Favoritos de christian_nunes

Grand Canyon Ringlet ButterflyYavapai Point,GRCA, AZ, May 30, 1952, E. Christensen

Grand Canyon Museum Collection
2 Albright Ave, Grand Canyon Village, AZ 86023
Phone: (928) 638-7769
https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/historyculture/muscol.htm

Claron formation endemic - cedar Breaks Nat'l Monutment.
Captured along the Ramparts trail at Cedar Breaks Nation Monument. Many of these flowers were in bloom, but this particular specimen has a much more vibrant pigmentation!

I made a quick stop at Jackson Lake en route to Colorado with family, so I didn't have much time to explore. While Euphilotes was in the back of my mind, I was looking for and had hoped to see Juba Skipper, which was reported here about a week ago on iNaturalist. The hillsides were dry, but there was a good showing of blooming wildflowers. I noticed a blooming Eriogonum ovalifolium (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/164698884) and almost immediately saw a tiny blue butterfly nectaring on the plant's spherical, creamy pink-colored flower heads. I am basing this identification on host plant ID, location (NW New Mexico), and Spring flight season, as per Carry and Toliver's Butterflies of New Mexico. As they surmise, this species should fly across NW NM in association with Eriogonum ovalifolium. I saw about six individual plants on this hillside, all flowering, but only this one Euphilotes. It appears fairly worn, suggesting this represents the tail-end of the season. This record is duplicated on BAMONA.

Photos #1 & #2 are 5th instar. Photo #3 is 3rd instar taken on 8/20/22. Photo #4 is the pupa taken on 9/17/22. Eclosion on June 2, 2023.

The host plant is Slender Wildparsley -- Musineon tenuifolium.

Indra swallowtail, 4th instar larva, resting just off the Slender Wildparsley hostplant - Musineon tenuifolium - about 15 (4.5m) feet up the cliff face. 2nd photo - 5th instar. Same individual. The pupa eclosed on May 11/23.