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SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 2:09 pm
by Sylvie_h
There are about 330 species of butterflies in Arizona which comes second after Texas. This is due to the diversity of habitats in the state. From Alpine meadows of the White Mountains to canyons and deserts, Arizona has it all. It would take a whole year or more for anybody to see them all. There are butterflies flying all year round. The south eastern corner of Arizona near the Mexican border is interesting as a lot of species can only be found there and further south into Mexico. It is also true for dragonflies and birds.
The climate is hot in this part of the country, we spent a couple weeks there in early September and even with the monsoon (which runs from middle of July to middle of September), the temperatures were still high (up to 42 degree C at midday). The first few days we were there, we saw a couple of storms with torrential rain but they only last a couple of hours and then the sun is back out again. This is when the flowers are blooming and with this blooming come the butterflies and many other insects.
It took me a while to go through all my pictures. The trip concentrated on dragonflies, butterflies and birds but there were also many interesting beetles, reptiles, amphibians adapted to harsh environments, wasps and bees. I have identified all my butterflies photos and I have tried to gather some information about some species that I hope you will find interesting in this thread.
SWALLOWTAILS (Papilionidae):
There are 13 species of Swallowtails in Arizona.
I saw many Swallowtails flying around but it was difficult to identify them all as they are very elusive, fast and hardly approachable.
Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes): a very powerful flyer, restless even when it lands somewhere. Wings are moving constantly when taking minerals from the ground.
![Giant Swallowtail.JPG (169.69 KiB) Viewed 2101 times Giant Swallowtail](./files/thumb_2343_37a6d04528367d05ab5f2da2e70e0bfe)
- Giant Swallowtail
![GiantSwallowtail2.JPG (209.38 KiB) Viewed 2101 times Giant Swallowtail](./files/thumb_2343_60fa9d095d6a9f0989888963a55d4992)
- Giant Swallowtail
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus Philenor): early in the morning was the best time to get shots of this species. There were many around everywhere we went but they seemed to prefer damp areas and settled down to suck minerals. The hostplant is Indian Root. This plant has a chemical that deters herbivores. The larvae of the Pipevine Swallowtail stores this chemical and pass it on to the adult making it distasteful to birds. The female flies low on the ground to find the foodplant which she can find by chemistry and leaf shape. The female will only lay on leaves that have no eggs and will lay a cluster of eggs on the underside of the leaf.
![Pipevine Swallowtail.JPG (193.82 KiB) Viewed 2101 times Pipevine Swallowtail](./files/thumb_2343_c539fba7fcb883ae6e77ce1a4142db31)
- Pipevine Swallowtail
![Pipevine Swallowtail3.JPG (195.81 KiB) Viewed 2101 times Pipevine Swallowtail](./files/thumb_2343_bec5ba04fb9edeeb15d33e98ab69bab1)
- Pipevine Swallowtail
![Pipevine Swallowtail2.JPG (296.84 KiB) Viewed 2101 times Pipevine Swallowtail<br />Pipevine Swallowtail](./files/thumb_2343_290695235ab4c9d7508fdcb2650bf37c)
- Pipevine Swallowtail
Pipevine Swallowtail
More to come ....
Sylvie
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 5:48 pm
by Kip
Lovely shots. I'm looking forward to seeing more!
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 6:30 pm
by Chris Jackson
Wow, Sylvie, that is tantalising.
How lucky you are to have had this experience, although I can do without the 42°C
Chris
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 7:27 pm
by petesmith
That's a mouth-watering first post - very much looking forward to the next installment!
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:27 pm
by David M
Fabulous appetiser, Sylvie. Can't wait for the
plat du jour!!
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 1:10 pm
by Sylvie_h
Thank you for your replies. You are quite right Chris, the temperature was unbearable and at midday, one tends to look for the shade and so do the majority of insects especially dragonflies. Some Arizonians told us that this temperature was unusual at this time of year. It should have been in the low 30s. We used to get up early to be where ever we wanted to be at 7am. We saw many species that we would not have been able to see later in the day.
WHITE AND SULFURS (Pieridae)
There are 36 species in Arizona.
Checkered White (Pontia Protodice) : Found in plains, canyons and also near water.
