Trip report: Aspen Corner, 22 July 2023 by Gail Morris and Marianne Jensen
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Cool temperatures, sunny skies and inspired companions laid the groundwork for an exciting visit to Aspen Corner on Mount Humphrey in Flagstaff on 22 July 2023. Temperatures were still in the 60’s when we arrived eventually rising to the low 80’s – a perfect respite for many of the 13 participants escaping the lower desert heat to explore the mountain trails and meadows. Sneezeweed was in vibrant flower and the most popular pollinator plant (as always) but we were also lucky to find Flagstaff Iris still in bloom. Surprisingly, we didn’t see as many other arthropods as previous years such as Tachinid Flies and Day Flying Moths (such as the Police Car Moth) for instance. Despite their absence, we explored the area and found 20 butterfly species.
Species list (20 species)
Western Tiger Swallowtail, Checkered White, Orange Sulphur, Dainty Sulphur, Marine
Blue, Spring Azure, Reakirt’s Blue, Gray Hairstreak, Mourning Cloak, Painted Lady,
West Coast Lady, Northwestern (Atlantis) Fritillary, Queen, Variegated Fritillary, Arachne Checkerspot, Hoary Comma, White/Common Checkered Skipper, Taxiles Skipper,
Garita Skipperling and Northern Cloudywing
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