Trip report: Aspen Corner, 11 July 2026 by Ron Rutowski
A group of 16 people keen to see and learn about butterflies gathered at the Aspen Corner trailhead near Flagstaff on a sunny Saturday morning, July 11. We were not disappointed. The field of sneeze weed across the road from the trailhead yielded a Thicket Hairstreak and, once we hit the open area above the tank, we had an amazing assortment of blues and skipperlings. The muddy areas around the tank were also productive and yielded two species of swallowtails, a checkerspot, a Queen Alexandra’s Sulphur, and more blues. Here is a list of all 31 species that we saw. A good and butterfly-rich time was had by all.
Western Tiger Swallowtail, Two Tailed Swallowtail, Baird’s Swallowtail, Dainty Sulphur, Queen Alexandra's Sulphur, Orange Sulphur, Southern Dogface, Sleepy Orange, Checkered White, Gray Hairstreak, Thicket Hairstreak, Spring Azure, Acmon Blue, Silvery Blue, Greenish Blue, Boisduval’s Blue, Ceraunus Blue, Marine Blue, Melissa Blue, Lupine Blue, Northwestern Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Arachne Checkerspot, Mourning Cloak, California Tortoiseshell, Northern Cloudywing, Mexican Cloudywing, Russet Skipperling, Garita Skipperling, Edward’s Skipperling, Taxiles Skipper
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