Island Paradise - 7/16/01

[Mark Walker]

No, not the Bahamas.  Not Fiji.  This is Mt. Charleston, just north and west
of Las Vegas, NV.

It's really a fascinating chunk of high altitude mountain habitat right in
the middle of the non-oasis that is Las Vegas.  Bill Gendron and I decided
to drive from SoCal early on Monday to see what was flying.  It's an easy
drive, even if it takes almost five hours (three of those are through the
middle of the Mojave desert).  We left early enough to escape most of the
heat, and arrived in the Spring Mountains by 11:00 a.m.  As you head for
higher altitudes (there are a number of access roads, including the well
known Kyle and Lee canyons just north of the city), the desert chaparral is
quickly replaced with  pinon and juniper, which is then replaced by aspen
and pine.  The highest altitudes are above the timberline altogether.

As we arrived at roads end, we were embraced by the cool temperature.  No
signs of the misery being endured in the desert below - this was a piece of
heaven, and the people that frequent this area (who include the Vegasites
that prefer snowsports) are more mountain goat then they are desert rat.
All trails head virtually straight up, and there are several thousand feet
in elevation to go in this direction.  Along with the cool temperature came
a ubiquity of green.  There were lots of plants in bloom - none more common
than a species of thistle, which was sprouting up everywhere.

There was little water at the medium elevations this year, which didn't bode
well for the summer lep populations.  I suspect, based on the lack of leps
and the condition of the Limenitis weidemeyerii (which was mostly worn) that
we were a bit late - late June would have been ideal.  Nevertheless, there
were leps on the wing.  There were many Celastrina flying between the lower
bushes, and we even found a number of the unique little Plebejus icarioides
flying about a very strange looking lupine growing on the roadside.  Also
surprisingly common were Polygonia gracilis (Hoary Comma).  We thought we
had seen Polygonia satyrus, but none of the specimens I brought home were
this species.  We'd see an occasional Speyeria (zerene?) carolae hover by,
but were disappointed that they weren't more common.  

With little to examine except for the above mentioned leps and an abundance
of Colias eurytheme (Orange Sulphur), we headed up one of the local trails
to higher terrain.  Before long we found ourselves in a mature pine forest
with lots of thistle.  Here is where we starting seeing an abundance of
Frits.  At the end of the day, the pretty Carol's Fritillary was the most
common butterfly we had seen.  It is a very unique insect, as Fritillaries
go, quite obviously different than the other western Frits I've encountered.
Needless to say, we were quite pleased to enjoy it's abundance.  I went on
to even higher elevations, only to tire and dream of a return trip when I'll
come prepared to stay.

By 4:00 p.m. we were bushwhacked and dehydrated, and in need of heading for
home.  We were not pleased to find the desert still inhospitably hot, and
quickly wished we were back up at high altitude.  At 6:30 p.m., in Baker,
CA., the world's largest thermometer was reading 97 degrees F.

Our list:

Papilio rutulus (Western Tiger Swallowtail)

Neophasia menapia (Pine White)
Colias eurytheme (Orange Sulphur)
Nathalis iole (Dainty Sulphur)

Strymon melinus (Gray Hairstreak)
Leptotes marina (Marine Blue)
Celastrina ladon (Spring Azure)
Plebejus icarioides (Boisduval's Blue)

Speyeria (zerene) carolae (Carol's Fritillary)
Euptoieta claudia (Variegated Fritillary)
Polygonia gracilis (Hoary Comma)
Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady)
Vanessa annabella (West Coast Lady)
Vanessa atalanta (Red Admiral)
Limenitis weidemeyerii (Weidemeyer's Admiral)
Cercyonis pegala (Common Wood Nymph)

Danaus plexippus (Monarch)

Hesperia colorado (Branded Skipper)

Mark Walker
Oceanside, CA

 
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