![Checkered White.JPG (102.01 KiB) Viewed 2050 times Checkered White](./files/thumb_2343_e740d4c2446097ff9c9c9efa805af4d2)
- Checkered White
![Checkered White2.JPG (100.63 KiB) Viewed 2050 times checkered White](./files/thumb_2343_17ae2417455a70f704e10f7643c025af)
- checkered White
Orange Sulfur (Colias eurytheme):
I have identified this specimen as Orange Sulfur. Identification of the Sulfurs is difficult and I would be happy to be corrected by the experts if I am wrong.
![Orange Sulfur.JPG (143.45 KiB) Viewed 2050 times Orange Sulfur](./files/thumb_2343_eea13fa3bdfae47bd712c6b06d0caf64)
- Orange Sulfur
Southern Dogface (Zerene Cesiona): called so because its ups has an eye and a black border shape on a yellow background that looks like a dog in profile. I was not able to see this for myself as the butterflies were not willing to flatten their wings.
![Southern Dogface.JPG (189.94 KiB) Viewed 2050 times Southern Dogface](./files/thumb_2343_eed904633928cbc795721a810c8ee93f)
- Southern Dogface
Cloudless Sulfur (Phoebis Sennae): A rather big butterfly, flying erratically from one flower to the other. But likes puddling with other yellows.
![Cloudless Sulfur.JPG (152.59 KiB) Viewed 2050 times Cloudless Sulfur](./files/thumb_2343_b09fe090a5912a057b091df7a85230d4)
- Cloudless Sulfur
![Cloudless Sulfur2.JPG (123.92 KiB) Viewed 2050 times Cloudless sulfur](./files/thumb_2343_8ce1d6f908800c715264befe47edd05d)
- Cloudless sulfur
Mexican Yellow (Eurema Mexicana): found only in canyons or near streams. This butterfly likes puddling with other yellows.
![Mexican Yellow.JPG (112.95 KiB) Viewed 2050 times Mexican Yellow](./files/thumb_2343_5c6e9e9d11cd99392dabeba05f68095d)
- Mexican Yellow
Tailed Orange (Eurema Proterpia): like the Mexican yellow, it is a butterfly we found in damp areas, puddling in significant numbers, when disturbed, they flew all over the place forming clouds of yellow and orange. It was quite impressive. In Arizona, there are 2 forms: one in the dry season which has a tail and one in the wet season which has no tail.
![Tailed Orange.JPG (196.95 KiB) Viewed 2050 times Tailed Orange](./files/thumb_2343_fbd984e2e9327cc67e3b075553cdef71)
- Tailed Orange
![Tailed Orange2.JPG (148.83 KiB) Viewed 2050 times Tailed Orange](./files/thumb_2343_3c1e3445f74fd213253ab7b75a69a8cd)
- Tailed Orange
![Tailed Orange3.JPG (458.38 KiB) Viewed 2050 times Tailed Orange puddling](./files/thumb_2343_098515c98eb0b13a4be843b2de4a0249)
- Tailed Orange puddling
Sleepy Orange (Eurema Nicippe): similar to tailed orange. Many seen puddling.
![Sleepy Orange.JPG (293.83 KiB) Viewed 2050 times Sleepy Orange](./files/thumb_2343_b5749d6b67e55322c76cdb9f4ee90033)
- Sleepy Orange
![Sleepy Orange2.JPG (200.08 KiB) Viewed 2050 times Sleepy Orange](./files/thumb_2343_eda992b66249374b70fa03f449fc6667)
- Sleepy Orange
More to come...
Sylvie
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 6:38 pm
by Goldie M
Really fantastic Butterflies sylvie,
![Mr. Green :mrgreen:](./images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif)
Love the different Swallow Tails too , hope there's more to come,Goldie
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 9:30 pm
by petesmith
Some wonderful photo's of the Pierids there Sylvie! You did a much better job than I managed during my recent Costa Rica trip - I found them very difficult to get close to, especially the Cloudless Sulfurs and the Eurema species. They rarely seemed to settle. Fascinating to see your form of the Tailed Orange - the ones we saw were of the tailed variety with very different underside markings, as below. Looking forward to the next batch!
Pete
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 8:52 am
by Sylvie_h
Thank you, Goldie, I am glad you enjoy this thread. There will be more to come.
Hi Pete,
Costa Rica having a tropical climate may have only one form of the Tailed Orange. The Tailed Orange found in the Spring in Arizona has the same form as the specimen you photographed (nice photo).
