Local 2016 NABA Butterfly Count Trips
NABA count dates and meeting places listed below are current for 2016. All of these counts, except Portal, have compilation dinners, which are a fun way to find out what was seen during the count. NABA asks for a $3.00 per participant fee to help defray costs of compiling the nationwide statistics that result from these counts. Highlights from last year's counts:
The Patagonia count with 97 species and the Ramsey Canyon count with 95 species had the highest species totals in the nation for 2015. The next closest was the North Warner Mountains, CA with 85 species. One of the interesting count statistics concerns the 3 counts compiled by Mary Klinkel. She managed to get the gold, silver, and bronze medals: The Sabino Canyon Spring count with 67 was the #1 spring count in the nation, the Santa Ritas Summer Count with 84 species was the #2 summer count (just behind the 85 at N. Warner Mtns), and the Santa Rita Mountains Fall count with 66 species was tied (with Francis Marion NF, SC) for #3 fall counts behind Patagonia and Ramsey Canyon.
Even more amazing is the 2015 SE AZ counts tallied the nation's high count for 80 species. This is just under 20% of all the 448 species which were found in North America last year. Of those 80 species, 5 were all-time-high record counts. This is over 20% of the 24 record high counts for 2015. Patagonia had 25 high counts and the only count that found White Angled-Sulphur and Tropical Least Skipper, and had an off-the-charts record high count of 3,327 Dull Firetips. The previous record high count for Dull Firetip was 583! Ramsey Canyon had 11 high counts and was the only count to find Saltbush Sootywing and Moon-marked Skipper. The Sabino Canyon Spring Count had 14 high counts and the only Erickson's White Skipper and White-barred Skipper. The Sabino Canyon Summer count had only 3 high counts, but two of those, Black Checkerspot and Fulvia Checkerspot were unique to that count. The Santa Rita Mtns Summer count had 22 high species counts, but none of which were only found on that count. Portal had 4 high counts and the country's only Snow Skipper. Finally, the Santa Rita Mtns Fall count had 5 high counts, with Chiracahua White and Red-bordered Satyr being unique to the nation.
Local 2016 NABA count details:
(Please contact the individual count compiler for further information)
Sunday, October 2, 2016: Santa Rita Mountains Fall:
Compiler: Mary Klinkel:
Meet at McDonald's/Safeway parking lot in Green Valley at Continental exit from I-19 (exit 63) at 7:30 AM.
Join your friends for fun in the field on the Fall Santa Rita Mts butterfly count in SE AZ. We will meet at 7:30am on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016 at the McDonald's/Safeway parking lot on Continental Road in Green Valley, just west of I-19. This count circle includes such famous butterfly areas as Madera, Montosa, Florida and Box Canyons. Coronado National Forest pass or Senior/Golden Age/Golden Access pass is required for some areas.
If you have a favorite place you want to go, please make arrangements with compiler Mary Klinkel prior to the count. Some of my regular counters will be out of the area on this date, so I really need your help! We have had one tropical storm in September and another is on the way, so influx species are possible.
Compilation dinner will be held at Pub 22 in Sahuarita Town Center, about 1/4 mile east of I-19 at Sahuarita Road exit. Bring $3 compilation fee and $ for your dinner.
The 2015 Santa Rita Mountains Fall count with 66 species was tied (with Francis Marion NF, SC) for 3rd highest fall count in the nation behind Patagonia and Ramsey Canyon. Additionally, that Santa Rita Mtns Fall count had 5 high individual species counts, with Chiracahua White and Red-bordered Satyr being unique to the nation.
Completed 2016 NABA Butterfly Counts
Monday, August 8, 2016: Patagonia: Compiler: Rich Bailowitz
Monday, August 1, 2016: Ramsey Canyon: Compiler: Doug Danforth
Sunday, July 31, 2016: Santa Rita Mountains Summer. Compiler: Mary Klinkel
Saturday, July 23, 2016: Portal. Compiler: Fred Heath
Saturday, July 16, 2016: Sabino Canyon Summer Butterfly Count. Compiler: Karen Nickey (520) 326-2070:
Sunday, April 03, 2016: Compiler:
Mary Klinkel
2015 Counts
Sabino Canyon and Santa Rita Counts
Compiler: Mary Klinkel
Ramsey Canyon Count
Compiler: Doug Danforth
Patagonia Count
Compiler: Rich Bailowitz
Portal Count
Compiler: Fred Heath
2014 Counts
There were five SE AZ butterfly counts this summer.
Last year the Ramsey Canyon and Patagonia summer counts with 85 and 80 species respectively were number two and three in the nation. In addition, Ramsey Canyon had the highest counts in the nation for 24 species (including 6 species which were found on no other counts), while Patagonia recorded 22 high counts (with 4 being unique to that count). The Sabino Canyon and Santa Rita counts each had high counts for 3 species with the 13 Elf found on the Santa Rita count being the first time this species was ever recorded on a summer count.
