BTA Butterfly Count report 14 September by Ron Rutowski
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Eight butterfliers participated in the 2024 annual fall count at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum on Saturday, 14 September. This fall count began in 2007, so this was the 18th. Three teams tallied butterflies seen at six areas: Grounds of BTA, Picketpost Trailhead, Queen Creek near the airport, in the town of Superior, Upper Devil’s Canyon, and Oak Flat. In total 820 individuals were tallied in 27 identified species. This was more than expected given how little monsoon rain there has been this year, although 662 of the individuals counted were on the grounds of the Arboretum. The wilder desert areas were another story. Many thanks to the counters! Here are the count tallies by species.
Pipevine Swallowtail 52, Giant Swallowtail 1, Two-tailed Swallowtail 2, Checkered White 3, Orange Sulphur 1, S. Dogface 4, Cloudless Sulphur 55, Mexican Yellow 1, Sleepy Orange 109, Dainty Sulphur 7 (pictured), Gray Hairstreak 4, Western Pygmy-Blue 4, Marine Blue 6, Ceraunus Blue 18, Mormon Metalmark 2, American Snout 162, Gulf Fritillary 1, Common Buckeye 1, Viceroy 1, Empress Leilia 18, Queen 347, Northern Cloudywing 1, Golden-headed Scallopwing 1, Arizona Powdered-Skipper 3, Funereal Duskywing 5, Common/White Checkered-Skipper 1, Erichson's White-Skipper 1. Unidentified: Sulphur sp. 3, Blue sp. 3, Butterfly sp. 2, Duskywing sp. 1.
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