GOSSAMER-WING BUTTERFLIES (Lycaenidae): in North America, this group includes the hairstreaks, Blues, Coppers (absent in SE Arizona), and Harvesters (absent in Arizona).
Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus): All the specimens seen were in a pristine condition. This specimen was rather tame. However after about 3 minutes of observation, it turned round to show me its 'rear'. I realised then how much it looked like the head with both eyes and the antennae on each side. A bird will peck at this thinking it is the head and the butterfly will be able to escape safely.
I did find one specimen who however did not escape the vicious bite of a crab spider....
![Gray Hairstreak2.JPG (123.43 KiB) Viewed 2000 times Gray Hairstreak](./files/thumb_2343_c962f0eb592646d4051f20a3e56b40e1)
- Gray Hairstreak
![Gray Hairstreak.JPG (77.27 KiB) Viewed 2000 times Gray Hairstreak](./files/thumb_2343_5e4f831b896717a500ffeaf52a787760)
- Gray Hairstreak
![Gray Hairstreak3.JPG (80.01 KiB) Viewed 2000 times Gray Hairstreak](./files/thumb_2343_b9e91ee3cbcd91c01a275315073b84cc)
- Gray Hairstreak
Leda Ministreak (Ministrymon leda).: there are 2 forms of this butterfly in Arizona, a spring form and a fall form. The latter has more reduced orange on its underside than the spring form. I find the yellow eyes quite striking.
![Leda Ministreak.JPG (119.2 KiB) Viewed 2000 times Leda Ministreak](./files/thumb_2343_63664ea76b36f4ed5391c756d4fabb0d)
- Leda Ministreak
Western Pygmy Blue (Brephidium exilis): very active tiny butterfly and very alert. Very difficult to photograph, it took me half an hour to get a decent shot. We only found it in one place and was not widely distributed.
![Western Pygmy Blue.JPG (106.5 KiB) Viewed 2000 times Western Pygmy Blue](./files/thumb_2343_effe90d253039a3d94ac4983bf9a321d)
- Western Pygmy Blue
Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon): found in a canyon mountain while hiking up. We stopped to look at the scenery and I saw a cloud of these flying around the top of the trees. One flew down to rest on a leaf next to the path.
![Spring Azure.JPG (74.4 KiB) Viewed 2000 times Spring Azure](./files/thumb_2343_adda01d0c0439797f98f164fa7e2951b)
- Spring Azure
Ceraunus Blue (Hemiargus ceraunus) and Marine blues (Leptotes marina) were very common and found together seeping minerals from damp patches. They seem to like puddling in numbers and when disturbed, they would fly in all directions creating flashes of blue.
![Ceraunus Blue.JPG (79.67 KiB) Viewed 2000 times Ceraunus Blue](./files/thumb_2343_b1b7d50d7bf8ab5b0f12b667f781876a)
- Ceraunus Blue
![Marine Blue.JPG (118.76 KiB) Viewed 2000 times Marine Blue](./files/thumb_2343_b08b7e6833679dcebeb5e88c49804fda)
- Marine Blue
![Marine Blues.JPG (151.39 KiB) Viewed 2000 times Marine Blues](./files/thumb_2343_73d2c3ec5e7a92c28447f2d061e33d82)
- Marine Blues
Reakirt’s Blue (Hemiargus isola): the book I used for identification explains that the larvae of this butterfly can be attended by more than 10 species of ants while feeding on Whitethorn Acacia (its foodplant). It feeds the ants with a supply of sugary fluid. When ready to pupate the larvae goes down to the ground and enters the nest of one of the ants. Later, when the imago emerges it has 2 minutes to find its way out of the nest, otherwise it will be killed.
![Reakirts Blue.JPG (102.93 KiB) Viewed 2000 times Reakirt's Blue](./files/thumb_2343_cc7ffa7636f0e2a15373af8cbaf5686f)
- Reakirt's Blue
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 5:12 pm
by Goldie M
Lovely shot of the puddling Blues sylvie , That's interesting what you say abut the Reakirt's Blue, it reminds me that some of our Blues also rely on Ants to a certain extent if I'm right. Goldie
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 6:42 pm
by petesmith
Sylvie, you are seriously tempting me to plan a trip out to Arizona! Fabulous shots of my favourite group of butterflies - that Gray Hairstreak is sublime, and your two-tone Western Pygmy Blue is glorious!
