Box Canyon

Date & Time: 
September 25, 2016 -
8:00am to 2:00pm
Meeting Place: 
McDonald’s parking lot located on Continental Rd. off I-19
Trip Leader: 
Gerry & Vicki Wolfe

Meeting Places and Time: 8:00 AM in the McDonald’s parking lot located on Continental Rd. off I-19 in order to carpool down to Box Canyon or meet at 8:30AM at the Box Canyon bridge (8.0 miles west of AZ Hwy 83 on Greaterville road which becomes Box Canyon Road. Note that the last 4.7 miles are on a dirt road passable to passenger cars. 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.

Approximate stop time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Trip details: This is a great time to join your fellow butterfly enthusiasts for a few hours enjoying the outdoors. We will look for butterflies in a very beautiful canyon that runs east to west (providing a good butterfly flight path) in the foothills of the Santa Rita Mountains. This is a great opportunity to see a goodly number of butterfly species that fly during the monsoon, and hopefully, a few fall vagrants.

Walking will be in the canyon/dry streambed and on some primitive trails. There will be some light bushwacking and stepping up and down on large rocks. Rough in some areas, flat in others. Be sure to wear sturdy shoes!

For further information contact Gerry and Vicki Wolfe

 

Trip Butterfly Reports: 

On a sunny and slightly breezy day, the group walked dowstream from the bridge to the little falls and back upstream under the bridge for about half a mile. The trip ended back at the bridge about 2:00PM. 47 species were seen:

  1. Pipevine Swallowtail Battus philenor
  2. Giant Swallowtail Papilio cresphontes
  3. Checkered White Pontia protodice
  4. Orange Sulphur Colias eurytheme
  5. Southern Dogface Colias cesonia
  6. Cloudless Sulphur Phoebis sennae
  7. Mexican Yellow Eurema mexicana
  8. Tailed Orange Eurema proterpia
  9. Sleepy Orange Eurema nicippe
  10. Dainty Sulphur Nathalis iole
  11. Western Pygmy-Blue Brephidium exile
  12. Marine Blue Leptotes marina
  13. Ceraunus Blue Hemiargus ceraunus
  14. Reakirt's Blue Hemiargus isola
  15. 'Echo' Spring Azure Celastrina ladon echo
  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. Variegated Fritillary Euptoieta claudia
  22. Bordered Patch Chlosyne lacinia
  23. Elf Microtia elva
  24. Tiny Checkerspot Dymasia dymas
  25. Elada Checkerspot Texola elada
  26. Texan Crescent Phyciodes texana
  27. American Lady Vanessa virginiensis
  28. Painted Lady Vanessa cardui
  29. Common Buckeye Junonia coenia
  30. Tropical Buckeye Junonia genoveva
  31. Red-spotted Purple Limenitis arthemis astyanax
  32. California Sister Adelpha bredowii
  33. Hackberry Emperor Asterocampa celtis
  34. Empress Leilia Asterocampa leilia
  35. Tawny Emperor Asterocampa clyton
  36. Red Satyr Megisto rubricata
  37. Monarch Danaus plexippus
  38. Queen Danaus gilippus
  39. Arizona Skipper Codatractus arizonensis
  40. Dorantes Longtail Urbanus dorantes
  41. Golden-headed Scallopwing Staphylus ceos
  42. Arizona Powdered-Skipper Systasea zampa
  43. Funereal Duskywing Erynnis funeralis
  44. 'White' Common Checkered-Skipper Pyrgus communis albescens
  45. Desert Checkered-Skipper Pyrgus philetas
  46. Orange Skipperling Copaeodes aurantiacus
  47. Nysa Roadside-Skipper Amblyscirtes nysa
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.