We arrived at the Ramsey Canyon Inn in the Huachuca Mountains on August
22 about 5 pm a few life birds were seen, but we were exhausted. The next
morning August 23, we headed up to Fort Huachuca to explore Garden Canyon
and Scheelite Canyon looking for Spotted Owl(no luck). We covered mostly
the middle of the canyon and focused a great deal on butterfly and damselfly
photography.
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) (12)
Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) (6 top of the canyon, Randy only)
Two-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio
multicaudata) (5)
Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme) (1)
Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae) (6)
Mexican Yellow (Eurema mexicana)
(4)
Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole)
(1)
Marine Blue (Leptotes marina) (3)
Reakirt's Blue (Hemiargus isola)
(4)
Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon) (4)
Zela Metalmark (Emesis zela) (1)
Ares Metalmark (Emesis ares) (1)
Theona Checkerspot (Thessalia theona)
(1)
Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia)
(40)
Polygonia species (1)
Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) (2)
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) (1 Roger)
Red-spotted Admiral (Limenitis arthemis
arizona) (2)
California Sister (Adelpha bredowii)
(30)
Nabokov's Satyr (Cyllopsis pyracmon)
(3)
Red Satyr (Megisto rubricata) (5)
Queen (Danaus gilippus)
(4)
Dull Firetip (Pyrrhopyge araxes)
(35)
Golden Banded-Skipper (Autochton
cellus) (2 Roger)
Thorybes species (3)
Golden-headed Scallopwing
(Staphylus ceos) (2 Randy)
Mournful Duskywing (Erynnis tristis) (1 Randy)
Erynnis species (2)
Orange Skipperling (Copaeodes aurantiacus)
(1 Randy)
Taxiles Skipper (Poanes taxiles)
(6)
Sheep Skipper (Atrytonopsis edwardsii)
(1)
Cassus Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes cassus) (6)
Dotted Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes eos) (1 worn Roger)
On August 24 in the morning we did a walk up Ramsey Canyon a short way
and I was the only one in the group to get a look at an Elegant Trogon.
All of us missed seeing the Berylline Hummer at the Nature Conservancy.
Later after lunch we headed up to Miller Canyon it was mostly cloudy and
attention here is only to butterflies not seen previously. We did get
8 species of hummingbirds at Beatty's Miller Canyon Orchard which were
Anna's, Black-chinned, Blue-throated, Broad-billed, Broad-tailed, Magnificent,
Rufous, and White-eared hummingbirds.
Southern Dogface (Colias cesonia)
(1 fly by)
Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) (1)
Vanessa species (1)
Red-bordered Satyr (Gyrocheilus
patrobas) (1 Roger)
Desert Cloudywing (Achalarus casica) (1)
Carr Canyon August 25 a beautiful day. I dropped off Roger, Jeannie and
Glaeshia at 8am to hike from the top parking lot on top of Carr Canyon
Rd so they could walk to our cabin in Ramsey Canyon. I then ran into Kenn
Kaufman, Tom Wood, Sheri Williamson and friend I then joined them for
a hike to Comfort Spring after a while we parted ways as the photography
kept me on the mountain side for some time. Below is a combined list of
species seen by Roger and the girls and my own wanderings.
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) (2)
Two-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata) (6)
Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae) (2)
Lyside Sulphur (Kricogonia lyside) (1)
Mexican Yellow (Eurema mexicana) (4)
Eurema species (Little or Mimosa?)
Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole) (1)
Colorado Hairstreak (Hypaurotis crysalus) (1 Roger)
Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) (1)
Western Pygmy-Blue (Brephidium
exile) (3)
Reakirt's Blue (Hemiargus isola) (3)
Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon) (10)
Rita Blue (Euphilotes rita)
(8)
Acmon Blue (Plebejus acmon) (1)
Ares Metalmark (Emesis ares) (2)
Mormon Metalmark (Apodemia mormo)
(2)
Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia) (50)
Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
(3) see photo?
