Results from the
Annual Kern River Valley BUTTERFLY Counts
by Bob Barnes
Sunday, July
7th, 2002, we conducted our 2nd official NABA North Fork Kern River Valley
Butterfly Count. We had sixty-six species. It was blazing hot here. No one
wanted to search and count down low for long. Can you blame them? The experts we
had on the count said we would have had 75-85 species had the leaders split
themselves up into groups of two each rather than up to six experts per team ...
and had the lowlands been covered all day around Kernville and the north arm of
Isabella Reservoir. They said lots of easy species were missed that would have
been likely found below the areas concentrated on in the Greenhorn Mountains. We
arrived at the total of 75-85 based on going through the list and seeing what
easy lowland species "known" to be present were not pursued. With 70-85 species
per count, it looks like our count circle could be in the top ten in the United
States annually. Pretty neat!
At least we
have the interest of several experts in coming back next year to try and cover
the count circle thoroughly. Some were part of a 40-50 person group meeting just
over the hill at a Lepidopterists' Society gathering on the west slope of the
Greenhorns. They came up into the Greenhorn Mountain portion of the count circle
on Sunday to help out.
Last year our
first count was 3rd in California (out of 29 counts) with sixty species (vs. Big
Bear: 66; Yuba Pass: 63) and #11 in the United States (Probably no way to ever
catch the Arizona counts and one in Colorado with totals of 95 species or more).
This year's North Fork Kern Count of 66 species would have tied for #6 in the
United States last year.
2001 Results:
The placement of 11th was for the nation.
#1. Gilpin County, CO - 103 species
#2. Ramsey Canyon, AZ - 102 species
#3. Patagonia, AZ - 99 species
#4. Portal, AZ - 85 species
#5. Atacosa Highlands, AZ - 81 species
#6. Big Bear, CA - 66 species
#7. Yuba Pass, CA - 63 species
#7. Texas - 63 species
#9. Texas - 62 species
#9. Texas - 62 species
#11. North Fork Kern River Valley - 60 species
2002
COUNT NAME, COUNTY, STATE: North Fork Kern Butterfly Count, Kern & Tulare
Counties, California: An Official North American Butterfly Association (NABA)
Annual 4th of July Butterfly Count
COUNT CIRCLE DESCRIPTION: Fifteen mile diameter circle including: North Fork
Kern River (lower twelve miles), Gold Ledge Creek, Cannell Meadow, Kernville,
Cyrus Canyon, Wofford Heights, Shirley Meadow, Greenhorn Summit, Sunday Peak,
Tobias Peak, and Baker Point.
ELEVATION: 2650'-8284'
HABITAT: Southern Sierra Nevada habitats including residential gardens,
riparian, chaparral, live oak woodland, blue oak woodland, mixed conifer forest,
montane meadows, fir forest.
DATE/TIME: Sunday, July 7, 2002, 8am-6pm
AM: clear
PM: clear
TEMPERATURE: 68º - 91º
WIND: Negligible
OBSERVERS: TWENTY observers in 5 parties: Herb Clarke (Glendale, Los Angeles
County), Olga Clarke (Glendale, Los Angeles County), Ken Davenport (Bakersfield,
Kern County), Claude Edwards (San Diego, San Diego County), Mary Freeman
(Glendale, Los Angeles County), Nick Freeman (Glendale, Los Angeles County),
Terri Gallion (Onyx, Kern County), Fred Heath (Los Angeles County), Margaret
Huffman (Los Angeles County), Paul Johnson (Pinnacles National Monument, San
Benito County), Michael Klein (San Diego, San Diego County), Jack Levy
(Pasadena, Los Angeles County), Rozella Mattingly (Bakersfield, Kern County), W.
D. Patterson (Sacramento, Sacramento County), Mary Prismon (Los Angeles County),
Erin Seidner (Los Angeles County), Alison Sheehey (Mountain Mesa, Kern County),
Susan Steele (Inyokern, Kern County), Bruce Webb (Granite Bay, Placer County),
Julie Pierce (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada).
COMPILER: Bob Barnes, PO Box 953, Weldon, CA 93283. Phone: (760) 378-3044.
