Arizona Skipper

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            The April SEABA meeting reminded me once again about how great our little group is. The 2nd Annual Members Photography extravaganza was the topic of the meeting. Last year, at the inaugural Members Photography shindig, we had several people dazzle the group with their photographic acumen. This year's edition featured eight presenters who entertained us with one movie (watch out Steven Spielberg!), six slide shows, and one exhibition of saturniid moth cocoons and specimens.
            The movie featured the butterflies of Arivaca, Brown Canyon, and Muleshoe Nature Preserve with a soundtrack of original music. It was a beautiful, entertaining, original display of butterflies.
Slide shows took us from backyards in Tucson to Sonora, Trinidad, Ecuador, Jamaica, Turkey, Maryland, and Guatemala. Another slide presentation delved into myrmecophily, the intimate relationship between lycaenid (and riodinid) caterpillars and ants. The photos of this phenomenon were sensational!
            The saturniid moths are beautiful, large moths and the cocoons and specimens that were exhibited just hinted at the diversity, size, and appeal to these insects.
The meeting room was packed to near capacity (we even had guests from Indiana!). I want to thank all of the members who gave presentations at the meeting. A hearty well-done to each of you! I can't wait for next year's edition!.

The Association is developing a presentation board for travel to natural history educational events. We are in need of photographs featuring various habitats and life stages of butterflies. If you have butterfly photographs that you would be willing to share (appropriate credit will be attributed) please contact G.Gilbert: gagi-ii@hotmail.com or 299 2252 to discuss.

Book Review: A Catalogue of the Butterflies of the United States and Canada
                                                        by Jonathan P. Pelham

            This monumental work represents the result of over 20 years worth of work by the author. Published as Volume 40 of The Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera, this book is a milestone in the study of butterflies of the two countries covered.
            The book consists of three distinct parts: a catalogue, checklist, and extensive bibliography. Catalogues, in a scientific sense, are not lavishly illustrated art works that dazzle you with nature's exhuberance. In fact, the present catalogue does not contain a single illustration. Instead, biological catalogues are compendia of information on the taxonomy of the group covered. Pelham's catalogue lists the nuts and bolts of butterfly taxonomy.
            Six families, 234 genera, 800 species, and 1898 subspecies are covered. For each taxon (family, genus, species, etc.), the author, year, and publication in which the original description appeared are given. For each species and subspecies, the original combination (how the name first appeared), type locality (where the specimens used to describe the species were found), types (the individuals used to describe the species) and the deposition of the types (which museum now houses them) are listed. This section covers 425 pages.
            An appendix follows the main body of the catalogue listing all of the names excluded from the catalogue and gives the reasons why these names were excluded.
            The next section, the checklist, is probably the part of the book that would be used most by readers of Arizona Skipper. This checklist will form the basis for national, state, and regional checklists (including the SEABA checklist) for years to come. Every North American butterfly species and subspecies is listed. The checklist spans 46 pages.
            The complete bibliography of the descriptive and systematic literature concludes the book. The bibliography is exhaustive. It lists all of the original descriptions for each family, genus, species, etc. covered in the book. Publications that are the result of systematic studies of North American butterflies are also included.
            Who would want to but this book? Anyone interested in butterfly taxonomy (as I am) will certainly want a copy. Butterfly collectors will also want a copy so that their collections can be properly labeled. Butterfly watchers and photographers may want a copy, especially for the checklist. I, for one, thoroughly enjoy observing a butterfly in the field and then having the opportunity to research the taxonomy of that species upon my return home.
            Jonathan Pelham is to be congratulated for producing an astounding publication.

Meetings are all be held at the Tucson Botanical Gardens on the third Tuesday of the month - January through May and September through November - 7:00 to 9:00 PM in the Education Building unless announced otherwise. The Gardens are located at 2150 North Alvernon Way south of Grant. ************************************************************************

If you would like to volunteer to give a program contact John Rhodes at 520-444-2724 / jrbutterflymagic@aol.com or Mary Kay Eiermann at 520-615-5164/ mkeiermann1@juno.com

On May 20 the program will be Butterflies and Moths of Peru by Karen Nickey - Karen is a long time SEABA member and a mentor at Butterfly Magic at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. She is an editor of Butterfly magic I.D. Book. Karen traveled to Peru in August of 2007 and will present photographs from that trip. This will be the last meeting until September.

The March meeting featured the photographic world wide wanderings of Brian Prescott. He took us from some of our local butterfly species to the neotropics and to Australia.

For a description of the April meeting please see the opening article by Jeff Babson.

2008 FIELD TRIPS

Note for all field trips: Beginners are welcome on all field trips and easy strolls. A donation of $5 per person ($3.00 for the Easy Strolls) to benefit SEABA will be appreciated. A copy of the new SEABA check list will be given to all who make that donation. Leaders donate their time and expertise. We will carpool as much as possible. High clearance vehicles may be necessary on some trips. Remember to share gas expenses. Always dress for the field; because we will be walking and exploring on rough terrain, wear sturdy shoes. Be sure to bring a hat, plenty of water, sunscreen and lunch and a pair of binoculars (close focus if possible).

Volunteer Field Trip Leaders are needed. Contact Hank Brodkin (hbrodkin@cox.net/ 520-803-9700) if you are interested.