Satyr Comma (Polygonia satyrus) (1 Roger)
Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) (1)
Red-spotted Admiral (Limenitis arthemis) (2)
California Sister (Adelpha bredowii) (100+)
Nabokov's Satyr (Cyllopsis pyracmon) (8)
Red-bordered Satyr (Gyrocheilus patrobas) (3)
Queen (Danaus gilippus) (1)
Dull Firetip (Pyrrhopyge araxes) (6)
Golden Banded-Skipper (Autochton cellus) (1 Glaeshia)
Thorybes species (2)
Golden-headed Scallopwing (Staphylus ceos) (4)
Mournful Duskywing (Erynnis tristis) (1)
Four-spotted Skipperling (Piruna
polingi) (4)
Snow's Skipper (Paratrytone snowi)
(1 Randy)
Taxiles Skipper (Poanes taxiles) (12)
Huachuca Giant-Skipper (Agathymus
evansi) (1)
We bird walked the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area at the
San Pedro House on August 26 from 7 am until 10 am. A large female Western
Diamondback Rattler was found. These butterflies were also seen
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) (10)
Two-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata) (2)
Checkered White (Pontia protodice)
(50)
Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme) (2)
Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae) (3)
Lyside Sulphur (Kricogonia lyside) (1)
Western Pygmy-Blue (Brephidium exile) (50)
Metalmark species (Calephelis species)
(1 worn see photo)
Palmer's Metalmark (Apodemia palmeri) (1 Roger)
Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) (1 Randy)
Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia) (2)
Red-spotted Admiral (Limenitis arthemis) (2)
California Sister (Adelpha bredowii) (12)
Queen (Danaus gilippus) (5)
Common/White Checkered-Skipper Pyrgus species (4)
Common Sootywing (Pholisora catullus) (2)
Ramsey Canyon on August 26 we did a afternoon hike up to Hamburg Meadows
from the cottage and later walked the lower tail at the bottom of the
mountains on Ramsey Canyon Rd.
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) (4)
Two-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata) (3)
Lyside Sulphur (Kricogonia lyside) (1 at cottage)
Mexican Yellow (Eurema mexicana) (1 at cottage)
Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole) (1)
Leda Ministreak (Ministrymon leda)
(1)
Ceraunus Blue (Hemiargus
ceraunus) (1)
Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon) (10)
Mormon Metalmark (Apodemia mormo) (1 Roger)
Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia) (30)
Texan Crescent (Phyciodes texana)
(1 Randy)
Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) (2)
Satyr Comma (Polygonia satyrus) (1)
Red-spotted Admiral (Limenitis arthemis) (3)
California Sister (Adelpha bredowii) (40)
Nabokov's Satyr (Cyllopsis pyracmon) (5)
Red Satyr (Megisto rubricata) (3)
Red-bordered Satyr (Gyrocheilus patrobas) (2)
Dull Firetip (Pyrrhopyge araxes) (2)
Golden Banded-Skipper (Autochton cellus) (3)
Golden-headed Scallopwing (Staphylus ceos) (1)
Taxiles Skipper (Poanes taxiles) (3)
Huachuca Giant-Skipper (Agathymus evansi) (1)
Giant-Skipper Agathymus species (2 hill topping)
On August 27 we met with Sandy Anderson at the Gray
Hawk Nature Center at 6:30 am and birded and herped until lunch. We
went back to the cabin to rest up for a late afternoon bird/ butterfly
and herp walk. Roger and I went to visit some wet mud in a creek below
Carr Canyon for a mere 30 minutes. We found these species as well.
Southern Dogface (Colias cesonia) (1)
Mexican Yellow (Eurema mexicana) (2)
Tiny Checkerspot (Dymasia dymas)
(1)
Golden-headed Scallopwing (Staphylus ceos) (1)
Orange Skipperling (Copaeodes aurantiacus) (2)
Huachuca Giant-Skipper (Agathymus evansi) (1)
Later we again met Sandy Anderson at 3:30pm and headed towards Patagonia
to chase down some rare birds and hunt herps after dark. Sandy was disappointed
with Roger and I at the Patagonia Travelers Rest while we were there for
White-throated Swifts we were chasing life butterflies:
Tailed Orange (Eurema proterpia)
(1)
Elada Checkerspot (Texola elada)
(1)
We then got Violet-crowned Hummers at the Paton's house and left to herp
the desert canyons of the Santa Ritas. We ended the night back at the
cabin at 1:30am after finding1 female Couch's
Spadefoot Toad, 1 road killed Mexican Spadefoot Toad, 1 Woodhouse's
Toad, 2 Sonoran Desert
Toads, 1- 3+ foot Mohave
Rattlesnake (photos taken of my holding this most dangerous of all
rattlers )which Sandy tubed then released, 1- 3+ foot Western
Diamondback Rattlesnake(tubed and released with a photo of Roger holding
it) and 5- month old foot long Western Diamondback Rattler(2 road kills
also) and a small Long-nose
Snake.
The help we got from Sandy Anderson the director and staff at the Gray
Hawk Nature Center was incredible. I would recommend going out on
an nature adventure with her if you are in the Sierra Vista Area. We all
gave donations to help keep her outfit afloat as well.
More to come later on the odonates from the trip, see my
damselflies page. Just too much fun is just a week..........
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