Santa Rita Mtns Fall

Date & Time: 
September 28, 2019 -
7:30am to 4:00pm
Meeting Place: 
Safeway/ McDonald’s parking lot on Continental Road (exit 63 on I-19) in Green Valley
Compiler: 
Mary Klinkel
Compiler Email: 
grizzledelfin@gmail.com

The Santa Rita Mountains fall butterfly count, the last one for this year in SE AZ, will be held on Saturday, September 28,2019.  All counters, including beginners are welcome to meet at the Safeway/ McDonald’s parking lot on Continental Road (exit 63 on I-19) in Green Valley at 7:30 AM. Please contact compiler Mary Klinkel (grizzledelfin@gmail.com ) for advance territory assignments or any questions regarding the count. A copy of this year’s count form with prior count totals is attached. Mary will have hard copies of this form at the meeting spot.

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. Speaking about high counts, last year’s 64,558 Snouts was absolutely amazing and a little exasperating. 

There will be an after-count compilation dinner place and time TBD

Trip Butterfly Reports: 

Thanks to a great group of butterfly enthusiasts, we managed to find 63 species on a perfect day in SE AZ.  The monsoon this year was generally late, sparse, or absent, and numbers of butterflies were generally down from previous years.  We're still hoping for a good October after some drenching rains a few days before the count.  Results follow.

 

  1. Pipevine Swallowtail (21)                Battus philenor
  2. Black Swallowtail (2)                        Papilio polyxenes
  3. Western Giant Swallowtail (3)       Heraclides rumiko
  4. Two-tailed Swallowtail (2)              Papilio multicaudata
  5. Checkered White (6)                        Pontia protodice
  6. Orange Sulphur (3)                           Colias eurytheme
  7. Southern Dogface (8)                       Colias cesonia
  8. Cloudless Sulphur (29)                     Phoebis sennae
  9. Mexican Yellow (91)                         Eurema mexicana
  10. Tailed Orange (1)                              Eurema proterpia
  11. Sleepy Orange (18)                           Eurema nicippe
  12. Dainty Sulphur (3)                             Nathalis iole
  13. Gray Hairstreak (2)                           Strymon melinus
  14. Western Pygmy-Blue (1)                 Brephidium exile
  15. Marine Blue (434)                             Leptotes marina (high for this count)
  16. Ceraunus Blue (77)                           Hemiargus ceraunus
  17. Reakirt’s Blue (68)                             Hemiargus isola
  18. ‘Echo’ Spring Azure (110)                Celastrina ladon
  19. Acmon Blue (1)                                  Plebejus acmon texana
  20. Fatal Metalmark (9)                          Calephelis nemesis
  21. Arizona Metalmark (16)                  Calephelis arizonensis
  22. Mormon Metalmark (1)                  Apodemia mormo
  23. Palmer's Metalmark (27)                Apodemia palmeri
  24. American Snout (48)                        Libytheana carinenta (compare to 64,558 in 2018!)
  25. Gulf Fritillary (1)                                Agraulis vanillae
  26. Variegated Fritillary (3)                    Euptoieta claudia
  27. Theona Checkerspot (4)                  Chlosyne theona
  28. Bordered Patch (10)                         Chlosyne lacinia
  29. Tiny Checkerspot (16)                      Dymasia dymas
  30. Elada Checkerspot (12)                    Texola elada
  31. Texan Crescent (9)                            Phyciodes texana
  32. Mourning Cloak (1)                           Nymphalis antiopa
  33. American Lady (4)                             Vanessa virginiensis
  34. Painted Lady (9)                                Vanessa cardui
  35. Common Buckeye (9)                       Junonia coenia
  36. ‘Dark’ Tropical Buckeye (16)          J.genoveva nigrosuffusa
  37. Red-spotted Purple (21)                  Limenitis arthemis astyanax
  38. ‘Arizona’ California Sister (56)       Adelpha bredowii
  39. Hackberry Emperor (7)                    Asterocampa celtis
  40. Empress Leilia (18)                            Asterocampa leilia
  41. Tawny Emperor (6)                           Asterocampa clyton
  42. Nabokov's Satyr (9)                          Cyllopsis pyracmon
  43. Red Satyr (21)                                    Megisto rubricata
  44. Red-bordered Satyr (25)                 Gyrocheilus patrobas
  45. Monarch (1)                                       Danaus plexippus
  46. Queen (12)                                          Danaus gilippus
  47. Hammock Skipper (2)                      Polygonus leo
  48. Northern Cloudywing (1)                Thorybes pylades (New for count)
  49. Golden-headed Scallopwing (1)    Staphylus ceos
  50. Arizona Powdered-Skipper (2)       Systasea zampa
  51. Mournful Duskywing (2)                  Erynnis tristis
  52. Funereal Duskywing (6)                   Erynnis funeralis
  53. White Checkered-Skipper (7)         Pyrgus albescens
  54. Desert Checkered-Skipper (6)        Pyrgus philetas
  55. Erichson's White-Skipper (3)          Heliopyrgus domicella
  56. Orange Skipperling (38)                   Copaeodes aurantiacus
  57. Fiery Skipper (1)                                Hylephila phyleus
  58. Pahaska Skipper (4)                          Hesperia pahaska
  59. Sachem (1)                                          Atalopedes campestris
  60. Sheep Skipper (2)                              Atrytonopsis edwardsii
  61. Nysa Roadside-Skipper (1)              Amblyscirtes nysa
  62. Eufala Skipper (1)                              Lerodea eufala
  63. Arizona Giant-Skipper (11)             Agathymus aryxna