The SEABA Field Trip on Monday, May 19 will go to Box Canyon. There is a chance of seeing all 3 Hackberry butterflies, Mormon and Palmer's Metalmarks, White-striped Longtail, and Sheep Skipper. We will meet at the intersection of SR 83 and Greaterville Road (south of I10 and north of SR82 Map) at 8:30 AM.

On Saturday, June 21, we will meet at 9:00 AM at the Portal Store in Portal. We will check the South Fork of Cave Creek, and then drive up the mountain to Rustler and Barfoot Parks. We hope to see the Pine Satyr here, at the northern limit of its range, as well as Western Tiger Swallowtail, Weidemeyer’s Admiral and Orange-edged Roadside-Skipper.

Past Field Trips

Five SEABA members met at Sabino Canyon on March 7 for a wonderful warm day with good numbers and variety of butterflies flying. We walked the paved road up to a point just past the first bridge where a stand of cress attracted a number of orangetips last year. The cress is there, but the orangetips were not using it as much on this day. Sixteen species were seen. For a complete list on our field trips – please go into our web site (address below).

On March 15 SEABA had a field trip to Patagonia Lake State Park. The temperature was in the low 70's clear to partly cloudy. We were there from 9:00AM to 1:00PM.
The Willow Ragwort (Senecio salignus)was in bloom attracting most of the 12 species of butterflies that were seen, including a good flight of Texan Crescent. Also attracted to this plant was an impressive number of Pacific Forktails, the only odonates seen.

The SouthEast Arizona Butterfly Association's April 18 field trip went to Garden Canyon on Ft. Huachuca. 12 participants enjoyed a warm, clear pleasant day with temperatures flirting with 80. Ceanothus and Barberry were in bloom and attracting large numbers of Arizona and Juniper Hairstreaks, and Zela Metalmarks. We also found a rather early (for the Huachucas) Arizona Skipper. 28 species were seen. There was also a nice assortment of odonates including Painted Damsel, Red-rock Skimmer and Canyon Rubyspot.

This is SEABA’s web site. If you want to know the latest details of any of our activities Hank Brodkin does his best to keep it up to date. Also check to see what butterflies are flying and where, what our members are up to and check out numerous links to the butterfly world.

President: Jeff Babson, 520-488-8551 / jeff@skyislandtours.com
Vice-president, Programs: John Rhodes, 520-444-2724 / jrbutterflymagic@aol.com
Programs: Mary Kay Eiermann, 520-615-5164/ mkeiermann1@juno.com
Secretary, Historian: Barbara Terkanian, 520-670-9497/ bterkanian@earthlink.net
Treasurer: Priscilla Brodkin, Box 1012, Hereford, AZ 85615, 520-803-9700/ azbutterflies@cox.net
Law and Financial Consultant: Herb Trossman, 520-749-5825/ herb62@earthlink.net
Field Trips, Newsletter & Web Site: Hank Brodkin, 520-803-9700/ hbrodkin@cox.net
Membership Records: Cindy and Tom Bethard, 520-744-0060/ ctb@perfnet.com
Education: Blainey Korff, 520-298-8594/ mbkorff@cox.net
Publicity: Elaine Halbedel, 520/318-8614 / Inannaqoh@aol.com ______________________________________________________________________________

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

Two types of membership are offered. You may become a member of SEABA only. The $10.00 annual dues include 6 issues of SEABA’S newsletter THE ARIZONA SKIPPER. If you have an E-mail address the newsletter is sent to you electronically. Members without E-mail receive a printed copy via the US Post Office.

You may also choose to join NABA for the annual $30.00 individual dues or the $40.00 family dues. This includes membership in our local chapter. In addition to the SEABA newsletter, NABA members receive two quarterly publications, AMERICAN BUTTERFLIES, an educational magazine with many full color photos, and BUTTERFLY GARDENER. We encourage you to join NABA. SEABA receives a share of your dues, and the publications are excellent.

SEABA membership renewal notices will be sent to you by the chapter Membership Records Keeper. If you have an E-mail address, your renewal notice will come to your in box. Other members receive renewal notices via the US Post Office. NABA membership renewal notices come from NABA’s national headquarters. However, please send your NABA and SEABA renewals to the SEABA address. The NABA membership checks will be forwarded to NABA. This enables SEABA to maintain more accurate records. SEABA receives membership reports from NABA, but they do not include the names of persons who reside outside of Pima, Cochise, and Santa Cruz counties. The only way we are able to track out-of-area memberships in NABA is if renewals are sent to our chapter.

SEABA dues only: __ Local Membership Only $10.00 per household (does not include NABA publications) OR

If you would like to join both SEABA and NABA and receive the NABA magazine and garden newsletter enclose a check to reflect the following:

Dues enclosed (circle): Regular $30 ($60 outside U.S., Canada or Mexico), Family $40 ($80 outside North America). Special sponsorship levels: Copper $50; Skipper $100; Admiral $250; Monarch $1000.

Special tax deductible contributions to NABA (please circle): $125, $200, $1000, $5000.

City: __________________________ State: _____________ Zip: ______________________

e-mail: ____________________________ Telephone _________________________________

For a SEABA Membership List send a SASE to Cindy Bethard, 3551 W Jameson PL, Tucson, AZ 85742 (members only)

Please tell us how you heard about NABA____________________________________________

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