This count circle includes Santa Catalina Mountains foothills and along Catalina Highway up to Mount Lemmon. There are two Sabino Canyon counts, one in the spring and one in the summer.. The 2022 summer count was eighth nationwide with 69 species just behind the Bensen-Rio Grande Valley SP, TX which recorded 70 on the strange winter date of January 9. The Sabino summer had 5 nationwide high counts of which the Arizona Hairstreaks (6 individuals) were the only ones recorded and the Xami Hairstreak for which one each individual was recorded only the Sabino Canyon and Boyce Thompson Arboretum, AZ counts.The Sabino Canyon spring count was tied for 9th place at 67 species with Siskiyou Crest, OR and Cal-Wood Outdoor Learning Center,CO. This spring count had high counts for 11 species including the 'Desert' Pearly Marble which had an all-time country high (25 individuals vs. 15 previous high) and the only White-barred Skipper (5 individuals). Obviously the Sabino Canyon spring has already been run this year, but there is still time to participate in the Sabino summer count to be held on Thursday, July 27 by contacting compiler, Greg Greene (greenecycle@hotmail.com).
Note: A US Interagency Recreation Pass is required for entry into some areas included in the count circle.
Thanks to all for coming out and participating in this year’s count! The high temps made it one of the more challenging days in the field but you all did outstanding. We likely recorded some of the fewest numbers ever at the lower elevations sites so the shift to cover more ground on top definitely paid off. We found a total of 59 species this year and had record number of at least 4 species: ‘Echo’ Spring Azure, Painted Lady (primarily at Ceanothus fendleri), Taxiles Skipper, and Cassus Roadside Skipper, which were undoubtedly a result of our extra efforts on top. New for the summer count was a White-striped Longtail.
Swallowtails (Papilionidae)
1 Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) 58
2 Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) 2
3 Two-Tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata) 19
4 W. Giant Swallowtail (Papilio rumiko) 1
Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)
5 Checkered White (Pontia protodice) 2
6 Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme) 36
7 Southern Dogface (Zerene cesonia) 17
8 Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae) 2
9 Mexican Yellow (Eurema mexicana) 33
10 Sleepy Orange (Abaeis nicippe) 1
11 Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole) 8
Sulphur sp.? 2
Hairstreaks and Blues (Lycaenidae)
12 Colorado Hairstreak (Hypaurotis crysalus) 7
13 Thicket Hairstreak (Callophrys spinetorum) 2
14 Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) 10
15 Arizona Hairstreak (Erora quaderna) 28
16 Marine Blue (Leptotes marina) 51
17 Ceraunus Blue (Hemiargus ceraunus) 2
18 Reakirt's Blue (Echinargus isola) 6
19 'Echo' Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon echo) 391
20 Acmon Blue (Plebejus acmon texana) 4
Blue sp.? 36
Metalmarks (Riodinidae)
21 Arizona Metalmark (Calephelis arizonensis) 1
22 Fatal Metalmark (Calephelis nemesis) 1
23 Nais Metalmark (Apodemia nais) 24
Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae)
24 Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) 8
25 Black Checkerspot (Chlosyne cyneas) 1
26 Texan Crescent (Anthanassa texana) 1
27 Mylitta Crescent (Phyciodes mylitta) 1
28 American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) 10
29 Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) 1,067
30 Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) 1
31 Gray Buckeye (Junonia grisea) 9
32 Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) 3
33 Arizona Sister (Adelpha eulalia) 7
34 Empress Leilia (Asterocampa leilia) 3
35 Nabokov's Satyr (Cyllopsis pyracmon) 11
36 Red Satyr (Megisto rubricata) 1
37 Monarch (Danaus plexippus) 2
38 Queen (Danaus gilippus) 14
Skippers (Hesperiidae)
39 Dull Firetip (Pyrrhopyge araxes) 6
40 Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) 8
41 White-striped Longtail (Chioides albofasciatus) 1
42 Golden-banded Skipper (Autochton cellus) 1
43 Desert Cloudywing (Achalarus casica) 9
44 Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades) 22
45 Acacia Skipper (Cogia hippalus) 42
46 Golden-headed Scallopwing (Staphylus ceos) 2
47 Mournful Duskywing (Erynnis tristis) 6
48 Pacuvius Duskywing (Erynnis pacuvius) 75
49 Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis) 5
50 White Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus albescens) 2
51 White/Common Checkered-Skipper - (Pyrgus sp?) 8
52 Northern White Skipper (Heliopetes erictorum) 1
53 Common Sootywing (Pholisora catullus) 4
54 Orange Skipperling (Copaeodes aurantiaca) 3
55 Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus) 7
56 Taxiles Skipper (Poanes taxiles) 136
57 Large Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes exoteria) 1
58 Cassus Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes cassus) 30
59 Bronze Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes aenus) 2
60 Nysa Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes nysa) 1