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:19 pm
by David M
Fabulous, Sylvie! This area seems to have an interesting mix of butterflies that closely resemble European species along with many that appear distinctly tropical.
I'd be perfectly happy to endure a few sweltering afternoons to see what you've seen.
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 9:24 am
by Sylvie_h
Hi Goldie,
Indeed the larvae of a lot of our blues in Europe depends on the ants, but the larvae is picked up by the ants and brought to the nests by the ants which is not the case for Reakirt's. I find that connection fascinating.
Hi David and Pete,
I would definitively recommend a trip there. Arizona is easy to get to, it is safe and it has a lot of literature about butterflies so one can gather a lot of information before going there and be well prepared. The heat can be bothersome but there are so many different species to be seen that to some extent one tends to forget the heat. The scenery is gorgeous, I could easily spend a few years over there if I had the chance.
I will be posting more pictures later on...
Sylvie
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 1:12 pm
by Sylvie_h
METALMARKS (Riodinidae) is a group that is found mainly in the tropics where there are around 1000 species. They also have an association with ants.
Palmer’s Metalmark (Apodemia palmeri): One of my favourites. They are very tolerant of each other. They can be seen feeding on the same flower bumping into one another.
![Palmers Metalmark2.JPG (94.55 KiB) Viewed 1945 times Palmer's Metalmark](./files/thumb_2343_6955d16878a564eb8b030a3fbdb1b072)
- Palmer's Metalmark
![Palmers Metalmark3.JPG (146.23 KiB) Viewed 1945 times Palmer's Metalmark](./files/thumb_2343_564b39096bc3e6ae6913d01ed112c03c)
- Palmer's Metalmark
Arizona Metalmark (Calephelis arizonensis): Another little gem.
![Arizona Metalmark.JPG (104.42 KiB) Viewed 1945 times Arizona Metalmark](./files/thumb_2343_d00216e1dac0761121457e8d1fbed1b0)
- Arizona Metalmark
![Arizona Metalmark2.JPG (117.58 KiB) Viewed 1945 times Arizona Metalmark](./files/thumb_2343_a010e48cee5a061a9089e8e1fb41f9f4)
- Arizona Metalmark
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 1:19 pm
by Sylvie_h
BRUSH FOOTED FAMILY this is a big family which includes, Snouts, Heliconians and Fritillaries, True Brush Foot (checkerspots, crescents, commas, ladies), Admirals and relatives, Leafwings, Emperors, Satyrs, Monarch. They are called Brush footed or four-footed because the front legs are shorter. These are difficult to see as they are nearly always folded underneath the head. The female uses the tip of this foot to test the chemistry of the hostplant.
American Snout (Libytheana carinenta): this was the first butterfly seen right on the front door of the house we were renting the first morning we were there. We were soon to discover millions more of these snouts everywhere, they were out in force. Some got a lift with us, I found 2 on the back seat of the car. I am not sure how they got in but I did release them to a more suitable place. I have never seen so many in my life. They seem to be considered as a pest over there, a bit surprising for us Europeans as this is quite a scarce species in Europe.
![American_Snout.JPG (142.13 KiB) Viewed 1945 times American Snout](./files/thumb_2343_e958c73b76c5a4ecb789e3848f9d4258)
- American Snout
Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanilla): this must be my favourite butterfly. It was spotted in one place only near water and with flowers. It was seen taking nectar and minerals. This is a real beauty. We were lucky to see fresh specimens like those.
![Gulf Fritillary.JPG (111.11 KiB) Viewed 1945 times Gulf Fritillary](./files/thumb_2343_e03f97e0fd978c0e1179d53adb095c24)
- Gulf Fritillary
![Gulf Fritillary2.JPG (160.31 KiB) Viewed 1945 times Gulf Fritillary](./files/thumb_2343_e85f7cc058af0d00cc2171bd7f9e440e)
- Gulf Fritillary
Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta Claudia) :A rather big butterfly. It was difficult to get a picture of the underside as the butterfly kept its wings flat when resting. Seen near water.
