Sabino Canyon Spring Butterfly Count

The sixth annual Sabino Canyon Spring Butterfly Count is set for Sunday, April 3, 2016. This count includes much of the Santa Catalina mountains NE of Tucson, with excellent access to all habitats via the Catalina Highway. A Coronado National Forest parking pass or Federal annual "American the Beautiful", Senior, Access, or Volunteer Pass is required for parking at Sabino Canyon and some places on the Catalina Highway. Parking pass information can be found on the Coronado NF website:  http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/coronado/passes-permits.

This count circle includes a large area of the Santa Catalina Mountains with spectacular saguaro forests and low Sonoran desert vegetation through oak woodlands to pine/spruce forests. Paved road access via the Mt. Lemmon Highway allows ease of travel. Join us for a superb day in the field! Everyone is welcome to join us, even if you only know one butterfly species or only have one hour available. Bring a friend, meet some new friends, and learn more butterfly species while enjoying a glorious day in SE AZ.

This count has averaged 60 species the last few years and has had the highest species totals in the U.S. for a spring count. The date is set to try for the last of the spring flyers (orangetips, marbles, elfins) along with later flyers and we try to put people in every possible habitat. Join us for a fun day in the field, we have habitat for all preferences and distances for all abilities, including butterfly gardens. 

Meeting time is 7:30 AM at the Sabino Canyon Visitors Center Plaza or stake your claim to other territory by contacting compiler Mary Klinkel at Munchita@msn.com or (520) 275-0163 prior to the day of the count. There is a $3 fee per person collected by the compiler and paid to NABA for compilation costs. Your $1 bills are appreciated so we don't need to make change.

A compilation dinner will be held at Risky Business, 8848 E. Tanque Verde Road (www.riskybusinesstucson.com) at 5:00 PM. Please let the compiler know if you plan to attend. Dinner will be ordered from the menu with separate checks. Join us for a great meal, stories of the day, best butterfly, and bets on the number of species seen.