E-mail: bbarnes at lightspeed.net
BUTTERFLIES: Anise Swallowtail 4; Indra Swallowtail 2; Western Tiger Swallowtail
27; Pale Swallowtail 34; Pine White 1; Checkered White 44; Cabbage White 32;
"California" Pearly Marble 1; Gray Marble 1; Orange Sulphur 31; Sleepy Orange 1;
Tailed Copper 2; Great Copper 10; Golden Hairstreak 25; California Hairstreak
20; Sylvan Hairstreak 3; Gold-hunter's Hairstreak 4; Mountain Mahogany
Hairstreak 40; Hedgerow Hairstreak 48; Brown Elfin 1; Western Pine Elfin 1;
"Nelson's" Juniper Hairstreak 50; Gray Hairstreak 5; Spring Azure 39;
Square-spotted (Comstock's) Blue 1; 'Bernardino' Square-spotted Blue 3; Dotted
Blue 22; Melissa Blue 1; Greenish Blue 210; Boisduval's Blue 46; Acmon Blue 33;
Lupine Blue 143; Coronis Fritillary 17; Callippe Fritillary 102; Great Basin
Fritillary 14; Hydaspe Fritillary 20; Speyeria sp. 12; Pacific Fritillary 50;
Northern Checkerspot 3; Field Crescent 24; Mylitta Crescent 19; 'Zephyr' Hoary
Comma 2; California Tortoiseshell 7; Mourning Cloak 4; Milbert's Tortoiseshell
6; American Lady 1; Painted Lady 4; West Coast Lady 2; Common Buckeye 8;
Lorquin's Admiral 12; California Sister 82; Common (California) Ringlet 6; Great
Basin Wood-Nymph 5; Monarch 4; Silver-spotted Skipper 2; Northern Cloudywing 1;
Propertius Duskywing 6; Pacuvius Duskywing 6; Persius Duskywing 1; Northern
White-Skipper 3; Fiery Skipper 2; Juba Skipper 1; Sandhill Skipper 7; Sonora
Skipper 82; Sachem 1; Woodland Skipper 5; Rural Skipper 5
TOTAL ADULT (BUTTERFLY) SPECIES: 66
TOTAL INDIVIDUALS: 1411
2001
COUNT NAME, COUNTY, STATE: North Fork Kern Butterfly Count, Kern & Tulare
Counties, California: An Official North American Butterfly Association (NABA)
Annual 4th of July Butterfly Count
COUNT CIRCLE DESCRIPTION: Fifteen mile diameter circle including: North Fork
Kern River (lower twelve miles), Gold Ledge Creek, Cannell Meadow, Kernville,
Cyrus Canyon, Wofford Heights, Shirley Meadow, Greenhorn Summit, Sunday Peak,
Tobias Peak, and Baker Point.
ELEVATION: 2650'-8284'
HABITAT: Southern Sierra Nevada habitats including residential gardens,
riparian, chaparral, live oak woodland, blue oak woodland, mixed conifer forest,
montane meadows, fir forest.
DATE/TIME: Sunday, July 8, 2001, 8:45am-6pm
AM: partly cloudy
PM: partly cloudy
TEMPERATURE: 67-95 degrees Fahrenheit
WIND: Negligible
OBSERVERS: Sixteen observers in 3 to 4 parties: R. J. Adams (Monterey County),
Bob Barnes (Weldon, Kern County), Bill Bouton (San Luis Obispo County), Herb
Clarke (Los Angeles County), Olga Clarke (Los Angeles County), Wanda Dameron
(Los Angeles County), Ken Davenport (Bakersfield, Kern County), Monica Davis
(Monterey County), Joan Franco (Los Angeles County), Mary Freeman (Los Angeles
County), Nick Freeman (Los Angeles County), Fred Heath (Los Angeles County),
John Lawrenson (New York City, New York), Rozella Mattingly (Bakersfield, Kern
County), Susan Steele (Inyokern, Kern County), Guy Tudor (New York City, New
York)
TOTAL PARTY-HOURS: 23.75 (12.25 on foot, 11.5 by car)
TOTAL PARTY-MILES: 143 (7 on foot, 136 by car)
COMPILER: Bob Barnes, PO Box 953, Weldon, CA 93283. Phone: (760) 378-3044.
