Today was a beautiful day with temperatures reaching 70°. The Desert Hackberry (large shrubs) were loaded with ripe berries. The sweet, tasty berries are bright orange, about ¼" in diameter. Better hurry if you want to try some because the White-crowned Sparrows, Cardinals, Towhees, and Phainopeplas were all busy gorging themselves!
Butterfly image sources: A great book for the identification of Arizona Butterflies is: Butterflies of Southeastern Arizona by Bailowitz and Brock. It is available from Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute.
Northerners might be surprised that Butterfly Watching can be so rewarding this late in the year. Hiking along washes near Lake Pleasant I found 10 species of butterflies:
SE Arizona Butterflies;
| Common Name | Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avocet, American | U | Ø | Ø | U |
| Blackbird, Red-winged | C | U | C | C |
| Blackbird, Yellow-headed | R | Ø | Ø | Ø |
| Bluebird, Western | U | Ø | Ø | U |
| Bushtit | Ø | Ø | Ø | R |
| Cardinal, Northern | C | C | C | C |
| Coot, American | C | U | A | A |
| Cormorant, Double-crested | U | U | U | U |
| Cowbird, Brown-headed | C | U | C | C |
| Dove, Inca | U | U | Ø | Ø |
| Dove, Mourning | C | C | C | A |
| Dove, White-winged | C | C | Ø | Ø |
| Dowitcher, Long-billed | R | Ø | U | R |
| Eagle, Bald | U | Ø | Ø | U |
| Egret, Common | U | U | U | U |
| Egret, Snowy | U | U | U | U |
| Finch, House | C | C | C | C |
| Flicker, Gilded | C | C | C | C |
| Flicker, Red-shafted | U | Ø | U | C |
| Flycatcher, Ash-throated | C | U | C | R |
| Flycatcher, Brown-crested | C | C | R | Ø |
| Flycatcher, Vermilion | R | R | R | R |
| Gnatcatcher, Black-tailed | C | C | C | C |
| Goldfinch, Lesser | U | U | U | U |
| Grackle, Great-tailed | C | C | U | U |
| Grebe, Clark's | Ø | Ø | Ø | R |
| Grebe, Eared | R | Ø | U | U |
| Common Name | Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter |
| Grebe, Pied-billed | U | Ø | C | C |
| Grebe, Western | R | Ø | C | C |
| Grosbeak, Blue | R | U | Ø | Ø |
| Gull, Ring-billed | U | Ø | U | C |
| Hawk, Harris | U | U | U | U |
| Hawk, Red-tailed | C | C | U | U |
| Hawk, Sharp-shinned | R | R | R | R |
| Heron, Great Blue | C | C | C | C |
| Heron, Green-backed | U | U | U | U |
| Hummingbird, Anna's | U | U | U | U |
| Jay, Scrub | Ø | Ø | R | R |
| Junco, Dark-eyed | U | Ø | U | C |
| Kestrel, American | U | U | R | U |
| Killdeer | C | C | C | C |
| Kingbird, Western | U | U | Ø | Ø |
| Kingfisher, Belted | Ø | Ø | U | U |
| Kinglet, Ruby-crowned | Ø | Ø | C | C |
| Mallard | C | C | C | C |
| Oriole, Hooded | U | U | Ø | Ø |
| Meadowlark, Western | Ø | Ø | U | U |
| Merganser, Common | Ø | Ø | R | R |
| Mockingbird, Northern | U | U | U | R |
| Night-heron, Black-crowned | U | U | U | U |
| Osprey | Ø | Ø | U | U |
| Owl, Great-horned | U | U | U | U |
| Pelican, White | Ø | Ø | Ø | R |
| Phainopepla | C | U | A | A |
| Phoebe, Black | U | U | U | U |
| Phoebe, Say's | Ø | Ø | C | C |
| Pipit, American | Ø | Ø | U | U |
| Common Name | Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter |
| Quail, Gambel's | C | C | C | C |
| Raven, Common | R | R | U | U |
| Robin, American | Ø | Ø | R | U |
| Sandpiper, Baird's | Ø | Ø | R | Ø |
| Sandpiper, Least | Ø | Ø | C | U |
| Sandpiper, Spotted | Ø | Ø | U | U |
| Sapsucker, Red-naped | Ø | Ø | R | R |
| Shrike, Loggerhead | R | R | U | U |
| Snipe, Common | Ø | Ø | U | U |
| Sparrow, Black-throated | C | U | C | C |
| Sparrow, Brewer's | Ø | Ø | U | U |
| Sparrow, House | C | C | C | C |
| Sparrow, Lincoln | Ø | Ø | R | R |
| Sparrow, Sage | Ø | Ø | U | U |
| Sparrow, Song | U | U | U | U |
| Sparrow, Vesper | Ø | Ø | R | R |
| Sparrow, White-crowned | U | Ø | C | A |
| Starling, European | U | U | C | C |
| Swallow, Cliff | C | C | U | Ø |
| Swallow, Rough-winged | U | U | C | Ø |
| Swallow, Violet-green | U | U | C | Ø |
| Swift, White-throated | U | U | U | R |
| Tanager, Summer | U | U | Ø | Ø |
| Tanager, Western | U | Ø | Ø | Ø |
| Common Name | Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter |
| Thrasher, Bendire's | R | R | R | R |
| Thrasher, Curve-billed | U | U | U | U |
| Towhee, Abert's | U | U | U | U |
| Towhee, Canyon | U | U | U | U |
| Towhee, Spotted | Ø | Ø | R | R |
| Verdin | C | C | C | C |
| Vireo, Bell's | U | U | Ø | Ø |
| Vireo, Solitary | U | Ø | U | Ø |
| Vireo, Warbling | R | Ø | Ø | Ø |
| Vulture, Turkey | C | C | R | Ø |
| Warbler, Lucy's | U | U | Ø | Ø |
| Warbler, Wilson's | U | Ø | C | Ø |
| Warbler, Yellow-rumped | U | Ø | U | C |
| Waxwing, Cedar | R | Ø | R | U |
| Wood-Pewee, Western | U | R | Ø | Ø |
| Woodpecker, Gila | C | C | C | C |
| Woodpecker, Ladder-backed | U | U | U | U |
| Wren, Bewick's | R | Ø | U | U |
| Wren, Cactus | C | C | C | C |
| Wren, Canyon | U | U | U | U |
| Wren, House | Ø | Ø | R | R |
| Wren, Rock | A | A | A | A |
If you do some birding at this park and find any I've missed please E-mail me additions (delete spam filter)! mjplagens@arizonensisNOSPAM.org
The winter rains necessary for really spectacular wildflower shows next spring have yet to materilize. (As of Dec. 25, I can report we have had several good periods of rain..so I can almost guarentee next spring will not be a wash out!) A few fall and late summer flowers can still be found. Sweet Bush is the most conspicuous because of all the butterflies attracted to its nectar. I found the following in bloom at Lake Pleasant Regional Park just north of Peoria:
