evra
Full Member
Posts: 192
|
Post by evra on Feb 20, 2012 19:20:55 GMT -8
There's good collecting in southern AZ starting about now and it goes all the way into the beginning of November. There's almost always something good flying if you aren't too picky. For example, Hemileuca tricolor should be starting to fly in the next week or two in that area. Spring butterflies in the low elevation desert areas around Tucson and Phoenix are already starting to fly. After that in April there's Hemileuca hualapai around Sonoita, and Ft. Huachuca is known for the spring flight of the Arizona Hairstreak in particular, as well as other good butterflies in Garden Canyon. I guess I'm trying to say that there's no need to wait until July or August.
|
|
|
|
Post by joee30 on Feb 21, 2012 1:17:39 GMT -8
Nice. I have seen many lunas as well just hanging out where there are mercury vapor lihts near the wood edges here. I found a huge citheronia that was run over, and seem many prometheas and secruriferas flying around. I need to go back to AZ and collect some bugs again. Used to go to Garden cyn when it was open, and there are a lot of nice leps and beetles there. I actually caught my first Plusiotis gloriosa at the entrance of Garden cyn by the picnic tables. Do you collect in that area? and how is it for H. gloveri? I went there collecting a couple of times. I am originally from california, so Arizona is the treasure tove of bugs in the SW. My first trip to Ft. Huachuca was just amazing, and go a lot of bugs there, even though the weather was crappy. I did better in Madera Cyn, and I've heard that Guadalupe Cyn is good too, but I've heard other things about there. I'd like to go back that way and collect for a month. So far, depending if I stay in the army, I am thinking about either staying here in Ft. Campbell, or heading to Ft. Carson. time will tell. I haven't really done any collecting since moving hear a year ago, to tell the truth, although I've done some hiking and I keep my eyes open. All my collecting stuff is in storage still and a lot of stuff with my family, job situation, etc, has been up in the air. I hope to maybe do a couple of collecting excursions this summer when the rains come. I've been pleased to see all the comments in this forum about good collecting sites around here, because I'm new to the area. Were you ever stationed at Huachuca, or did you just come here to go collecting? |
|
evra
Full Member
Posts: 192
|
Post by evra on Feb 21, 2012 19:14:34 GMT -8
I know this is getting a bit off topic, but Guadalupe Canyon is really not that good for general collecting during the monsoon season. It's a 28 mile drive (1 way) on a bad back dirt road from the nearest town, Douglas. Then once you get there it is now private property, and you can hike back in, but you can't drive in without permission as it's behind a locked gate. Even if you do get back in there with lights, it's really not very good moth or beetle collecting anyway. If I want a long, frustrating drive on a bad back road by the Mexican border, California Gulch is consistently about 50 times better collecting than Guadalupe Canyon.
|
|
|
|
Post by joee30 on Feb 21, 2012 19:51:34 GMT -8
I know this is getting a bit off topic, but Guadalupe Canyon is really not that good for general collecting during the monsoon season. It's a 28 mile drive (1 way) on a bad back dirt road from the nearest town, Douglas. Then once you get there it is now private property, and you can hike back in, but you can't drive in without permission as it's behind a locked gate. Even if you do get back in there with lights, it's really not very good moth or beetle collecting anyway. If I want a long, frustrating drive on a bad back road by the Mexican border, California Gulch is consistently about 50 times better collecting than Guadalupe Canyon. Really??? I never been there. I'll have to study up on it and maybe go and do some recon for new spots. I do need to hit up AZ again and do some collecting there since it has been a very long time. Evra, are you in Az or do you just go there often? What can you tell me about Pena blanca lake? |
|
evra
Full Member
Posts: 192
|
Post by evra on Feb 22, 2012 6:43:57 GMT -8
Yes I live in Arizona.
The whole Pena Blanca area burned badly last year in the Murphy fire in June. They had it closed down last summer so I haven't seen it personally. When people say they collected at 'Pena Blanca', they don't mean Pena Blanca Lake, they mean Pena Blanca Canyon, which is southwest of the lake about a mile. That mile makes a huge difference as well. I collected around the lake once and it was terrible by comparison to the canyon. It's my understanding that Pena Blanca Canyon mostly got spared by the Murphy fire, but the fire burned all the way around it.
|
|
|
|
Post by joee30 on Feb 22, 2012 9:36:57 GMT -8
Yes I live in Arizona. The whole Pena Blanca area burned badly last year in the Murphy fire in June. They had it closed down last summer so I haven't seen it personally. When people say they collected at 'Pena Blanca', they don't mean Pena Blanca Lake, they mean Pena Blanca Canyon, which is southwest of the lake about a mile. That mile makes a huge difference as well. I collected around the lake once and it was terrible by comparison to the canyon. It's my understanding that Pena Blanca Canyon mostly got spared by the Murphy fire, but the fire burned all the way around it. That sucks! I did ok the first time I've collected there. Even though the place that left the most vivid memories is definitely the Madera cyn. area. How I miss collecting in AZ |
|
|
|
Post by Chris Grinter on Feb 22, 2012 11:50:37 GMT -8
Yes I live in Arizona. The whole Pena Blanca area burned badly last year in the Murphy fire in June. They had it closed down last summer so I haven't seen it personally. When people say they collected at 'Pena Blanca', they don't mean Pena Blanca Lake, they mean Pena Blanca Canyon, which is southwest of the lake about a mile. That mile makes a huge difference as well. I collected around the lake once and it was terrible by comparison to the canyon. It's my understanding that Pena Blanca Canyon mostly got spared by the Murphy fire, but the fire burned all the way around it. I collected Pena Blanca Canyon in October and it was entirely spared the fires. Actually that entire canyon down to the boarder looks like it's still in great shape! The destruction was pretty evident though driving along Ruby road though. And yes - when people talk about collecting Pena Blanca I assume 90% of them mean the canyon and NOT the lake. The Lake camping spot is usually crowded and not as good collecting. |
|