![Variegated Fritillary2.JPG (204.57 KiB) Viewed 1945 times Variegated Fritillary](./files/thumb_2343_141b8a19f829f27a07bffe6aefe099ec)
- Variegated Fritillary
![Variegated Fritillary.JPG (113.06 KiB) Viewed 1945 times Variegated Fritillary](./files/thumb_2343_5dcec645e7717b3577682bd05ba0e34e)
- Variegated Fritillary
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 1:27 pm
by Sylvie_h
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 1:40 pm
by Sylvie_h
ADMIRALS AND RELATIVES (LIMENITIDINAE):
Mourning Cloak in the US / Camberwell Beauty in our area (Nymphalis antiopa) : I had seen this species in France many years ago so I was delighted to see it again. It was found in a canyon flying from one tree to the other but always coming back to perch on its favourite spot.
![Mourning Cloak3.JPG (81.04 KiB) Viewed 1944 times Mourning Cloak](./files/thumb_2343_8f2815181aabf358fc6da52d48a83e4b)
- Mourning Cloak
Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia): A difficult butterfly to photograph. It takes off very quickly and it is difficult to see where it’s gone.
![Common Buckeye.JPG (80.66 KiB) Viewed 1944 times Common Buckeye](./files/thumb_2343_78dfe45e1598ce9999404ca30f8f884b)
- Common Buckeye
Red-Spotted Admiral (Limenitis arthemis) : is a batesian mimic of the Pipevine Swallowtail. It looks very much like it but has no tail. The behaviour is also different, the RSA was flying from one tree to another and would settle on one leaf a few meters high, while the Pipevine Swallowtail was lower down on the ground seeping out minerals from damp patches. This specimen was seen in a canyon along with the Pipevine Swallowtail and I thought first they were the same species. However, the behaviour indicated that it was different.
![Red Spotted Admiral.JPG (70.68 KiB) Viewed 1944 times Red Spotted Admiral](./files/thumb_2343_3a2e115ede9b19543e07693467dac771)
- Red Spotted Admiral
Viceroy (Limenitis archippus): found near water seeping minerals, it indeed prefers damp areas. Although it looks like belonging to the Monarch family, it belongs to the Admiral family. Its hostplant being Aspen and Cottonwood rather than Milkweed.
![Viceroy.JPG (102.31 KiB) Viewed 1944 times Viceroy](./files/thumb_2343_48dd179742d4bba2307d5836c6193afd)
- Viceroy
![Viceroy2.JPG (141.28 KiB) Viewed 1944 times Viceroy](./files/thumb_2343_5c4961c7b080b9f33bc5b4e7bbba27b3)
- Viceroy
Arizona Sister (Adelpha Eulalia): I had identified this as California Sister but I’ve read that both species had been set apart as there are some differences in both, the Arizona Sister being larger than the California Sister. The markings on the ups are also slightly different. This specimen was again feeding on minerals so gave us the opportunity to take some nice shots. We were in luck because although we saw many of these flying around, it was the only one specimen that settled down to feed. The underside is something out of this world…..
![Arizona Sister.JPG (172.46 KiB) Viewed 1944 times Arizona Sister](./files/thumb_2343_01b71b4b1b23e222da9517fb13397ea4)
- Arizona Sister
![Arizona Sister (2).JPG (210.9 KiB) Viewed 1944 times Arizona Sister](./files/thumb_2343_9764ab13f7bc83ba0fb08b58bafa4f31)
- Arizona Sister
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 7:30 pm
by petesmith
Wow-just incredible shots. I am so jealous! And those Arizona Sisters...
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 11:17 am
by Roger Gibbons
I'll echo Pete's comments. Europe only has one or two species to come close to rivalling the underside of the Arizona Sister.
I am also in awe of the beautiful Camberwell Beauty - perfectly fresh and posing so obligingly. I see the same behaviour in Var, but they are hibernators and nowhere near as fresh as this one.
Interesting to note the superficial similarities with some European species, especially the blues that look almost identical to Lang' Short-tailed.
I'll book my ticket now...
Roger
Re: SE Arizona -September 2018
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 10:57 pm
by David M
Wow. Some of those butterflies are beyond intoxicating...
Palmer’s Metalmark looks like a Marsh Frit/Duke hybrid. Gulf Fritillary is stunning beyond words (no wonder it was your favourite), but for me the Arizona Sister is so beautiful as to be almost unreal.
What a gem of a place you have visited, Sylvie.
![Mr. Green :mrgreen:](./images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif)