Lateral view of same caterpillar.

Dorsal view of flannel moth caterpillar.

The adult moth these caterpillars will become.

This time of year I renew my acquaintance with a common caterpillar and the moth that it will become. The best place to find these cats is on palo verde trees, although they can also be found on mesquite, acacia, and (at higher elevations) oaks. The adults will readily come to your patio lights.

The moth and caterpillar I am referring to has no common name. In fact, most moths do not have common names. It is Norape tenera. This bug is a member of a group known as the flannel moths and is in the family Megalopygidae. The caterpillars of this group are often covered in long, silky hairs and are sometimes called puss caterpillars.

The caterpillars are gregarious, so if you find one of them, if you look you will probably find more. The cat in the photo was one of six larvae within about two feet of it.

These caterpillars have a little secret that you may not guess by looking at them. Beneath the long hairs are stinging spines that can produce a itchy, burning sensation where they contact skin that can lead to blisters. In the photos, the stinging spines are the short white setae that are in clumps. This is one caterpillar that you do not want to touch. I have touched them before and not been affected. But they are best left alone.

The adults are active from July to September.

So I encourage you to get out and look (but don’t touch!) for these cool cats! And, if you leave your patio light on some summer evening, you may get to see what the adults they will transform into! Happy Hunting!

Filed under: Category Moths | Tags: Caterpillars,Moths by Jeff
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A Desert, I mean Pearly, Marble nectaring at manzanita flowers in Molino Basin. Photo by K. Kertell.

Birders are very familiar with the frequent changes to the classification and naming of birds. Each year, the American Ornithologists Union Checklist Committee publishes an update to the AOU Checklist of North American Birds. The changes presented are not simply based on opinion or hunch. They are based on published scientific data that has appeared in peer-reviewed journals. Birders can get frustrated by the seemingly constant lumping and splitting of species, but their is valid reasons for the Checklist Committee’s actions.

Birders are not the only ones who have to keep an eraser and pencil handy to update their life lists. Butterfliers sometimes run into the same record-keeping obstacles. A recent paper illustrates this point.

Earlier this year, a paper appeared that had a direct impact on a butterfly species occuring in southern Arizona. Members of the genus Euchloe are commonly called marbles, due to the greenish pattern that appears on the underside of their wings. The most recent North American butterfly checklist recognizes seven species in Euchloe in North America.

One of these species is an insect called the Desert Marble (E. lotta). Desert Marbles fly early in the year, with records from February to April. The larval food plants for the species are various members of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), such as rock cress, tansy mustard, and other species.

Earlier this year, Werner Back, Michael Miller, and Paul Opler published a paper in the Journal of the Lepidopterists Society that evaluated the North American species of the genus Euchloe. They investigated the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (or COI, for short) of the mitochondrial DNA of all of the species in the genus found in the U.S. and Canada.

What these biologists found was that the Desert Marble is identical to the Pearly Marble (E. hyantis) with regard to the data. They suggest that lotta be regarded as a subspecies of hyantis. They also suggest that additional work is required with other genes to determine the distinctness of these butterflies.

THis study provides yet another example of the utility of molecular data for understanding the systematics of organisms.

So, in practical terms, the Desert Marble is out and the Pearly Marble is in. Off to my checklist with eraser and pencil in hand!

Reference:

Back, W. , M.A. Miller, & P. A, Opler. 2011. Genetic, Phenetic, and Distributional Relationships of Nearctic Euchloe (Pieridae, Pierinae, Anthochariidini). J. Lepid. Soc., 65(1).

Filed under: Category Butterflies | Tags: by Jeff
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A wonderful Southwestern Pipevine flower from above.

Summer rains fuel the blooming of many desert wildlfowers, including one of my favorite desert plants, Southwestern Pipevine ( Aristolochia watsonii ) our only native member of its family.  I like the flowers of the plant because they are so unusual looking.  The name pipevine is derived from the resemblance of the flowers to pipes used by European gentlemen for smoking tobacco in the 18th century.

The flowering period of Southwestern Pipevine runs from April through October.  In my yard the flowers are much more prevalent in August and September.  The flowers are a curved tube, green in color with brown spots.  The opening of the tube is rimmed with brown and has erect hairs.

Lateral view of Southwestern Pipevine flower.

