McDonald’s in Green Valley, AZ, on Continental Rd. off I-19
Trip Leader: 
Gerry & Vicki Wolfe
Special Notes: 
Alternate Meeting Place: 8:50AM at USFS restroom at White Rock Campground at Peña Blanca Lake. Directions: From I19 and route 289 (Ruby Road) turn west (right) and proceed 9.7 miles until you come to a Y. Turn left onto Ruby Road and proceed .2 mile to White Rock CG.

Trip description: Spring at Pena Blanca Lake is a very pretty time to visit. We will be looking for butterflies as we walk around the north and west sides of Pena Blanca Lake. We will park at three different locations on the lake and walk for periods of time at each stop. Our last stop will be at the launch ramp facility at the end of the paved road. From there, we will walk south along the west shore of the lake towards the dam. Past trips have identified various Sulphurs, Blues, Fritillaries, Buckeyes, and multiple species of Skippers. In past years, we saw 29 butterfly species and a small number of dragonflies

Type of terrain: The first stop will be walking on level dirt ground, the second stop on a paved trail, and the optional third stop will be hiking the dirt trail on the west side of the lake, which has three short, steep sections that can be difficult to traverse.

Trip Butterfly Reports: 

SEABA members and four people new to butterflying spent about 4 hours searching the edges of Peña Blanca Lake for butterflies on a beautiful, calm, and sunny spring day. Although it was somewhat dry in the area and nectar sources were not plentiful, the group located 34 species. Species with an asterick were found by the half of the group that hiked the trail towards the dam at the end of the scheduled trip.

  1. Pipevine Swallowtail  Battus  philenor
  2. Checkered White  Pontia  protodice
  3. Southern Dogface  Colias cesonia  
  4. Mexican Yellow  Eurema  mexicana
  5. Sleepy Orange  Eurema  nicippe
  6. Dainty Sulphur  Nathalis  iole
  7. Marine Blue  Leptotes  marina
  8. 'Echo' Spring Azure  Celastrina  ladon echo
  9. Fatal Metalmark  Calephelis  nemesis *
  10. Arizona Metalmark  Calephelis  arizonensis
  11. Bordered Patch  Chlosyne  lacinia
  12. Tiny Checkerspot  Dymasia  dymas
  13. Texan Crescent  Phyciodes  texana
  14. Pearl Crescent  Phyciodes  tharos
  15. Painted Crescent  Phyciodes  picta
  16. Red Admiral  Vanessa  atalanta
  17. Common Buckeye  Junonia  coenia *
  18. Red-spotted Purple  Limenitis  arthemis astyanax
  19. Queen  Danaus  gilippus
  20. Golden-headed Scallopwing  Staphylus  ceos
  21. Arizona Powdered-Skipper  Systasea  zampa
  22. Sleepy Duskywing  Erynnis  brizo
  23. Mournful Duskywing  Erynnis  tristis
  24. Funereal Duskywing  Erynnis  funeralis
  25. 'White' Common Checkered-Skipper  Pyrgus  communis albescens
  26. Desert Checkered-Skipper  Pyrgus  philetas
  27. Common Streaky-Skipper  Celotes  nessus *
  28. Orange Skipperling  Copaeodes  aurantiacus
  29. Fiery Skipper  Hylephila  phyleus *
  30. Carus Skipper  Polites  carus
  31. White-barred Skipper  Atrytonopsis  pittacus
  32. Sheep Skipper  Atrytonopsis  edwardsii
  33. Dotted Roadside-Skipper  Amblyscirtes  eos *
  34. Eufala Skipper  Lerodea  eufala

The group also had one unidentifiable skipper and a few flybys of what may have been migrating Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).

 

Leader email: 
seaba_publicity@yahoo.com

General Information

Beginners are welcome on all field trips! Experienced members will share their butterfly knowledge and expertise with all field trip participants. Children accompanied by a responsible adult are welcome on SEABA field trips. A donation of $5 per person to benefit SEABA will be appreciated. Carpooling from the meeting place is encouraged and it is kind to share gas expenses. If high clearance vehicles are required for a trip, it will be noted in individual trip descriptions. Dress for the field with sturdy shoes, hat, sunscreen, and insect repellent. Bring your own water, snacks, and lunch. Close-focusing binoculars, cameras, and field guides will be helpful aids for butterfly observation and identification. Trips usually end by mid-afternoon unless noted differently in individual trip descriptions.

Please be aware that:

1. Collecting or netting is NOT allowed on SEABA field trips.

2. Pets, with the exception of service animals, are NOT allowed on SEABA field trips.

3. All field trip participants are required to sign SEABA's Release and Assumption of Risk form at the beginning of the trip. The form may be viewed at SEABA Release.

4. Please arrive a few minutes prior to the meeting time posted for trips to facilitate paperwork and introductions to other trip participants.

5. Field trips may be cancelled or rescheduled on short notice due to changing weather or road conditions. Please check the website for updates prior to the Field Trip.

 

Our Southeastern Arizona Butterfly Checklist can be downloaded here. Please note that the SEABA checklist is copyrighted.

Local NABA Butterfly Counts are listed at NABA Counts

Field trips organized by the Central Arizona Butterfly Association are listed at their website: CAzBA.