Desert Botanical Garden
Phoenix, ARIZONA

• Monarch -- Several monarchs were seen flying through the garden. I say "through" because at this time of year, true Monarchs are in Migration. All of the ones I saw today were moving in a SSE direction. Generally Monarchs from the eastern United States migrate to central Mexico, whereas those west of the Rockies migrate to and spent the winter months on the Monterey Peninsula. So where exactly were these ones headed? Their flight direction would seem to suggest Mexico. Monarchs are large brownish-orange butterflies with black markings.
• Giant Swallowtail -- A large brown butterfly with yellow spots flutters about nectar source flowers and members of the citrus family, the host plant for its caterpillars.
• Snout Butterfly -- A brownish butterfly with orange patches and dark markings, its most distinguishing characteristic are elongated maxillary palps that form the snout.
• Variegated Fritillary -- An orange brown butterfly with many fine markings of black lines and checkers. These butterflies probably don't breed at all at the Botanical Garden. They have flown hundreds of miles up from the southeast, perhaps as far as Mexico. A majority of the snout butterflies have also come by the same route. These movements aren't properly called migrations because there is no evidence that the butterflies make a return trip. The purpose of these mass movements is poorly known.
• Painted Lady -- Another orange brown butterfly flits rapidly around. On its hind wings are a pair of large beautiful eye spots. These eye spots may distract or confuse predators. These butterflies have also move here from elsewhere, mostly the Rocky Mountains and the Great Basin Desert. During the winter months the caterpillars can be found on plants of Thistle and Brittle Bush. Come spring, after one or more desert generations the Butterflies migrate back to their northern climes.
• Hackberry Butterfly -- these common desert butterflies, as their name implies, feed on hackberry bushes during their caterpillar stage. They are also orange brown with eye spots on the underside. The eye spots are smaller than the painted lady's and are often blue-centered. Hackberry Butterflies do not visit flowers. Instead they prefer oozing tree sap, carrion or saline soil. They often perch on the ground.
• Marine Blue -- if you see a sudden flash of blue, no bigger than a nickel, flit about the flowering shrubs or landing in groups at a wet spot on the ground, you've likely seen the Marine Blue. The slug-like caterpillars of Marine Blues like mesquites and acacias.

Other Urban Habitats

Phoenix & Scottsdale Canals           Scottsdale Ponds           Grenada Park


Back to Sonoran Desert Naturalist Home Page
Back to Desert Places
Back to Urban Habitat Index Page
Copyright Michael J. Plagens, 1998-2007