The pollination system of these flowers is wonderfully bizarre.  Pipevine flowers are pollinated by blood-sucking flies of the family Ceratopogonidae.  What would this type of fly want from a flower?  Well, pipevines are great deceivers.  Pipevine flowers give off a musty, fetid odor.  Their coloration and aroma are believed by some botantists to mimic the ears of mice and other rodents.  The flies come in, drawn by the smell, to what they think is a free meal.  The flies move down the tubular flower in search of blood, only to get stuck in the flowers.  The fly remains mired in this predicament until the anthers open, releasing their pollen onto the fly.  Generally, this happens during the evening hours and the fly is releases the following morning.  Obviously, ceratopogonid flies are not real bright because they quickly find another pipevine flower to get stuck in and pollination occurs.  Pretty neat system these plants have to reproduce the next generation!

Pipevine plants contain a compound called aristolochic acid, which is a bitter-tasting, nitrogenous compound.  This compound is also toxic to vertebrates.  The caterpillars of the Pipevine Swallowtail ingests the leaves of the plant and sequesters aristolochic acid in its tissues, protecting it from predation by birds.  The chemical persists in the adult butterfly as well, giving the large black butterflies protection as well.  Pipevine Swallowtails are models for several other butterflies, such as Black and Spiecbush Swallowtails and Red-spotted Admiral, to mimic to gain protection from birds.

Aritolochic acids have proven useful in human medicine, providing drugs that are used to treat paralysis, snakebite, malaria, and other diseases.  Another name for pipevines is birthworts due to the use of these plants during difficult pregnancies.  Medicines derived from these plants force the expulsion of the fetus and placenta.  Side effects from at least some of these treatments cane be problematic.

Pipevines are a mostly tropical and subtropical family of plants, with about 600 species worldwide.  There are three genera in the family ( Aristolochia, Hexastylis and Asarum ).  The first two genera each have 10 native species, the latter has six species.  Most pipevines are found in the southeastern U.S.

Arizona’s native species can be found at elevations ranging from 1000-4800 feet.  Our species was named after noted 19th century botanist Sereno Watson.  Southwestern Pipevine is a common, though inconcpicuous, plant.  It is often a prostrate vine but can sometimes use other plants for support.  The flowers are distincitive.  The leaves are arrow-shaped and often are reddish in color, especially when young.

Habit of Southwestern Pipevine. Note the reddish coloration of the young leaves.

Pipevines are wonderful plants.  I hope that you get the chance to look for these elusive desert botanical gems!

Filed under: Category Plants | Tags: flowers,Plants by Jeff
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American Snout

The monsoon season has brought about a big upswing in butterfly activity.  In my yard, Red Bird-of-Paradise, Butterfly Bush, Verbena, and Lantana are all in full flower and attracting butterflies like mad.

Just in the past couple of days, I have seen Pipevine, ‘Desert’ Black, and Giant Swallowtails have been flitting around the yard.  Thay have been joined by many Cloudless Sulphurs, a few Orange Sulphurs and the first Lyside Sulphur of the season.

Marine Blues have been common, joined by a handful of Ceraunus Blues, an occasional Gray Hairstreaks, and a single Arizona Metalmark.  There have been a lot of TIny Checkerspots, some Elada Checkerspots, Painted Lady, Queen, scads of American Snouts

Skippers have been well represented, too.  Funereal Duskywing, Sheep Skipper, Fiery Skipper, Nysa Roadside-Skipper, and Elissa Roadside-Skipper.

Nysa Roadside-Skipper

Female Gulf Fritillaries have been ovipositing on our passion-vines.  I am looking forward to hungry caterpillars in about a week!

The butterfly season is really rolling right now.  I hope that you get the chance to get out and see it.

Arizona Metalmark nectaring on Butterfly Bush.

Filed under: Category Butterflies | Tags: by Jeff
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I made a quick trip this morning to Montosa Canyon on the western flank of the Santa Rita Mountians to search for the Five-striped Sparrows that have been present there for over a week.

When I reached Montosa, I was greeted by Sam, who works for Arizona Game and Fish doing educational outreach, and Christy, who helps Sam.  After about 15 minutes, a Five-striped Sparrow perched in a snag and began to sing!  Sparrows are often considered to be just small brown birds.  However, many sparrows are actually very nattily attired, despite the lack of brilliant colors.  Five-stripes exemplify this.  These are some sharp-looking birds!

After singing for about 30 seconds, the sparrow dropped out of sight.  About ten minutes later, it reappeared and launched into a rousing bout of song.  He then dropped out of sight again.  A few minutes later, he popped up on the snag yet again and provided great views for about a minute before disappearing from view. 

About 30 seconds after the sparrow disappeared, a sensational male Varied Bunting flew onto the same snag!  Awesome!

Great views of two fantastic birds in about 30 seconds.  A trip well worth it!

Five-striped Sparrows are definitely a southeastern Arizona specialty. These large, dramatic sparrows are hard to misidentify. A. Schemierer photo.

Filed under: Category Birding Southern Arizona, Birds | Tags: Southeastern Arizona birding by Jeff
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Silver-spotted Skippers are large, distinctive skippers.

Sphinx moth caterpillar tentatively identified as a White-lined Sphinx Moth.

This morning I had the pleasure of leading a group of participants from OASIS on a butterfly field trip to the Santa Catalina Mountains on the outskirts of Tucson.  It was the first butterfly field trip for many of the participants and all were very eager to hit the cooler temps of the mountains.

Our first stop was Molino Canyon Overlook.  Here we had good views of numerous Pipevine Swallowtails.  This presented a nice opportunity to show my neo-butterfliers the difference between the iridescent blue hindwings of the males and the non-iridescent, pale spotted females.  Other butterflies present here were Acacia Skipper, Marine Blue, Elada Checkerspot, Sleepy Orange, and Queen.  We also spotted two caterpillars!  One was a Sphinx moth cat that I tentatively identifed as a White-lined Sphinx.  The other caterpillar was found inside a leaf shelter on Coral Bean.  This guy had folded a leaf in half and tied the two halves together with silk.  A nice find!

By about 9:30, the temperature was starting to really climb, so we headed up to the cooler coniferous forest.  We stopped at Middle Bear picnic area, which was surprisingly quiet.  Non-plussed, we headed for Mt. Bigelow, which is home to an isolated population of Black Checkerspots.  After parking, we headed toward the site.  Suddenly, I heard a male voice call out, “Sir!”  Looking around, I didn’t see anyone.  A few seconds later, “Sir!  Up on the Tower!”  Looking up, there were two technicians on one of the TV towers.  They were about 100 feet up and didn’t want us walking around beneath them, in case they dropped something.  Good advice!  So, we left without seeing Black Checkerspot.  Such is life.

We then headed toward the observatory.  There was a lot of yarrow, paintbrush, and sneezeweed in bloom.  Here we added Reakirt’s Blue, Cloudless Sulphur, and other species to the list.  We also had a nice opportunity to compare Painted and American Ladies, two species are superficially similar.

At Marshall Gulch, we were welcomed by a magnificent Two-tailed Swallowtail.  Arizona’s official state butterfly is simply a fantastic insect. Here we also witnessed a puddle party involving numerous Echo Azures, a few Marine Blues, a pair of Pacuvius Duskywings, and a solitary Silver-spotted Skipper.  A nice way to finish the trip!

Everyone enjoyed themselves, especially those on their first butterfly trip.  One participant commented that she had never really looked at butterflies before and now was hooked!  Mission accomplished!

Filed under: Category Butterflies | Tags: Arizona Butterflies by Jeff
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Acacia Skipper nectaring on trailing four-o-clock. Molino Canyon Overlook, 11Aug11.

Arizona Poppy is not a true poppy (Papaveraceae). Instead it is related to creosote bush (Zygophyllaceae).

This morning I did some scouting for an upcoming butterfly field trip.  I hit a few spots at low elevations along the Catalina Highway.  The first stop I made was at Molino Canyon Overlook. 

The first butterfly that I saw was a Pipevine Swallowtail.  This is not surprising as this species is a large butterfly that can be abundant.  Indeed, it was the second most frequently seen butterfly this morning.

What was surprising was which species I saw most frequently.  Today’s top butterfly was Acacia Skipper.  This is also a fairly common species, but today I think I saw the largest aggregation of Acacia Skippers that I had ever seen.  I must have seen 15-20 of these guys flying around.  Most were nectaring on the beautiful flowers of trailing four-o-clocks.

Other butterflies observed were Cloudless Sulphurs (3 white morph females), Ceraunus Blue, Elada Checkerspot, and Arizona Powdered-Skipper, to name a few.

Quite a few plants were in flower, in addition to the four-o-clock.  Arizona Poppy, Desert Globe-Mallow, Datura, Apache Plume, Fleabane, among others, added some great color to the desert.

