Oro Valley Arrea, AZ ~ WOW Arizona Bed and Breakfast ~ Butterflies

Butterflies were abundant here every day.  What I have found in AZ is that the butterflies rarely stop to nectar and so it's really hard to get any pictures let alone great ones.  I saw many swallowtails which are most probably Spicebush as that's their most common swallowtail,many other whites and yellows.  One of the highlights were 2 Gulf Fritillaries laying eggs on the tendrils of the passion flower plant.

Spring White

Gulf Fritillary

Gulf Fritillary Egg

Gray Hairstreak

Queen Butterly

Marine Blue Butterfly

Arachne Checkerspot

Merritt Island, Fl ~ Exploring the Byways

Barred Yellow Butterfly

Today before I left the yard I saw an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly.  Yesterday, I found 2 new species at the Viera Wetlands- Barred Yellow and Monarch. Then I stopped first at the Information Kiosk area that has been so productive with butterflies.  I found 2 new species there - a Queen & a Red Admiral.  Then when I was walking the Scrub Jay Trail I found a little Duskywing which has been ID'd as a 'Florida' Sleepy Duskywing so another life butterfly.  This brings my trip total to 29 species thus far.  Some new birds for today Cattle Egrets and a flyover White Pelican but no Scrub Jays. Drat!!

Queen Butterfly

Queen Butterfly

Red Admiral Butterfly

Red Admiral Butterfly

'Florida' Sleepy Duskywing

Cattle Egret

White Pelican

Palm Desert, CA ~ The Living Desert

Today's plans included a visit to The Living Desert.  This is a zoo and botanical gardens. Jim, Dawn and I visited here in 2013. I loved the numbers of butterflies and was excited to go again.  I suggested that I go off on my own and just join up with everyone later.  I was disappointed in the butterflies as there numbers were very low but I was told that the temperatures need to be cooler before the butterflies return.  Since we are here almost 2 weeks earlier I guess that makes sense.  It was 111 degrees when we arrived on 9/11.  I was happy to get great looks at a close Bewick's Wren and some Costa's Hummingbirds.

Queen Butterfly

Orange Sulphur

Bewick's Wren

Costa's Hummingbird

Viera Wetlands Park & Click Ponds, Viera, FL

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks ~ Viera Wetlands

Another highly recommended birding site is the Viera Wetlands so it was our first stop today. It is water treatment plant and it allows birders to ride, bike or walk along the berms looking at all of the species of birds that call it home.  We had heard that it was a great site to see Least Bitterns which would be a life bird for both of us.  It was great even in the off season so I can imagine how wonderful it must be in winter and spring.  We were excited to see 2 Least Bittern at Viera Wetlands and then another one at the Click Ponds.  Seeing the ducks up on the dead palms was cool especially when a second duck came out of the top. There were lots of butterflies over at the Click Ponds in addition to the birds.

Cattle Egret ~ Viera Wetlands

Least Bittern ~ Viera Wetlands

Queen Butterfly

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly

Naples, FL ~ Fakahatchee Strand Preserve ~ Janes Scenic Drive

Queen Butterfly

This morning one of the other hikers in Corkscrew Swamp told us about how wonderful Janes Scenic Drive was and so our decision was made to make this our afternoon outing.  It's an 11 mile drive through linear swamp forest.  It is supposed to have great photographic spots/subjects with flowers, butterflies, birds and other wildlife.  We hadn't read about the strand prior to our arrival so had no idea that the roads through the strand is poorly maintained after about the first mile.  The first part is fields and some trees where we saw some butterflies.  Then we went into the other area where the tress are closing in on the road and it becomes more deeply rutted.  We got about 6 miles into the road before coming across another car traveling in the opposite direction.  Upon talking with them we decided to turn back as the hour was getting late and sunset would be arriving within the hour.  We did get to see some birds but none we hadn't already seen.  Again, I was hoping to see Limpkin but none were found.  Someday perhaps we'll be back earlier in the day to see the great sights we had been told were there.

Viceroy

Little Blue Heron

CA ~ Big Morongo Canyon Preserve ~ con't

As I walked along the trail I enjoyed looking at the mountains that are nearby.  In an outcropping of rocks there was a growth of wildflowers where Anna's Hummingbirds were feeding.  Across the trail there was an area of native plants where I saw several Queen Butterflies.  I finished by sitting for a while by the feeding area watching both Nuttall and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, White-crowned Sparrows, Scrub Jays and both Costa and Anna's Hummingbirds.

Anna's Hummingbird

Queen Butterfly

CA ~ The Living Desert, Palm Desert

Dawn & Jim

Our trip today was to the Living Desert which is a zoo and botanical gardens in the desert.  It's mission is "desert conservation through preservation, educational and appreciation." There was a butterfly garden.  I saw more than a dozen Queen butterflies, Painted Lady butterflies and lots of unidentified skippers.  There were Desert Tortoises and lots of birds that are unable to be let go into the wild.

Queen Butterfly

Dawn &Jim