Colorado Springs/ Pike NF late June 2024

[Chuck]

Work took me out to Colorado Springs, and it turned out I had some time to search for butterflies the last week of June 2024.

I am not accustomed to field work in dry mountains. I have no idea where to look for butterflies, or how they behave. So this was a novelty, I was effectively a neophyte.

Being comfortable near water and trees and green, I started low (which, for Colorado Springs, means 6000ft.) I saw what one would usually see anywhere at low levels- skippers, sulphers, monarchs. I did see Papilio rutulus, which is at least as large as our MST with IMHO more striking patterns.

But what I later discovered is that there are more flowering plants and more butterflies at altitude (say, > 9500ft.) In fact, every species I saw at 6000ft I saw more of over 9500ft. At low levels milkweed was a draw, but at higher elevations the lupine was the nectar source.

Up in the mountains on dirt roads I was shocked to find Papilio rutulus, and even more surprised and joyed to see it nectaring side-by-side with Papilio eurymedon! PE seems to be more of a mountain species, I never saw it down low.

On ONE hilltop I found eurymedon, rutulus and Papilio zelicaon. The latter were doing as I'd observed in California- chasing each other around mostly-coniferous forest fields. Why only this one hilltop? They all look the same to me.

I also saw in the mountains: checkerspots, one fritilary, and lots of skippers. I didn't catch any skippers, since I can't even get rid of those I have now.

I did drive up to the top of Pike's Peak in Pike NF, which is SW of where I did most field work. I saw virtually nothing! I cannot explain why, except the environment guys seem to be clearing out a lot of trees from Pike's Peak area, and in doing so destroy the roadside fields. BTW, the drive is not for the faint of heart- no shoulder, no guardrail, and 800ft drops; you go around a corner and all you see is edge of road and sky.

I never saw Papilio multicaudata, nor any Parnassius. Real disappointment.

Since I was in the area I also went to the May Museum of Natural History. This small, family run museum houses a number of display cases, mostly Leps and large Coleoptera. There are plenty of reviews online, summary is they're faded out, but cool. I really liked the displayed collection because it's (1) a snapshot of a man's dedication and (2) it's a snapshot of available leps from the early 1900s- contrast with today and some of the collection is unobtainium, and some described as rare are now common as dirt. I did note that many specimens endemic to Solomon Islands were labeled as PNG or "northern Australia".

I'm certain that no taxa I capture are rare or of much interest to Colorado-based Lepidopterists. But it was interesting and fun for me...almost like being a kid again.

[kevinkk]

Nice description of the west leps. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I find Parnassius to be more of an early flyer, although altitude is mitigating, it can certainly be everywhere at times.
Mountain death drops? Reminds me of deer hunting with Dad- okay, everyone out of the car, I need to make a 30 point turn to turn around-
Papilio eurymedon is more in the "mountains", and it doesn't seem to take much elevation change to make the switch.
In any event, all those elevations you described, are much higher than I get to with any regularity, 6k is about as far as we go.