So if you want to see an Acacia Skipper, head up to Molino Canyon and keep an eye on the four-o-clocks.

Filed under: Category Butterflies | Tags: Arizona Butterflies,Skippers by Jeff
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Male Elegant Trogon in Madera Canyon this morning.

Yarrow's Spiny Lizard, a common mountain species.

Tenleaf Wood Sorrel, one of many wildflowers on dispaly this morning.

It had been a couple of weeks since I had headed into beautiful Madera Canyon.  This morning I decided to change that.  It didn’t hurt that a rare stray bird, Aztec Thrush, was being seen in the canyon.  So, eager in anticipation, I headed out.

I drove to the upper parking area and hiked up the trail where the thrush had been seen.  Along the way I was greeted by Painted Redstarts and Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers.  I continued up to the now-famous checkcherry tree, laden with inviting fruit, that was the attractant to the target bird.

Coming around a bend in the trail, I saw about 15-20 people (all with binoculars) up ahead.  I must be at the spot!  Indeed, the group was there for the thrush and the Elegant Trogon that had also been gorging itself on the ripe fruit.

Within about ten minutes a sensational male trogon flew in for some breakfast!  What a beauty!  We were able to observe him for about five minutes, picking fruit from the tree.  He then headed back into the oak woodland.  Trogons are always a fantastic sight.

While waiting for the Aztec Thrush, we were serenaded by Plumbeous Vireos and more Painted Redstarts.  I waited for about an hour.  The trogon did not return.  The thrush neved did make an appearance.  Oh, well.  I have never been much of a rarity chaser.  I find the pursuit to be a good news-bad news proposition.  Yes, you do get see great birds this way, assuming of course, that you actually see the rarity.  If you strike out, then you are apt to be disappointed and who wants to be disappointed?  Besides, all think all birds are great, so I enjoy each and every one of them.  In addition, you often find yourself surrounded by people who approach birding like a competitive sport, where the only goal is to build up one’s life list.  I am not judging here- it is your hobby, so do whatever you like.  But I feel this approach hides the fact that birds, all birds, are amazing creatures worthy of our study and adoration.  But that’s just me.

Anyway, I soon got tired of the birding party in the woods.  So I headed back, quietly walking along soaking in the sounds and sights of the forest.  I spied a Yarrow’s Spiny Lizard on a rock, watching me closely.  There were many wildflowers in bloom, so I took some pictures.  I also several cool-looking fungi, so I got shots of them, too. 

I was quite happy when I returned to my car.  I had missed the Aztec Thrush, but I was not disappointed.  I had been out in the woods. That sure beats working!

Filed under: Category Birding Southern Arizona | Tags: Elegant Trogon,Madera Canyon by Jeff
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One of Arizona's specialty birds, Botteri's Sparrow males can be quite conspicuous when singing from the top of a small tree or shrub. Christopher Taylor photo.

The second half of the 2011 Southwest Wings Festival in Sierra Vista, started in a conference room of the Cochise College Library.  I gave a talk on Arizona’s mammals to a standing-room only crowd!  It was fun introducing visitors and residents alike to the diverse group of mammals that inhabit the Grand Canyon State.  Most of the focus was on species found in southeastern Arizona, but I did include some mammals found in other parts of the state.  The audience asked some good questions and seemed to enjoy the presentation.  Thank you to all who attended!

In the evening I led a group out into the night for our third owling field trip.  Like the other field trips, the birds did not disappoint.  In Palominas, we were able again to see Burrowing and Common Barn-Owls.  Up in Ramsey Canyon, we were fortunate, again, to get stellar looks at Whiskered Screech and Elf Owls.  The group was thrilled to get close looks at these wonderful birds.  I think the owls were catching on to our game, because we had to work a bit harder to get them to come into view.  A huge thanks and well done to the owls we were able to see.

On Saturday morning, I led a group of birders to the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) for a trip looking for grassland and riparian birds.  It was a hot, muggy (by Arizona standards) start as we headed into the grasslands.  We were quickly rewarded with excellent views of Cassin’s and Botteri’s Sparrows.  These two species time their breeding with the onset of the monsoon season.  Males are quite visible when singing at this time of year- Cassin’s in their skylarking display flight and Botteri’s in full song atop small trees and shrubs.  Both were life birds for all participants!

We witnessed many other grassland birds as well- Common Ground-Dove, Cassin’s Kingbird, Eastern Meadowlark, and Blue Grosbeak, to name few.  We also got to see some late-flying Lesser Nighthawks foraging over the grasslands.

