After all the tropical searching for C. lacinia it was time for me to look for it in temperate Arizona. In the summer of 2006 I went looking for populations in SE Arizona in the Huachucas but couldn't even find one individual. The problem I suspect was weather. I went in June when it was very dry. So I was more optimistic this time in around in August and indeed they were everywhere! In fact, most conveniently was a large population about ten feet from the door of my dormitory.
Check out my Chlosyne lacinia page for more photos and info regarding this particular species. The arid scrubland and desert habitat that composes the SWRS was quite a change from the tropical forests I had occupied previously.
Besides C. lacinia I found two other Chlosyne species- Chlosyne leanira (left) and Chlosyne theona (right). In fact I found one individual each of C. theona in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Arizona.
Admittedly I had my hands full with all the Chlosyne around so I didn't pay much attention to the other butterflies around. But a couple of them were nectaring near the C. lacinia and so I got a couple of pictures including this Apyrrothrix araxes (left) and an Emesis ares (right). Interestingly these also represent two different butterfly families as Apyrrothrix is a skipper (Hesperiidae) and Emesisis a metalmark (Riodinidae).
