Butterfly-a-palooza, two-za

All Photos from Ned Harris 9/13/2012

Queen butterfly (male)

Pipevine Swallowtail

Gulf Fritillary

Painted Lady

All of these beauties are on a blooming Button Bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). A handy butterfly guide is available in the Sabino Canyon visitor center store (and elsewhere). For more great photos of flying things of all kinds, fly on over to Ned's flickr site.

Blazing Star

Photos by Matt Ball 9/1/2012

Isolated Blazing Star (Mentzelia isolata) is in the Stick Leaf Family (Loasaceae). You are seeing this one along the creek. Loads of these on the upstream side of bridge 7. Look under the trees and other foliage.

Desert Vine

Photo by Matt Ball 9/1/2012

Desert Vine (aka Janusia) is now Cottsia gracilis. It's everywhere in the canyon now.

Butterfly-a-palooza

Text from Mark Hengesbaugh: 

Yesterday (9/9/12) I took a walk with friend (and Sabino blog subscriber) Roger Rittmaster who was in town for the North American Butterfly Association's biennial meeting in Sierra Vista. Roger ID'ed 12 species of butterflies all nectaring on the Dam Bridge button bush at the same time.
In addition to the Fiery Skipper, Acacia Skipper and Southern Dogface (with honeybee) pictured, we also saw on that button bush: Queen, Bordered Patch, Orange Skipperling, American Lady, Painted Lady, Pipevine Swallowtail, Orange Sulfur, Eufala Skipper, Funereal Duskywing.

All photos by Roger Rittmaster.

Fiery Skipper

Acacia Skipper

Southern Dogface and Honeybee

Tepary Bean

Photos by Matt Ball 9/1/2012

Tepary Bean (Phaseolus acutifolius var. tenuifolius) blooms post-monsoon with delicate flowers. Look for it along the creek, winding through other plants.

New for you (and me)

Photo by Ned Harris 9/6/2012

This is a Bordered Patch butterfly on a Whiteflower Prairie Clover blossom (Dalea albiflora). We also saw the caterpillars, all over (one of) their host plants, Canyon Ragweed (Ambrosia ambrosioides).

Fruit of the night

Photo by Ned Harris 9/5/2012

Unlike the Regal Horned Lizard, this fruit of the Night-blooming Cereus (Peniocereus greggii) is not cryptically colored and did jump right out at me. Only one fruit on this hidden-away plant on the Bear Canyon trail, but there is quite a bit of new growth.

Answers to Peggy's Pod Quiz: Pod 1: Foothills Palo Verde (Parkinsonia microphylla); Pods 2: White-thorn Acacia (Acacia constricta); Pod 3: Cat-claw Acacia (Acacia greggii); Pod 4: Blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia florida) How did you do?