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).

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Buckeye Butterfly

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Monarch butterfly at Coldwater Farm.

Buckmoth

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

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

Buckmoth

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Moth

Melissa Blue Butterfly?

Buckmoth

Moth

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Red Admiral Butterfly

Cabbage White Butterfly

Mourning Cloak Butterfly

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Acmon Blue Butterfly (?)

Tiny catterpillars on grape leaf

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Monarch Butterfly

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Buckeye Butterfly

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Mourning Cloak FX

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Two-tailed Swallowtail (AZ State Butterfly)

Huge catterpillar

Tiny catterpillars on grape leaf