E-mail: bbarnes at lightspeed.net
BUTTERFLIES: Western Tiger Swallowtail 33; Pale Swallowtail 9; Becker's White 2;
Checkered White 65; Cabbage White 23; Orange Sulphur 111; California Dogface 1;
Tailed Copper 4; Great Copper 1; Gorgon Copper 4; Golden Hairstreak 9; Sylvan
Hairstreak 11; Gold-hunter's (Nut Brown) Hairstreak 300; Mountain Mahogany
Hairstreak 324; Hedgerow Hairstreak 333; "Nelson's" Juniper Hairstreak 11; Gray
Hairstreak 13; Western Pygmy-Blue (world's smallest butterfly) 1; Marine Blue
22; Ceraunus Blue 1; Spring Azure 16; Square-spotted (Comstock's) Blue 71;
Dotted Blue 8; Silvery Blue 1; Melissa Blue 2; Greenish Blue 15; Boisduval's
Blue 17; Acmon Blue 15; Lupine Blue 8; Coronis Fritillary 3; Callippe Fritillary
16; Great Basin Fritillary 2; Hydaspe Fritillary 764; Field Crescent 24; Mylitta
Crescent 12; Satyr Comma 1; Hoary Comma 2; Milbert's Tortoiseshell 1; American
Lady 4; Painted Lady 30; West Coast Lady 20; Common Buckeye 1; Lorquin's Admiral
15; California Sister 41; Common (California) Ringlet 29; Great Basin Wood-Nymph
1; Monarch 20; Queen 6; Silver-spotted Skipper 3; Northern Cloudywing 3;
Propertius Duskywing 3; Funereal Duskywing 1; White-checkered Skipper 6;
Northern White-Skipper 1; Fiery Skipper 15; Sandhill Skipper 1; Sonora Skipper
10; Sachem 4; Woodland Skipper 11; Rural Skipper 2
TOTAL ADULT (BUTTERFLY) SPECIES: 60
TOTAL INDIVIDUALS: 2483
NOTE: North American Butterfly Association Board Members Fred Heath and Guy
Tudor participated in the North Fork Kern Butterfly Count. Due to their
experience on the butterfly count, the beautiful setting provided by the Kern
River Valley, it's variety of accommodations, numerous restaurants, and the
impressive butterfly and bird species diversity, they intend be strong advocates
in recommending to NABA that they headquarter their national biennial convention
in Kernville in late June 2004 or 2006.
INTERESTING BUTTERFLY FACTS FROM BAKERSFIELD'S KEN DAVENPORT:
137 of 204 (67%) of California's butterfly species within 15 air miles of
Isabella Reservoir.../
147 of 204 (71%) of California's butterfly species are on Kern County's main
checklist.../
see: Butterflies of Kern County, California
153 of 204 (75%) of California's butterfly species are on Tulare County's main
checklist.../
174 of 204 (85.3%) of California's butterfly species are on the Kern & Tulare
Counties main checklist.../
REFERENCES:
Unpublished "Checklist of Butterflies of Kern and Tulare Counties, California.
November 10, 2000" by Ken Davenport, 6601 Eucalyptus Dr., #325, Bakersfield, CA
93306. Phone: (661) 366-3074. E-mail: flutterflies at juno.com (Ken Davenport).
"Butterflies through Binoculars, The West: A Field Guide to Butterflies of
Western North America" by Jeffrey Glassberg, President of North American
Butterfly Association and editor of "American Butterflies." Copyright 2001 by
Jeffrey Glassberg. Oxford University Press, Inc., New York, New York. ISBN:
0-19-510669-5.
"...Organizations concerned with Butterflies:
The North American Butterfly Association (NABA) promotes public enjoyment,
awareness, and conservation of butterflies and all aspects of recreational,
non-consumptive butterflying, including field identification, butterfly
gardening, and photography. NABA publishes a full-color magazine, 'American
Butterflies;' a newsletter, 'Butterfly Gardening News;' has chapters throughout
North America; and runs the annual NABA Fourth of July Butterfly Counts. These
one-day counts, held mainly in June and July (centered on the Fourth of July
period), are growing rapidly. Currently almost 400 counts are conducted each
year, at sites across North America. They are a fun-filled way to help monitor
butterfly populations, to learn about butterfly identification, and to meet
other butterfliers.
NABA, 4 Delaware Rd., Morristown, NJ 07960
Web Site: www.naba.org
The Lepidopterists' Society is an international organization devoted to the
scientific study of all lepidoptera. The Society publishes the 'Journal of the
Lepidopterists' Society' as well as the 'News of the Lepidopterists' Society.'
Lepidopterists' Society, 1608 Presidio Way, Roseville, CA 95661
Web Site: www.furman.edu
The Xerces Society is an international organization dedicated to the global
conservation of habitats for all invertebrates, including butterflies. The
Society publishes 'Wings.'
Xerces Society, 4828 Southeast Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, OR 97215..."
Friends of the Kern River Preserve
P.O. Box 833, Weldon, CA 93283
FedEx/UPS: 18747 Hwy. 178, Weldon, CA 93283
Email: krpfriends at lightspeed.net
Web Site: http://kern.audubon.org
