Upcoming events
Adriane Grimaldi, one of our members, guest speaker and butterfly walk leader, went on this tour in 2009 along with 9 others from Arizona and they loved it. She is organizing another tour so others that had the same dream of hers can have the chance to go see some amazing Monarch overwintering grounds.
The tour is set for Feb. 16-20, 2010. There is some hiking to get to sanctuary so moderate fitness level is required to access the sanctuaries. Adriane has researched companies that offer this kind of tour and found Rocamar Tours to be very accommodating and reasonably priced - $775 per person/double occupancy and that includes airport transfers, 4 nights hotel, breakfast daily, two lunches, two dinner, welcome reception, transportation to Monarch Sanctuaries, entrance fees, city tour and tour guide. AIRFARE IS NOT INCLUDED and is up to the person to arrange on their own. There are flights directly to Morelia which is recommended. Some flights (Continental Airlines) were found for $500. For more information email Adriane at vagrimaldi@cox.net.
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Our February meeting will be held on Tuesday the 16th, from 7 till 9pm in the Webster Auditorium at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden. Guest speaker will be Gail Morris.
Gail Morris from Southwest Monarch Study will give a talk about the presence of Monarchs in the Phoenix area, the developments at Rio Salado Habitat and an update about the overwintering sites in Mexico and California. She recently visited a number of overwintering sites in California.
Morris has been instrumental in efforts at Rio Salado to make it more Monarch-friendly and educate others about the importance of our very own overwintering site. She has also been spearheading the tagging of farm-raised Monarchs released from the Desert Botanical Garden. Adriane Grimaldi will also add information about Mexico overwintering sites.
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Meet at 9am at the C4 Coffee shop on 6033 E. Cave Creek Rd (just SE of the Spur Cross Rd intersection).
We will explore the Spur Cross area North of Cave Creek. The abundant vegetation along the creek provides a rich habitat for wildlife and potential for wildflower displays in the spring. March is probably the best time of the year to visit, as the temperatures are nice, the creek is flowing and the seeps in the side canyon attract an array of butterflies. About 30 species in a few hours is not uncommon. A specialty found here is Wright’s Metalmark attracted by Sweet Bush. Please wear sturdy shoes, bring water, a snack and close focus binoculars. Difficulty 2. Leaders Ron Rutowski and Marceline VandeWater.
We ask for a $5 donation.
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Meet at 7:30 A.M. at the southeast corner of the junction of the CaveCreek Road and the road turning off to Bartlett Dam (about 8 miles East of Carefree). Bring a lunch, water, and close focus binoculars. On a butterfly trip to this area in the same month last year, we recorded 28 species of butterflies, including the amazing Yucca Giant-Skipper. There was also a stunning display of wildflowers in the area which we will hope for again this year.
Janet Witzeman has been observing and learning about Arizona butterflies since 1982 when she began going on the southeast Arizona butterfly counts with Richard Bailowitz and Doug Danforth. After learning more about butterflies in Maricopa County from Killian Roever, she has been leading butterfly field trips for the Maricopa Audubon Society since 1994.
We ask for a $5 donation.
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Recent events
Our Annual Membership Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 19th, from 7 till 9pm in the Webster Auditorium at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden. We will vote in the new board, have the treasurer go over the treasurer's report and talk briefly about our plans for the upcoming year.
Speaker: John Alcock, an Emeritus Professor at Arizona State University where he taught for 36 years. Alcock has studied butterfly behavior as part of his career-long examination of insect mating systems. He will speak on hilltopping, a mating system of particular interest to lepidopterists who have long known that males of certain species can most reliably be found on the tops of hills and mountains. Alcock will describe the behavior of several hilltopping butterflies that occur in central Arizona and compare the varieties of hilltopping behavior exhibited by these butterflies with that of other insects that also rendezvous on the same peaks.
Our CAzBA calendar, butterfly books, butterfly jewelry and butterfly art will be for sale at the meeting. For ordering calendars, email Joyce at jrpeters7@cox.net or call her at 480-390-9054
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At this meeting we will evaluate our efforts, fieldtrips and meetings of the past year. We also will talk about the upcoming election of the board and membership related issues. Members and non-members will be able to show-off their most beautiful, interesting, cutest photos of butterflies, moths or caterpillars in a photo presentation. We will be selling our 2010 Butterfly Calendar, fieldguides, jewelry and some butterfly related art on our "booktable". There will definitely be time to socialize with drinks and munchies provided.
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Come and visit an off the beaten path place in Arizona, where birds and butterflies abound. Sycamore Canyon is well known in birding and butterflying circles as an excellent place to see a wide variety of species. This is a canyon which extends for 6 miles to the Mexican border, which provides a pathway for Mexican butterflies to make their way into the US. Assuming sufficient rain in Mexico, the canyon can be full of butterflies, particularly Sulphurs. It is also a place where a rare vagrant is always possible. The canyon is off Ruby Road, 9 miles west of Pena Blanca Lake, where the pavement ends. It is well signed on the left side of Ruby Road. This is a winding, twisting, gravel mountain road that is normally no problem for a passenger car. We will meet at 9:00 at the parking area at the top of the canyon and will explore the upper part of the canyon. The trail is somewhat rough, and disappears at times, but with reasonable care, it should be okay for most people. It gets much more difficult further down the canyon, but we will not be going there. Bring water, lunch, and sunscreen. If the grass is lush, chiggers are a real possibility, though they may be gone by mid-October. If there is standing water, the mosquitoes can be bad as well.
Directions can be found in the Tucson Audubon Bird Finding Guide. Exit from I-19 at exit 12 (Ruby Road). Go west on the paved road until you come to Pena Blanca Lake, where you will turn left (away from the lake). The road becomes gravel at this point. It is a further 9.5 miles to the top of Sycamore Canyon (on the left). This is a windy, twisting road and is slow. Motels are available in Nogales and Tubac. It is about 45 minutes from I-19 to Sycamore Canyon.
Please contact David Powell (vireo@vireos.com or 602-441-5508) for more information or to sign up for the trip.
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Chris Kline, one of the founders and former board member of CAzBA, has moved away to Ohio in December 2008, but will visit Arizona in September to coordinate our Annual Boyce Thompson Arboretum Butterfly Count and also tag Monarch butterflies in SE Arizona for the SW Monarch Studies. In his presentation, he will discuss the highlights and results of this count, next he will give us a brief overview of the progress in unraveling the mysteries around Monarch migration. He also will share some of the butterfly sightings and experiences at his new job as Director of Education at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center in Columbus, Ohio. Please carefully follow the signs from the DBG entrance as we will be in a different room.
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Join us at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum on Saturday September 12 as we tackle our 3rd Annual Butterfly Count. Counting starts at 8:30AM sharp, so try to arrive a little early. 77 species of butterflies appear on the Arboretum's checklist, while the record for most species observed in a single day is 38 by John Saba in October, 2005. Xami Hairstreak is one of specialties that can be found at the BTA.
Chris Kline, a long time butterfly enthusiast and Monarch researcher, will fly in from Ohio this Fall to lead the annual butterfly count and also spend time tagging Monarchs for the SW Monarch Study.
The Arboretum is located on US 60, about 20 miles east of Apache Junction. Hope you can join us!
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