This count covers many canyons in the Santa Rita Mountains, including: Gardener, Box, Florida, Madera, and Montosa. Of the 64 species found on the 2018 count more than a quarter (17) were national high counts, including 4 species found only on this count: Chiricahua White(1), Mexican Fritillary (1), Red-bordered Satyr (82), and Arizona Giant-Skipper (1). In the 8 years this count has been run, Elf, a rare influx species has been recorded every year including an all-time high of 152 in 2016.
Unless Covid-19 restrictions are lifted prior to the count, there will be no meeting place or compilation dinner. Instead, participants will survey on their own and report sighting information via email to Mary. Please contact Mary via email if you wish to participate in this count.
Seventeen people participated in very the poor conditions of drought and excessive heat throughout the count area. Butterflies counted were:
- Western Giant Swallowtail Papilio rumiko 1
- Chiricahua White Neophasia terlootii 3
- Orange Sulphur Colias eurytheme 6
- Southern Dogface Colias cesonia 1
- Cloudless Sulphur Phoebis sennae 7
- Mexican Yellow Eurema mexicana 20
- Tailed Orange Eurema proterpia 2
- Sleepy Orange Eurema nicippe 4
- Dainty Sulphur Nathalis iole 10
- Great Purple Hairstreak Atlides halesus 3
- Siva' Juniper Hairstreak Callophrys gryneus siva 2
- Gray Hairstreak Strymon melinus 11
- Leda Ministreak Ministrymon leda 1
- Western Pygmy-Blue Brephidium exile 5
- Marine Blue Leptotes marina 22
- Ceraunus Blue Hemiargus ceraunus 31
- Reakirt’s Blue Hemiargus isola 31
- ‘Echo’ Spring Azure Celastrina ladon 21
- Arizona Metalmark Calephelis arizonensis 57
- Mormon Metalmark Apodemia mormo 15
- Palmer's Metalmark Apodemia palmeri 180
- American Snout Libytheana carinenta 14
- Gulf Fritillary Agraulis vanillae 1
- Variegated Fritillary Euptoieta claudia 3
- Theona Checkerspot Chlosyne theona 1
- Tiny Checkerspot Dymasia dymas 3
- Elada Checkerspot Texola elada 2
- Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa 1
- Painted Lady Vanessa cardui 93
- Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta 1
- Common Buckeye Junonia coenia 1
- ‘Dark’ Tropical Buckeye J.genoveva nigrosuffusa 1
- Red-spotted Purple Limenitis arthemis astyanax 3
- ‘Arizona’ California Sister Adelpha bredowii 115
- Hackberry Emperor Asterocampa celtis 3
- Empress Leilia Asterocampa leilia 34
- Tawny Emperor Asterocampa clyton 14
- Nabokov's Satyr Cyllopsis pyracmon 5
- Red Satyr Megisto rubricata 54
- Red-bordered Satyr Gyrocheilus patrobas 31
- Monarch Danaus plexippus 1
- Queen Danaus gilippus 2
- Acacia Skipper Cogia hippalus 1
- Golden-headed Scallopwing Staphylus ceos 1
- Arizona Powdered-Skipper Systasea zampa 4
- Funereal Duskywing Erynnis funeralis 1
- Common/White Checkered-Skipper Pyrgus albescens 5
- Desert Checkered-Skipper Pyrgus philetas 3
- Orange Skipperling Copaeodes aurantiacus 26
- Arizona Giant-Skipper Agathymus aryxna 25
882 individuals