Chiricahua to Huachuca - Day 3

[Mark Walker]

Monday, July 23

When my son and I arrived at Portal Sunday evening it was already dark.
Leroy and the rest of the gang were already up at Onion Saddle - their
generator a-buzzing.  The drive up there from Portal is substantial in the
daytime, and only diehards would venture up there in the dark with every
intent on staying until after midnight.  I used to think that mothing was
for those who preferred to stay near the lounge chair and ice cooler - but I
know different now.  This is not for wimps.  The insects are everywhere - in
your face, up your shirt, down your pants - and it's all you can do to keep
your eyes affixed on all that shows up at the sheet.  There's virtually no
time for sitting.  It's a psychotic and busy activity - not suited for the
lethargic (nor for the sane).  The clock ticks away, and not even confusion
over what time zone we're in can slow these warriors down.  The early
morning dew is already starting to settle but the lights are still beckoning
them in.  It would take a rapidly approaching thunderstorm before this
operation would shut down.  

Uh oh - did someone say thunderstorm?  Christian and I are planning yet
another night under the sky - this could be a serious problem.  Would the
precipitation factor nail us again?  We break down the rig as the roar of
thunder gets louder and louder.  It's after 1:00 a.m. before we're ready to
head down the long dirt road - but there are still other light traps to
inspect!  And these loonies are planning on heading out for daytime
collecting at 6:30 a.m.!

When we crawled into our tent it was after 2:00 a.m.  The rain was coming
down hard by now, and we did our best to position our bags away from the
growing puddles of water that were forming all around us.  The sleep was not
deep, and was completely interrupted by a substantial downpour around 3:30
a.m.  I dragged the teenager out of the sack, pulled down the tent, and had
the car packed in 10 minutes.  From here we sleepily headed west.  Not a
good time of the day to try a new shortcut, but I was feeling adventurous.
I seemed to recall there being a road from Portal to Paradise and on to San
Carlos - all dirt and prone to flash floods.  Seemed like a good idea at the
time...

Somehow we managed to arrive safely in Wilcox by 4:30 a.m.  Just in time to
check into a local Motel 6 - and what do you know - they really did leave
the light on for us.

On Monday morning (wait, it was ALREADY Monday morning) we headed for bluer
skies (we hoped).  The Huachuca's seemed to be beckoning us, so we headed
for the fort.  By 11:00 a.m. the clouds were already starting to form over
Miller Peak, but Garden Canyon seemed to be enjoying significant sunlight.
We filled out the necessary paperwork at the main gate and headed south.

The canyon was green, wet, and in bloom.  While there wasn't an
overabundance of species here, we were pleasantly treated to excessive lep
activity - and well into the afternoon.  What a surprise to run into a
couple of my Lorquin Entomological Society buddies up there - including
ex-pres Rick (aka "the Fly Guy") Rogers.  They were content with focusing on
dipteran and coleopteran fauna (and you thought the lep diversity was
impressive).  I also met a birder and burgeoning lepster by the name of Mary
Scott (Hi Mary, if you're listening) equipped with her camera and vehicular
camera mounts.  Also joining us in the canyon was an impressive six foot
long rattlesnake - and not in any particular hurry to cross the road.

The Autochton cellus (Gold Banded Skipper) were plentiful this day, along
with Poanes taxiles (Taxiles Skipper), Amblyscirtes exoterior (Large
Roadside Skipper) and Amblyscirtes fimbriata (Orange Edged Roadside
Skipper).  Also common were Chlosyne lacinia (Bordered Patch).  It was a
nice day, to say the least.

Our Garden Canyon list (from Butterflies of SE AZ, Bailowitz and Brock):

Epargyreus clarus huachuca (Silver Spotted Skipper)
Autochton cellus (Gold Banded Skipper)
Thorbes mexicanus dobra (Dobra Cloudywing)
Erynnis funeralis (Funeralis Duskywing)
Ancyloxypha arene (Arene Skipperling)
Copaeodes aurantiacus (Aurantiacus Skipperling)
Poanes taxiles (Taxiles Skipper)
Amblyscirtes exoteria (Large Roadside Skipper)
Amblyscirtes fimbriata (Fimbriata Skipper)

Battus philenor (Pipevine Swallowtail)
Papilio cresphontes (Giant Swallowtail)
Papilio multicaudatus (Two-Tailed Swallowtail)
Zerene cesonia (Southern Dogface)
Phoebis sennae (Cloudless Sulphur)
Eurema mexicana (Mexican Sulphur)
Eurema nicippe (Sleepy Orange)
Nathalis iole (Dainty Sulphur)

Strymon melinus (Gray Hairstreak)
Leptotes marina (Marine Blue)
Hemiargus ceraunus (Ceraunus Blue)
Celastrina ladon (Spring Azure)

Emesis zela (Zela Metalmark)

Euptoieta claudia (Variegated Fritillary)
Chlosyne lacinia crocale (Bordered Patch)
Phyciodes texana (Texan Crescentspot)
Nymphalis antiopa (Mourning Cloak)
Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady)
Junonia nigrosuffusa (Black Buckeye)
Limenitis arthemis arizonensis (Arizona Purple)
Adelpha bredowii eulalia (Arizona Sister)
Cyllopsis pyracmon nabokovi (Pyracmon Satyr)
Megisto rubricata cheneyorum (Rubricata Satyr)

Mark Walker
Oceanside, CA


 
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