Date & Time:
June 9, 2018 - 8:15am to 2:00pm
Meeting Place:
McDonald's/Safeway parking lot at the NE corner of Catalina Highway and Tanque Verde. Food and restrooms are available at the meeting place.
Trip Leader:
Georgette Mehalik & Cindy Bethard
We will make several brief stops on the way up the Catalina Highway. We will stop at Molino Basin for Pipevine Swallowtails and other small bugs, if the desert honeysuckle is blooming. Our next stop will be Gordon Hirabayashi. If the stream is flowing, we will walk to the blooming Seep Willow in the wash. After this we will go up to Chihuahua Pines picnic area to see what is out. We may walk through General Hitchcock campground to look for Red Satyrs, Silver Spotted Skippers and other possible species. If the Ceanothus is blooming, we will proceed further up the mountain to sites near Rose Canyon campground and other places where nectar sources can be found.
Type of terrain: There will be mostly level dirt trails with a little bit of walking through mildly rocky stream beds. Some roads will require high clearance vehicles. We may wish to carpool from the bottom for this reason.
Photo: Nais Metalmark (Apodemia nais) by Joanne Finch
Trip Butterfly Reports:
Trip leaders were Cindy Bethard and Georgette Mehalik. The group made stops at various nectar sources heading up Mount Lemmon, including Molino Basin, Bug Springs trailhead, Soller Road, Bigelow Road, and other stops. The butterfly of the day was the Nais Metalmark. At least eight were counted, nectaring on ceanothus.
19 species in all were seen.
- Pipevine Swallowtail Battus philenor
- Two-tailed Swallowtail Papilio multicaudata
- Southern Dogface Colias cesonia
- Mexican Yellow Eurema mexicana
- Gray Hairstreak Strymon melinus
- Leda Ministreak Ministrymon leda
- Arizona Hairstreak Erora quaderna
- Marine Blue Leptotes marina
- Ceraunus Blue Hemiargus ceraunus
- ‘Echo’ Spring Azure Celastrina ladon
- Nais Metalmark Apodemia nais
- Texan Crescent Phyciodes texana
- Red-spotted Purple Limenitis arthemis astyanax
- ‘Arizona’ California Sister Adelpha bredowii
- Red Satyr Megisto rubricata
- Queen Danaus gilippus
- Silver-spotted Skipper Epargyreus clarus
- Northern Cloudywing Thorybes pylades
- Funereal Duskywing Erynnis funeralis
Leader email:
cindynik@hotmail.com or 520-429-2650
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.
