2018 Sabino Canyon Spring Butterfly Count

Date & Time: 
April 3, 2018 -
7:30am to 4:00pm
Meeting Place: 
Sabino Canyon Visitor’s Center Plaza
Compiler: 
Mary Klinkel (phone 520-275-0163)
Compiler Email: 
munchita@msn.com (not working at present, so copy fred.heath43@gmail.com on emails to Mary)

Join your new & old friends for a fabulous day in the field counting butterflies in the Santa Catalina Mountains on Tuesday, April 3, 2018.  This is the 8th year for this Spring count in NE Tucson AZ.  Meet at 7:30 am at the Sabino Canyon Visitor’s Center Plaza or stake your claim to specific territory by contacting the compiler, Mary Klinkel.  Weather permitting, we generally see around 60 species including spring-only flyers such as Spring White, Sara and Desert Orangetips, Desert Marble, Sagebrush Checkerspot and Sleepy Duskywing.  Even if you only have one hour or know only one species of butterfly, you can help with this count!

Bring binoculars, cameras & batteries, snacks, water, sun protection, $3 for NABA compilation fee per person, personal items, and lunch if you plan to be out all day.  Compilation dinner will be at Risky Business on Tanque Verde Road at 4:30 pm.  Please contact the compiler if you plan to attend the dinner so she can let the restaurant know the number of people planning to attend.

Special Note: A National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass (Annual, Senior, Access, Military, Volunteer, Golden Age or Golden Access) or a fee is required for parking at the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center parking lot and some areas in this survey.

Trip Butterfly Reports: 

Having lived here in SE AZ for 20 years, I know there is not really a normal year, but this year seems especially strange.  We had several months of no rain followed by a good 2+ inches around Tucson and more like 8” in the Santa Catalina Mts in late February.  This resulted in a “late” Spring showing of mustards & other “normally” early wildflowers.  I always try to schedule this count around April 1 to catch the last of the early Spring butterflies and first of the later Spring butterflies.  Some of these butterflies were completely absent this year (no Vanessas or Coenia) while others were high numbers for this butterfly count.  Thanks to over 20 people we managed to find 54 species and had a beautiful day in the field with high temperatures in the low 80’s F. Species counted (number of individuals are in parenthesis):

  1. Pipevine Swallowtail (65)                Battus philenor
  2. Western Giant Swallowtail (5)       Papilio rumiko
  3. Two-tailed Swallowtail (26)            Papilio multicaudata
  4. Spring White (8)                                Pontia sisymbrii
  5. ‘Desert’ Pearly Marble (26)            Euchloe hyantis lotta
  6. ‘Pima’ Desert Orangetip (18)         Anthocharis cethura pima
  7. Sara Orangetip (29)                          Anthocharis sara
  8. Orange Sulphur (1)                           Colias eurytheme
  9. Southern Dogface (6)                       Colias cesonia
  10. Mexican Yellow (1)                           Eurema mexicana
  11. Sleepy Orange (11)                           Eurema nicippe
  12. Dainty Sulphur (3)                             Nathalis iole
  13. Great Purple Hairstreak (7)            Atlides halesus
  14. Brown Elfin (14)                                 Callophrys augustinus
  15. Thicket Hairstreak (1)                       Callophrys spinetorum
  16. Siva' Juniper Hairstreak (5)             Callophrys gryneus siva
  17. Gray Hairstreak (5)                           Strymon melinus
  18. Arizona Hairstreak (20)                    Erora quaderna
  19. Western Pygmy-Blue (1)                 Brephidium exile
  20. Marine Blue (66)                               Leptotes marina
  21. Ceraunus Blue (1)                             Hemiargus ceraunus
  22. ‘Echo’ Spring Azure (14)                  Celastrina ladon
  23. Fatal Metalmark (1)                          Calephelis nemesis
  24. Zela Metalmark (5)                           Emesis zela
  25. American Snout (9)                           Libytheana carinenta
  26. Black Checkerspot (2)                      Chlosyne cyneas
  27. Fulvia Checkerspot (2)                     Chlosyne fulvia
  28. Bordered Patch (12)                         Chlosyne lacinia
  29. Sagebrush Checkerspot (17)          Chlosyne acastus
  30. Tiny Checkerspot (281)                    Dymasia dymas
  31. Elada Checkerspot (8)                      Texola elada
  32. Texan Crescent (10)                          Phyciodes texana
  33. Mylitta Crescent (1)                          Phyciodes mylitta
  34. Mourning Cloak (2)                           Nymphalis antiopa
  35. Red-spotted Purple (6)                    Limenitis arthemis astyanax
  36. ‘Arizona’ California Sister (1)          Adelpha bredowii
  37. Empress Leilia (14)                            Asterocampa leilia
  38. Queen (8)                                            Danaus gilippus
  39. Desert Cloudywing (3)                     Achalarus casica
  40. Golden-headed Scallopwing (14)  Staphylus ceos
  41. Arizona Powdered-Skipper (8)       Systasea zampa
  42. Sleepy Duskywing (2)                       Erynnis brizo
  43. Meridian Duskywing (3)                  Erynnis meridianus
  44. Mournful Duskywing (7)                  Erynnis tristis
  45. Pacuvius Duskywing (27)                 Erynnis pacuvius
  46. Funereal Duskywing (5)                   Erynnis funeralis
  47. White Checkered-Skipper (1)         Pyrgus albescens
  48. Desert Checkered-Skipper (1)        Pyrgus philetas
  49. Common Streaky-Skipper (24)       Celotes nessus
  50. Common Sootywing (2)                   Pholisora catullus
  51. Orange Skipperling (8)                     Copaeodes aurantiacus
  52. Fiery Skipper (5)                                Hylephila phyleus
  53. White-barred Skipper (22)               Atrytonopsis pittacus
  54. Sheep Skipper (1)                              Atrytonopsis edwardsii