Please advise, Western US, focus on Lycaena spp.

[nomihoudai]

Hi, so far I have received great help from insectnet members on my past travels and I would need some advice for another travel that I am currently thinking about. I could go on a trip for 9 days, either from 7. to 15. June or 14. to 22nd June. I wanted to further explore the Western States in the US. I really wanted to go to Bishop in California and look for Lycaena helloides, Lycaena cupreus, and Lycaena nivalis(Looks like this is not on the wing until July/August ).

9 days in a single locality does sound like a lot of time to me. Usually it becomes very repetitive after the 4th day of collecting. Therefore I was thinking if it would be worth it to visit some other places? I was thinking about visiting Washington State, I really wanted to see Lycaena heteronea if possible. Does any member here have any idea for another nice locality in the Western US that one could visit?

And what about the status of Lycaena hermes? Is it protected, is it just very local and abundant in the right spot or impossible to find if you don't know 100% which field to look at? They would fly during these two time periods.

Thank you very much for any help and advise.

With best regards, Claude.

[nomihoudai]

p.S., the time frames are suggestions where I would gain one extra day of holidays. I am timewise not bound explicitely.

[evra]

Arizona has some pretty nice hairstreaks around then. There really aren't many Coppers, and the one that's considered to be good, Lycaena rubidus ferrisi, probably wouldn't be on the wing yet, even though it is very common in certain locations in July. But Callophyrs affinis, C. gryneus, C. spinetorum, C. eryphon, Hypaurotis crysalus, Erora quaderna, Apodemia nais and a bunch of blues can be common, but you'd probably have to drive around most of the state to find them all.

With the Pacific Northwest in Washington you'd be taking your chances. The month of June can be really cold and rainy, or it can be nice, it just depends on the year.

[lepman1256]

Check out a website called weather wiz. It can give some fairly accurate long range weather forecasts. This could help you in determining where or when you go. I set up at many outside venues in Florida during the nicer times of the year (anytime but Summer), and have found this site to be spot on almost one year out in time.

[mikeh]

Colorado has a lot of nice Coppers, but most don't begin their flights until middle to late summer. I posted trip reports a couple year's back that might give you an idea of flight times.

insectnet.proboards.com/thread/1043/colorado

[multicaudata]

Bishop/Big Pine is a very nice area. I've gotten L. rubidus and I think L. heteronea up in the White Mountains near there, plus a lot of spectacular blues. L. helloides is common in the CA Central Valley. Look around fallow fields and weedy edges of alfalfa fields, particularly where the weeds aren't too tall. It's often one of the most common butterflies at the intersection of Highway 160 and Highway 12 on Brannan Island (look it up on Google Maps), in the beautiful Sacramento Delta. You may be able to get L. cupreus on Mormon Emigrant Trail in the Sierras (this is the long, winding mountain road that heads uphill from Pollock Pines).

Anything else you need from out here? We've got really great papilionids here in CA: P. eurymedon, P. multicaudata, P. rutulus, Parnassius sp., etc. P. indra shastensis should be out in force at Castle Peak during that time frame -- if you don't mind a bear of a hike!

Get in touch again when you're about to leave on your trip, and I can advise you on what's flying and where at the time.

Good luck!

[multicaudata]

A few more things:

I'd definitely go June 17-22, if you have the choice. Early June is too early for a lot of the mountain stuff here in CA, but the 17th - 22nd should be spot on for the White Mountains and much of the Sierras. The White Mountains are a real lycaenid hotspot in my experience, with L. heteronea, L. rubidus, and several different blues including the sock-knocking Plebejus anna.

I think I remember getting L. nivalis as early as the June 20's along Mormon Emigrant Trail. If you go up there toward the end of your stay (June 20-22), you'll probably also get good numbers of Parnassius clodius and Papilio eurymedon, various blues, and Gnophaela latipennis (look it up -- amazing, right?!). Probably too early for fritillaries, though.

[nomihoudai]

Thanks you so much for your replies Evra, lepman, Mike and multicaudata! I actually got another PM and I got advised to go there in late July. I am thinking about doing this now, I could then actually find 5 different coppers. I really appreciate the additional information for Colorado and Arizona. Actually I am looking forward to spend a longer time (few months if possible) within the next few years in Houston/Texas, then I could probably do the one or the other trip to these two states. I bookmarked the link of your extensive list Mike, thanks for reporting it here.

multicaudata, what is your experience with Papilio and Fritillaries around Bishop in late July? I do not collect them for my personal research collection but they are always sought-after in trades with other people.

Thanks, Claude.