Prolific Patagonia

Date & Time: 
September 14, 2024 -
8:30am to 2:30pm
Meeting Place: 
Patagonia Butterfly Garden
Trip Leader: 
Gerry & Vicki Wolfe

 

We will spend most of the morning in the Patagonia Community Garden, Paton's Hummingbird Haven's butterfly garden, and a few other locations within town. Weather permitting, we will leave about noon and drive to Red Mountain Road for a very short walk and then to Harshaw Creek, which was flowing last Sunday with numerous puddle parties of Sulphurs and Oranges. There is limited parking at Paton's, so we may need to carpool to that location. There have been numerous reports of 40+ species seen in the Patagonia area in the last week, so expect abundant butterflies! When the field trip ends will be dependent on what we find and the possibility of afternoon thundershowers. It's going to be in the 90's by the end of the trip, so feel free to leave early if you need to do so. Bring plenty of water and insect repellent for chiggers, as well as your lunch if you plan to stay for the full field trip.

 

Photo: Carus Skipper (Polites carus) © Gerry Wolfe

 

Trip Butterfly Reports: 

It was a pleasant, sunny day - not too hot as building afternoon clouds helped keep the temperature down. We checked the community Garden, Paton's, a locat private garden, and the Post Office lantanas before a 2nd look at the Community Garden. After lunch in the park, we went to the "Black Hole" on Red Mtn Road and the culverts and "triangle area" of Harshaw Creek  before ending the trip about 2:00 PM. We found a wonderful 52 species:

  1. Pipevine Swallowtail                         Battus philenor
  2. Checkered White                               Pontia protodice
  3. Cabbage White                                   Pieris rapae
  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. Gray Hairstreak                                   Strymon melinus
  12. Leda Ministreak                                  Ministrymon leda
  13. Western Pygmy-Blue                       Brephidium exile
  14. Marine Blue                                          Leptotes marina
  15. Ceraunus Blue                                     Hemiargus ceraunus
  16. Reakirt’s Blue                                       Hemiargus isola
  17. ‘Echo’ Spring Azure                           Celastrina ladon
  18. Acmon Blue                                          Plebejus acmon texana
  19. Fatal Metalmark                                 Calephelis nemesis
  20. Palmer's Metalmark                         Apodemia palmeri
  21. American Snout                                  Libytheana carinenta
  22. Gulf Fritillary                                         Agraulis vanillae
  23. Variegated Fritillary                           Euptoieta claudia
  24. Mexican Fritillary                                Euptoieta hegesia
  25. Theona Checkerspot                        Chlosyne theona
  26. Bordered Patch                                   Chlosyne lacinia
  27. Tiny Checkerspot                               Dymasia dymas
  28. Elada Checkerspot                            Texola elada
  29. Texan Crescent                                   Phyciodes texana
  30. Painted Crescent                                Phyciodes picta
  31. Painted Lady                                        Vanessa cardui
  32. Common Buckeye                             Junonia coenia
  33. Red-spotted Purple                          Limenitis arthemis astyanax
  34. Viceroy                                                   Limenitis archippus
  35. ‘Arizona’ California Sister                Adelpha bredowii
  36. Queen                                                    Danaus gilippus
  37. Acacia Skipper                                     Cogia hippalus
  38. Golden-headed Scallopwing          Staphylus ceos
  39. Arizona Powdered-Skipper            Systasea zampa
  40. Funereal Duskywing                         Erynnis funeralis
  41. White/Common Checkered-Skipper      Pyrgus albescens/communis
  42. Desert Checkered-Skipper             Pyrgus philetas
  43. Erichson's White-Skipper                Heliopyrgus domicella
  44. Clouded Skipper                                 Lerema accius
  45. Orange Skipperling                            Copaeodes aurantiacus
  46. Fiery Skipper                                        Hylephila phyleus
  47. Carus Skipper                                      Polites carus
  48. Sachem                                                  Atalopedes campestris
  49. Sheep Skipper                                     Atrytonopsis edwardsii
  50. Nysa Roadside-Skipper                    Amblyscirtes nysa
  51. Dotted Roadside-Skipper               Amblyscirtes eos
  52. 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.