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Post by bugboys3 on Jan 29, 2015 9:53:24 GMT -8
Sounds like a great trip! I'll have to get down to AZ some day. I don't think your "Derobrachus germinatus" is a Derbrachis though, because it lacks spines on its pronotum. I am guessing it is Stenaspis solitaria. I think you are correct Mantis. Thanks for the correction. Beetle identification is not my strong suit.
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Post by mswisher on Jun 1, 2015 12:48:31 GMT -8
Chris, I will be going to SE Arizona 17-19 July and I would really like to duplicate your experience. Therefore, I was wondering if you could offer any additional advice based on your experience, such as the techniques you used to catch, kill, and store/transport such a large volume of specimens; information on your light set up; and detailed descriptions of where you went?
Matt
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Post by bugboys3 on Jun 1, 2015 18:49:35 GMT -8
Matt, I sent you a message.
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Post by coloradeo on Feb 10, 2016 23:04:37 GMT -8
Not unlike Matt noted above last year, I am strongly considering a trip to AZ with my son at the end of July this year. Perhaps some of the veterans (Chris, Matt, other accomplished folks?) would be able to offer some advice on how to accomplish a lot in this mecca of US collecting? I'd probably be flying in to SE Arizona and collecting moths/butterflies over a 3 or 4 day period. I'd love to get some lepidoptera locations (are they hard to locate? safe? other considerations?) and other best practices for the area to start thinking about. I have and will continue to mine the InsectNet threads, but any specific recommendations are most welcome. I've looked into shipping a small generator UPS Ground and that appears feasible and perhaps is the best way to plan to power my MV/UV lights? The rest of my night rig I can get into suitcases and have gotten onto domestic flights before, so I think I've got the roadblocks worked out with simple equipment (not without curious inspection though . I suspect there are some things I'm not thinking of (as a rank amateur) that would improve this quick adventure. Thanks in advance! Eric
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evra
Full Member
Posts: 230
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Post by evra on Feb 11, 2016 10:00:20 GMT -8
There's good collecting, but it is really localized and with short flight times. This year I would plan for July 28 - Aug 5, based on the moon phase. Some people don't appreciate how important the timing is for Saturniids and Sphingids especially. 2 weeks earlier or later and you might only get 2-3 Saturniid species and maybe 5 Sphingids, whereas it is pretty typical to get 10-12 Saturniid species and 20-25 Sphingid species per night during the week around the new moon. The same goes with location. A mile up the road from a good spot may only have 10-20% of the quantity of insects as the hot spot itself.
I would consider renting a generator in Tucson at an equipment rental company. Also the roads into various spots are usually gravel and can be nasty depending on rainfall, so renting a 4 WD would be good. My number one safety concern is getting stuck or having my car break down. Some of the spots are remote and the storms can be really hellacious, 3-4" of rain in one hour, and you are generally set up in the bottom of a canyon. I know several collectors that have had to wait for 18-24 hours to get out of Sycamore and Brown Canyons because the road was flooded.
Butterfly collecting at that time is hard. There are a few things out, but the prime collecting is in September and October. Numbers are low, with few nectar sources, puddles are everywhere so they aren't concentrated.
The last piece of advice is to stay out all night when collecting moths. 1-3 AM is really the prime time for moths. I've seen tons of people pack up and leave by 11-12 on what turned out to be spectacular collecting nights. Don't make that mistake. Daybreak is around 4:30, so you might as well stay for the whole night, plus some rare Sphingids like Dolbogene hartwegii, Proserpinus terlooii, and Sphinx libocedrus tend to fly at dusk and dawn only.
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Post by joee30 on Feb 12, 2016 22:11:08 GMT -8
I remember going to Arizona in 1998, 200, 2001, and 2003. Missed moth time, but was there for beetle season. The only beetle that I have never had any luck with is Megasoma punctulatus. Been to the Rio Rico area and have never found them. Lol
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Post by mswisher on Feb 16, 2016 0:12:58 GMT -8
Eric, I am certainly not the expert that Evan is, but I can provide some info based on my experience last summer. First off, Evan is correct that the moon timing is very important, and I plan to return this summer during those dates as well. For locations, I set up the first night at the upper parking lot of Madera Canyon; it is easy to find as the road dead ends into the parking lot. The beetles were quite abundant (C. beyeri and C. gloriosa began hitting the sheet in great numbers less than a minute after switching on the lights!), but the moths not so much (there was decent variety, but low volumes, and almost no Saturniids). The second night, I set up along Box Canyon Rd. (31°47'56.0"N 110°46'37.4"W). This was a better location for moths, but we fought the rain the entire night and shut down around midnight (my 72 year old father wasn't as motivated as I was), but I collected 8 species of Saturniids and 14 species of Sphingids. During the day time, there is a waterfall at a turn on Box Canyon Road just prior to the location listed above that had mud puddling butterflies. All along Box Canyon Rd. there were other insects to find, especially dung beetles following the cattle herds. Also, the forest around Proctor Rd at Madera Canyon was quite productive. All of these locations were easy to get to. If you are looking for a place to stay, I stayed at the Santa Rita Lodge and it was perfect. This year, I plan to try some other locations, such as Harshaw Creek, Copper Canyon, California Gulch. If you need any more info, just pm me. Good luck and maybe I will see you there.
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Post by coloradeo on Feb 16, 2016 7:26:28 GMT -8
Thanks all! This will be really helpful and I'll plan to drink some coffee per Evan so as not to miss the late species. Hoping to catch the Saturniids and Sphingids at the right locations and times, so thanks for those thoughts. Definitely appreciate any other tips and/or locations/GPS that others would PM me or share. I know there is a lot of experience out there. Matt, perhaps I'll see you on the trail!
Eric
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Post by bugboys3 on Feb 16, 2016 9:48:28 GMT -8
Matt, it sounds like you did pretty good. Is Box Canyon on the same side of the range as Madera Canyon? I am tentatively planning on coming out the summer of 2017 to try a couple of different spots. My son and I day collected at Madera Canyon with decent success. I would like to try night collecting there.
Eric if this is your first time and you hit it right the collecting is incredible. It sure beats anything you can do in Wisconsin in the summertime.
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Post by joee30 on Feb 16, 2016 16:49:36 GMT -8
Box Canyon is an awesome collecting spot. Same goes with Proctor Rd., but when there are no people camping and being noisy. Lol I have Camped at the Bog Springs Campground. It wasn't too bad. Had a couple of huge Blacktail rattlesnakes near camp that were relocated, and they didn't put up a fight. Lol
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Post by papiliotheona on Jun 26, 2016 11:31:44 GMT -8
I camp in SE AZ all the time, even near the border, and never feel unsafe.
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Post by joee30 on Jun 27, 2016 7:45:18 GMT -8
Hopefully I can collect some Papilio multicaudauta as well this time. Last time I collected one in Garden Canyon, maybe about 8 years ago.
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