Tucson sightings

[Ron Gatrelle]

Editorial
In the old days, before butterflies became birds, we never thought of
"counting" specimens. Yes, one might note a single specimen of this and
that or two or three. Beyond that, counting can become absurdly inaccurate.
I have many years of experience in the field in all sorts of habitat with
all degrees of abundance of specimens. One A. pima, 3 mexicanum, yes I buy
that. 25 snouts, no way. 24 with one twice, 15 with x twice, xx three times
etc. Or, 25 seen with another 25 in the direction one was not looking.

How about 500 Satyrium calanus flying with another 25,000 E. favonius,
3,000 A. halesus, 11,000 cecrops, 200 sweadneri, + 200,000 assorted
skippers of various species and all along the Istachatta RR track in
Florida - I've been there and defy anyone (other than God) to give a
"count" of what was flying.

How about getting a number in western North Carolina in the spring when the
Erynnis emerge. E. icelus, brizo, zarucco, juvenalis, horatius, martialis,
and baptisiae are all flying together in swarms. Colias in an Iowa alfafa
field. Erora laeta at Big Black Mtn Ky or Jones knob SC - 98% of the
population won't even be seen.

It is a shame that the area surveyed below was completely devoid of moths -
as none were "counted" . Hundreds if not thousands of them were roosting
about. Does a no count mean not present?

Then there is this 4th of July thing. Maybe that works for birds everywhere
and butterflies in New York.  I don't even collect here in SC in July
because about all that is out is junk - carp and sparrows. Spring and fall
are the time to find stuff - especially for the hairstreaks and skippers.
June can be good in the mtns. The only things I'd go to the mtns for in
July would be S. diana and P. faunus smythi. Everything else is pre July.

Bill, this post is not dirrected at you. It is directed at an activity that
I consider rediculous - butterfly "individual" counts. (Hate mail
expected.) In the old days we lepidopterists would relay field information
as follows: Observed 2 X,  4 Y's, several Z's,  G was common, and H, I, B
and Q were abundant. We knew what that meant. Further, what we Easterner's
called abundant was the equivalent of common to western collectors.
Abundant in western terms was a "population explosion" back east.

Species lists like the one Bill provides below are needed. A count (vs.
estimate) on the other hand leads to the idea that that is "all"  the
adults at a particular time and site. This works for birds - but not
insects.  It is alarming for a birder turned butterfly watcher to hear of a
collector having caught 600 Speyeria one day in Utah, or 1,000 favonius at
one stop in Fla. 600 or 1000 birds is a huge number, but with insects it is
often not even a drop in the bucket.  I have been places right here in the
SE US where the total number of specimens in a few acres (for all species)
was in the millions.

Which brings me to my last point. Perhaps things have gotten so bad in the
Northeastern US, in particular, that populations are now so depleted by
habitat destruction that 35 P. rapae is considered a "big" number. If
things were like they "used to be" lepsters would not even attempt to
"count" individuals. In this light, countability is indicative of only one
thing - an environment in crisis.

Ron

----- Original Message -----
From: "BMW60" <bmw60 at aol.com>
To: <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, February 20, 2001 8:02 PM
Subject: Tucson sightings


> I took a hike yesterday (19 Feb), up Fingerrock Trailhead.  The weather
was 74
> degrees, clear as a bell and a trace of a breeze.  Perfect.  What a
difference
> a few good days in a row make.  Unlike the hard freeze near Willcox
Arizona I
> subjected myself to on my annual Javelina hunt.  (Collared Peccary).  The
> following is a list of species observed;
> Sisymbrii White--Pieris sisymbrii---4 Specimens
> Anthocharis pima--Desert Orange-tip---1
> Anthocharis sara--Sara Orange-tip---20
> Colias philodice--Clouded Sulpher---6
> Colias zerene--Southern Dogface---5
> Libytheana bachmanii--Snout---25
> Agraulis vanillae--Gulf Fritillary---1
> Vanessa atalanta--Red Admiral---1
> Asterocampa leilia--Empress leilia---10
> Leptotes marina--Marina Blue---5
> Eurema mexicanum--Mexican Sulpher---3
>
> Systasea pulverulenta--Arizona Powdered Skipper---25
> Copaeodes minimus--Minimus Skipperling
> Unidentified Duskywing---3
>
> All in all, pretty good.  I did manage to catch one of the Sisymbrii
Whites in
> my straw hat.  You do what ya gotta do.  See ya,  Bill
>
>
>
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