Box Canyon

Date & Time: 
April 20, 2019 -
8:00am to 2:00pm
Meeting Place: 
8:00AM in the Safeway/McDonald’s parking lot in the Continental Plaza west of I-19 (take Continental Exit, turn right) or 8:45AM at Box Canyon Bridge
Trip Leader: 
Gerry & Vicki Wolfe
Special Notes: 
Meeting places and times: 8:00AM in the Safeway/McDonald’s parking lot in the Continental Plaza west of I-19 (take Continental Exit, turn right) to sign in and carpool to Box Canyon or 8:45AM at the Box Canyon bridge (8.0 miles west of AZ Hwy 83 on Greaterville road which becomes Box Canyon Road. Please note the last 4.7 miles are on a dirt road. Please arrive a few minutes early in order to sign the SEABA waiver form and to run personal errands so that we can leave on time.

 

Trip description: This is a great time to join other butterfly enthusiasts for a few hours enjoying the outdoors. We will drive to a very beautiful canyon that runs east to west (providing a good butterfly flight path) in the foothills of the Santa Rita Mountains. On trips at this time of year in the past years SEABA members have identified over 30 species in Box Canyon. Come and join us to hopefully see some interesting species before the real heat of late spring arrives.

 

Type of terrain: Walking in the canyon/dry stream bed and on some primitive trails. There will be some bushwhacking and stepping up and down on and over large rocks. Rough in some areas, flat in others. Be sure to wear sturdy shoes! Long pants are recommended. We will spend the majority of our time walking in the canyon away from our vehicles, so be prepared to carry lunch and enough water for a few hours.

 

Photo: White-barred Skipper (Atrytonopsis pittacus)

Trip Butterfly Reports: 

The day started out warm and calm, but grew hot and windy by noon. We looked for butterflies in the canyon on both sides of the bridge, then drove up Box Canyon Road to the old dam, where we finished the field trip just before 2:00 PM. The group identified 42 species, although everyone didn't see all the species. Butterflies seen:

  1. Pipevine Swallowtail                        Battus philenor
  2. Black Swallowtail                              Papilio polyxenes
  3. Two-tailed Swallowtail                    Papilio multicaudata
  4. Checkered White                              Pontia protodice
  5. Orange Sulphur                                  Colias eurytheme
  6. Southern Dogface                            Colias cesonia
  7. Mexican Yellow                                 Eurema mexicana
  8. Sleepy Orange                                   Eurema nicippe
  9. Dainty Sulphur                                   Nathalis iole
  10. Marine Blue                                        Leptotes marina
  11. ‘Echo’ Spring Azure                           Celastrina ladon
  12. Acmon Blue                                        Plebejus acmon texana
  13. Fatal Metalmark                                Calephelis nemesis
  14. Arizona Metalmark                           Calephelis arizonensis
  15. Zela Metalmark                                 Emesis zela
  16. American Snout                                 Libytheana carinenta
  17. Gulf Fritillary                                       Agraulis vanillae
  18. Bordered Patch                                 Chlosyne lacinia
  19. Tiny Checkerspot                               Dymasia dymas
  20. Elada Checkerspot                            Texola elada
  21. Texan Crescent                                  Phyciodes texana
  22. Mourning Cloak                                Nymphalis antiopa
  23. Painted Lady                                      Vanessa cardui
  24. Red Admiral                                        Vanessa atalanta
  25. Common Buckeye                             Junonia coenia
  26. ‘Dark’ Tropical Buckeye                   J.genoveva nigrosuffusa
  27. Red-spotted Purple                           Limenitis arthemis astyanax
  28. Empress Leilia                                    Asterocampa leilia
  29. Arizona Skipper                                  Codatractus arizonensis
  30. Acacia Skipper                                    Cogia hippalus
  31. Gold-costa Skipper                            Cogia caicus
  32. Golden-headed Scallopwing          Staphylus ceos
  33. Arizona Powdered-Skipper              Systasea zampa
  34. Funereal Duskywing                         Erynnis funeralis
  35. White Checkered-Skipper                Pyrgus albescens
  36. Desert Checkered-Skipper               Pyrgus philetas
  37. Common Streaky-Skipper                Celotes nessus
  38. Common Sootywing                         Pholisora catullus
  39. Orange Skipperling                            Copaeodes aurantiacus
  40. Pahaska Skipper                                 Hesperia pahaska
  41. White-barred Skipper                       Atrytonopsis pittacus
  42. Sheep Skipper                                    Atrytonopsis edwardsii

Odonates identified:

  1. Spine-tipped Dancer                               (Argia extranea)
  2. Springwater Dancer                               (Argia plana)
  3. Red Rock Skimmer                            (Paltothemis lineatipes)

 

 

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.