BAA #2 - Catalina Mtns, AZ

[Mark Walker]

On Friday, May 7, I managed to take a quick drive up the Catalina highway,
outside of Tucson, heading for high places.  At first, I drove up to around
6000 ft.  This turned out to be a little too high in elevation, though P.
rutulus was abundant (and flying high).  What a marvelous place to go, after
baking yourself alive in your car in greater Tucson.  The temperature is
cooler, and there is plenty of running water.  A few key pools provided for
a much needed swim.  After seeing a few other butterflies (including N.
antiopa), I decided to head for a slightly lower elevation.  I ended up at
the old prison camp, at around mile 8 or so (elevation 3500 ft?), below the
pines and where it was still very hot.  Lots of Checkered Skippers, a number
of Nathalis iole (Dainty Sulphers), and a few other unidentified Blues that
danced a bit in the dry grass, and then headed rapidly up into the trees
(any ideas?).

Still very little activity up here, even with much more in the way of
available nectaring sources.  I guess the cold weather did many of the
spring leps in...

The wind started to kick in around 2:30 p.m., but the temperature remained
very hot.  After walking down the dry creek a ways, and grumbling to myself
about the lack of butterflies, I stumbled on a most unexpected sight:  Deep
down in the canyon bottom, in a spot where the canyon dropped 100 feet, were
two magnificent pools of water, still being fed by water bubbling up from
the ground.  The pools were contained in smooth rock, crystal clear, and
about 5 feet deep.  It took some scrambling, but what a treat when I finally
made it down.  One of the pools was completely shaded by the canyon walls -
and made for a very cold swimming hole.  It's easy to forget, but if you
look close enough (and stop whining), there's always something to enjoy.

By 3:30, I was headed back down to the desert bottom.  From here, I'm
heading East on Interstate 10.

Mark Walker