Rita Blue Larva

[Mark Walker]

Fred Heath wrote:

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	fred_heath at power-one.com [SMTP:fred_heath at power-one.com]
> Sent:	Tuesday, September 15, 1998 12:03 AM
> To:	leps-l at lists.yale.edu
> Subject:	Rita Blue Larva
> 
>         Over the weekend, I went up to the southern edge of the Antelope 
>      Valley (southwestern edge of the Mojave Desert) searching for the my 
>      first Rita Blue (Euphilotes rita) in California. I had tried several 
>      times in the past to find this butterfly, but to no avail. But this 
>      year, I had two things in my favor 1) Law of Elusive Species- Once
> you 
>      get your first look (or first capture, for you collectors) of a 
>      particular species, no matter how rare, you will see them everywhere 
>      thereafter. 
> 
Boy, isn't that the truth.  I'll never forget how excited I was when I saw
my first Great Purple Hairstreak (down in the low desert near Anza Borrego,
CA).  I didn't (nor was able to) capture it, but I was thrilled at my chance
to positively id and get a close up look at the thing.  I had searched for
the butterfly many times over several years, to no avail.  The next month I
was in Orlando, FL, and went out at lunch for some hunting, when to my
astonishment, there were hundreds of Atlides halesus flying about.  This
same thing has happened with a number of other butterflies as well.  As a
matter of fact, my very first Phoebis sennae (Cloudless Sulpher) was one of
the hardest butterflies I've ever caught (it was also in Florida, in early
March).  I ran like hell, jumping over hedges and such, and finally managed
to net it.  A year later, I observed a mass flying similar (but not as
extensive) to the one currently being reported.  It's all part of the
passion, and interesting to hear that there is an applicable law associated
with it };>).

Mark Walker
still in Texas