On our way to one of the ponds along the river, we had a very good look at a cranky Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake.  The serpent got every one’s attention!  It was a beautiful snake.

The most common birds of the day were two warblers- Yellow-breasted Chat and Common Yellowthroat.  They were seemingly everywhere!  We had a couple Yellow-billed Cuckoo flybys along the river.  Other birds seen were Great Blue Heron,Yellow Warbler (there is that color again!), Black Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Summer Tanager, and Lesser Goldfinch, to name just a few.

It was another great time at the Southwest Wings Festival.  I am always impressed by the quality of the participants, volunteers, and Board of this wonderful gathering of birders and other nature enthusiasts.  Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it!  See you in 2012!

Filed under: Category Birding Southern Arizona, Birds | Tags: by Jeff
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Whiskered Screech-Owl is a highly sought-after species in southern Arizona.

Elf Owl, one of the owl species seen on our SWW trips, is one of smallest owls in the world.

The first two nights of owling trips for the 20th annual Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival have been resounding successes!  The birds have been spectacular and the participants enthusiastic.

On Wednesday (August 3rd), we headed to Ramsey Canyon in the Huachuca mountains.  Our first targets were Mexican Whip-poor-will and Whiskered Screech-Owl.  As we headed up canyon at twilight we were serenaded by a Wild Turkey.  Once we arrived in suitable habitat, we started playing the songs of the Whip-poor-will.  Within a few minutes, we got a response!  I played the song again.  This time we didn’t get an answer.  What we did get was a Whip-poor-will fly inches over our heads and disappear into the darkness!  We had to duck our heads!  Simply spectacular!

Next we tried for Whiskered Screech-Owl.  We played the song of this wonderful owl for about 20 minutes without a response.  Drat!  We headed downslope to try another location.  We quickly ran into Wezil Walraven and Bill Radke, who were leading the other half of the SWW’s owling adventure.  Wezil said they had a Whiskered!  My group quickly disembarked from the van.  Sure enough, in an oak alongside the road was a beautiful Whiskered Screech-Owl!  A life bird for many in the group.  Fantastic!

After our group of happy nocturnal birders got back in the van, we continued downslope.  Shortly we came upon something in the road.  A snake!  After getting out of the vehicles, we were thrilled to see a beautiful Black-tailed Rattlesnake!  Bill had his snake tongs and this enabled folks to take many photos of the stunning serpent.

Shortly after bidding adieu to the snake, we stopped at a driveway where our next target was reported to be lurking.  Literally seconds after getting out of the van, we heard it.  Shining the light into a roadside oak, we were rewarded with a great view of an Elf Owl!!  This little gem had a large beetle in its left foot and we were able to watch him eat breakfast.  Another success that had the participants thrilled, as it was another life bird for most.

Altogether a successful trip into the Huachucas on a beautiful night.

Trip Number 2 was Thursday Night (August 4th).  On this night we tried a different strategy.  To begin, we headed south to Palominas.  Our target here was Burrowing Owl, which have been relocated to private property in an effort to reintroduce the species to the San Pedro Valley.

We drove out into the grasslands and quickly spotted a single individual perched near one of the nest burrows constructed for the birds.  We got a scope on him and we had good looks of these distinctive owls.  A good start!  While watching the owl, we also saw Lesser Nighthawks foraging above the grasslands.  We also were treated to the beautiful song of the Eastern Meadowlark.

The next stop was Casa de San Pedro.  Almost immediately we saw our target.  Sticking its head out of a nest box was a Common Barn-Owl!  We also saw another individual flying around in the vicinity of the box.  As an added bonus, we heard the eerie, screeching vocalizations of this unique owl.  Two for two!

Now it was time to head into the mountains.  We retraced our steps from the night before and found Whiskered Screech-Owl and Elf Owl in the same spots.  Four for four!

By now the group was positively giddy!  Our next stop was Brown Canyon Ranch House.  On the road in we spotted a Great Horned Owl perched at the top of a small juniper.  These magnificent bird is always a thrill to see.  At the Ranch House, we played the songs of Western Screech-Owl and Common Poorwill.  Unfortunately we did not get any responses.  Darn!

Despite the misses at the last stop, it was another great evening.  Five owl species!  I’ll take that any day.

Filed under: Category Birding Southern Arizona, Birds | Tags: by Jeff
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