Butterfly Decline in Arizona

Coldwater Farm butterflies have declined over the past few years.  This year (2015) was the worst with many of my butterfly/bee flowers going untended. For instance, Mourning Cloaks (Nymphalis antiopa) were present only in late spring and early summer. In earlier years, the Mourning Cloaks were so abundant that I had nominated they to represent the Agua Fria River ecosystem. Perhaps butterfly numbers will rebound in 2016, but knowing nothing of the specific causes of the decline, I have no assurance they will. Click here for a checklist of the butterfly and moth species known to live in Arizona. Here are pictures of a few of the common butterflies and moths (Please excuse the fx experiments).

Tiny catterpillars on grape leaf

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Mourning Cloak FX

Acmon Blue Butterfly (?)

Red Admiral Butterfly

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Buckmoth

Buckmoth

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Monarch Butterfly

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Huge catterpillar

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Monarch butterfly at Coldwater Farm.

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly) on Butterfly Bush

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Buckeye Butterfly

Buckeye Butterfly

Melissa Blue Butterfly?

Tiny catterpillars on grape leaf

Moth

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Mourning Cloak Butterfly

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Moth

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Cabbage White Butterfly

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Buckmoth