Below is a listing of these 5 counts with meeting time and place information as well as the upcoming fall counts. Beginners are always welcome. There is a $3 count fee for each participant. Note all the counts except Portal have a compilation dinner at the end of the day at a local eatery. Compiler contact info is provided for each count. If you have any questions or would like to request particular areas in which to count please contact the compiler directly
Sabino Canyon: Saturday July 19, meet at 6:30 AM at Sabino Canyon Visitor Center, compiler Karen Nickey, 520-326-2070
Portal: Saturday July 26, 8:00 AM at Forest Service Visitors Center west of the Portal Store, compiler Fred Heath fred.heath43@gmail.com
Santa Rita Mts. Summer: Sunday July 27, 7:30 AM, outside of McDonald’s at Continental Road exit (Exit 63) of I-19 in Green Valley, compiler Mary Klinkel munchita@msn.com
See Santa Rita Mts. Count below for more information.
Ramsey Canyon: Saturday August 2 6:00 AM meeting at the IHOP, 1906 S Hwy 92, Sierra Vista, compiler Doug Danforth danforthdg@aol.com
Patagonia: Saturday August 9, 6:00 AM, the Gathering Grounds (restaurant) in Patagonia, compiler Rich Bailowitz raberg2@q.com
Fall Counts
McDowell Sonoran Conservancy: September 20. See below for details.
Fourth Annual Santa Rita Mountains Fall Butterfly Count, Sunday September 28, 2014
This SE AZ mountain range near the US/MX border tallies one of the highest numbers of species seen in the US, with possibilities for tropical influx species. See below for more details.
McDowell Sonoran Conservancy Count, Saturday September 20, 2014
McDowell Sonoran Conservancy will hold their first annual butterfly count on September 20, 2014 at Scottsdale's McDowell Sonoran Preserve. All are welcome to join this count. Meet at 8:00 am at the Preserve's Gateway Trailhead. There is a large Ramada that we will meet under. It is right at the trailhead - you can't miss it.
Please go to www.mcdowellsonoran.org for more information. You can also get information about the Conservancy and count at
https://s3.amazonaws.com/McDowellSonoranConservancyImages/79d10acb-9ff4-49f6-8643-e41db9f9014f7212539987092380345.pdf
Santa Rita Mts. Fall Count, Sunday September 28, 2014
This SE AZ mountain range near the US/MX border tallies one of the highest numbers of species seen in the US, with possibilities for tropical influx species. Meet at 7:30 am at the parking lot of McDonald’s/Safeway in Green Valley AZ just west of I-19 on Continental Road, unless you have made previous arrangements with compiler Mary Klinkel Munchita@msn.com 520 615 0969. All counters are welcome to join this count, even if you only have one hour or only know one butterfly species. Compilation dinner time & location TBD. Please bring $3/person for compilation fees collected by compiler and paid to NABA Santa Rita Mts. Fall: Sunday, September 28, meeting TBA, compiler Mary Klinkel munchita@msn.com
A Now-Older Note from Fred Heath about Last Year's Counts
Dear SEABA members and friends,
It is getting close to prime butterfly count time in SE AZ. Below find a listing of upcoming counts with dates, meeting times and places, and compilers contact info. Please consider coming out to help your fellow butterflyers contribute to butterfly science, as well as having a fun day followed by a great celebratory count compilation dinner. Beginners are always welcome. There is a $3 per person participation fee.
The counts in AZ always stand out and last year’s counts were no exception. The top three counts in the country were all here in SE AZ: 1st Patagonia with 98 species, 2nd Ramsey Canyon with 86 species and 3rd the fall Santa Rita Mts. with 81 species. In addition, the spring Sabino Canyon count with 63 species was tied for first for a spring count. This year’s spring Sabino count in early April logged 61 species.
2013 Counts:
Saturday Sunday September 29, Fall Santa Rita Mountains Butterfly Count
Compiler Mary Klinkel (munchita@msn.com)
Please join your friends in SE AZ for a great adventure in the field Sunday, September 29, 2013 for the Fall Santa Rita Mountains butterfly count. Everyone is welcome and needed, as we hope to make history by finding more species than were found this year on the Ramsey Canyon count (85) and Patagonia AZ count (81). Last year this count was third in the nation in species count (81 species) behind Patagonia (98 species) and Ramsey Canyon (86 species). All-time record numbers for Elf and Red-bordered Satyr were also tallied.
We will meet at 8am at the parking lot of McDonald's/Safeway on Continental Road in Green Valley, just west of the I-19 & Continental Road intersection. Those who have arranged in advance with the compiler to count a particular location need not be present at the meeting place. There is a $3 fee collected by the compiler and paid to NABA for count compilation costs.
Post-count compilation dinner time & place TBA. Contact Mary Klinkel directly if you are interested in participating.