Peña Blanca Lake

Date & Time: 
September 6, 2024 -
8:30am to 12:00pm
Meeting Place: 
8:30 AM at the USFS restroom at White Rock Campground near Peña Blanca Lake
Trip Leader: 
Gerry & Vicki Wolfe
Special Notes: 
Directions: From I-19 South exit to route 289 (Ruby Road) junction, turn west (right) on 289 and proceed 9.7 miles until you come to a Y. Turn left onto Ruby Road and proceed 0.2 mile to the rest room at White Rock Campground.

We will be looking for butterflies as we walk alongside the creek bed at the large gravel parking lot on the north side of Peña Blanca Lake. We will then drive a very short way west on Ruby Road to a parking lot at the junction of Ruby Road and Peña Blanca canyon roads. We will walk the road up Peña Blanca Canyon about 1/2 mile total to a good stand of blooming tithonia. We expect the trip to end about noon.

 

It's chigger season and there is a short pass through high grass to reach the creek bed at the first stop, so be prepared to use insect repellant!

 

Photo: Sleepy Orange (Eurema nicippe) nectaring on Tithonia © Gerry Wolfe

 

Trip Butterfly Reports: 

 

The morning was hot and clear with little or no wind. Tithonia was blooming well and drawing many butterflies at both locations visited. 39 species were sighted during the filed trip. After the conclusion of the trip, the leaders walked the shady side of the Lower Thumb Trail and and the paved boat launch area and found 4 additional species, marked with * on the list. Species seen:

  1. Pipevine Swallowtail                         Battus                                           philenor
  2. Checkered White                                Pontia                                            protodice
  3. Orange Sulphur                                  Colias                                             eurytheme
  4. Southern Dogface                              Colias                                             cesonia
  5. Cloudless Sulphur                              Phoebis                                         sennae
  6. Mexican Yellow                                   Eurema                                         mexicana
  7. Tailed Orange                                      Eurema                                         proterpia
  8. Sleepy Orange                                     Eurema                                         nicippe
  9. Dainty Sulphur                                    Nathalis                                        iole
  10. Gray Hairstreak                                   Strymon                                       melinus
  11. * Leda Ministreak                              Ministrymon                               leda
  12. * Western Pygmy-Blue                     Brephidium                                 exile
  13. Marine Blue                                          Leptotes                                       marina
  14. Ceraunus Blue                                     Hemiargus                                   ceraunus
  15. Reakirt's Blue                                       Hemiargus                                   isola
  16. * Fatal Metalmark                              Calephelis                                    nemesis
  17. * Arizona Metalmark                        Calephelis                                    arizonensis
  18. Palmer's Metalmark                          Apodemia                                    palmeri
  19. American Snout                                  Libytheana                                  carinenta
  20. Gulf Fritillary                                        Agraulis                                        vanillae
  21. Mexican Fritillary                                Euptoieta                                     hegesia
  22. Bordered Patch                                   Chlosyne                                      lacinia
  23. Tiny Checkerspot                                Dymasia                                       dymas
  24. Elada Checkerspot                             Texola                                            elada perse
  25. Painted Crescent                                Phyciodes                                     picta
  26. Painted Lady                                        Vanessa                                        cardui
  27. Common Buckeye                              Junonia                                         coenia
  28. Viceroy                                                   Limenitis                                       archippus
  29. Arizona Sister                                       Adelpha                                        eulalia
  30. Red Satyr                                               Megisto                                        rubricata
  31. Queen                                                    Danaus                                         gilippus
  32. Dull Firetip                                            Pyrrhopyge                                 araxes
  33. Acacia Skipper                                     Cogia                                             hippalus
  34. Golden-headed Scallopwing          Staphylus                                     ceos
  35. Arizona Powdered-Skipper             Systasea                                       zampa
  36. Funereal Duskywing                         Erynnis                                          funeralis
  37. White/Common Checkered-Skipper  Pyrgus                                    communis/albescens
  38. Common Sootywing                         Pholisora                                      catullus
  39. Orange Skipperling                            Copaeodes                                  aurantiacus
  40. Fiery Skipper                                        Hylephila                                      phyleus
  41. Cestus Skipper                                     Atrytonopsis                               cestus
  42. Bronze Roadside-Skipper                Amblyscirtes                               aenus
  43. Eufala Skipper                                     Lerodea                                        eufala
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.