Palm Canyon anza Borrego Desert

[Michael Klein]

I have not posted in a while.  I have been very busy post-San Diego
Fires and am now gearing up for the quino checkerspot season as well as
getting my permit letters in place to go out to the Otay burned area and
look for any emerging Thorne’s hairstreaks.

 

But after a successful San Diego Bird Festival this past weekend I went
out to Palm Canyon by the Palm Canyon Campgrounds in the Anza Borrego
Desert.  I was met Clay Taylor and Bruce Webb out there.  We hiked
between ¼ and ½ of the way up the Canyon.  It was greening up nicely and
there was a running stream through there.  Not much butterfly diversity
but a cool SE breeze was blowing keeping the temperatures in the
mid-60’s.  Orangetips are just beginning to emerge with males
establishing territories and a few females just coming out.  We did
drive over to the south side of the Park past Plum Canyon and Scissors
Crossing and banged a few junipers to see if any Loki were flying yet
but is was in the mid-50’s there and late afternoon.  So none were seen.
Time permitting in the next couple of weeks I will try to check the area
out.

 

Here is what we had in Palm Canyon

 

Anthocharis sara – 25+ male, 5+ female

Vanessa cardui – 15+

Vanessa annabella – 1

Junonia coenia – 1

 

A couple of Theclinae (flew by too quickly to ID) but one might have
been a Strymon melinus.

 

By the way, at the Marina Village Conference Center along Mission Bay, I
had 2 Monarchs and 1 Mourning cloak actively patrolling the parking lot
where some long needle pines are planted during the Bird Festival.

 

Michael Klein

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