Terry & Diana's
Photography and More

Arizona and New Mexico 2015

Diana and I started our trip attending the Western Odonata Blitz in southwestern New Mexico. The base was at City of Rocks State Park south of Silver City. After the meeting, Diana and I searched around in Arizona for several days before going home. Mostly a photographic excursion for odes, moths, and whatever else we could find.

August 26

Diana and I left home at 9:00 am and arrived at City of Rocks State Park at 8:00 pm. Several other individuals were already there for the meeting. Most of us stayed at the group camping area.

The next three photos are from the City of Rocks State Park

August 27

We hung around the park most of the morning. The hosts arrived around 9:00 am and gave everyone instructions on the area. They then took us over to a stock tank on the north side of the park to check it for odes.

Archilestes grandis (Great Spreadwing)

Aspidoscelis uniparens (Grasslands Whiptail)

Boopedon nubilum (Black Grasshopper)

Cicindela sedecimpunctata (Tiger Beetle)

Enallagma civile (Familiar Bluet)

Hobrookia maculata (Lesser Earless Lizard)

Hobrookia maculata (Lesser Earless Lizard) baby

Ischnura demorsa (Mexican Forktail)

Lestes alacer (Plateau Spreadwing)

Libellula saturata (Flame Skimmer)

Phrynosoma cornutum (Texas Horned Lizard)

Plebejus acomon

Rock Squirrel

Sympetrum corruptum (Variegated Meadowhawk)

Sceloporus cowlesi (Southwestern Prairie Lizard)

Wilson's Phalarope

In the afternoon we were directed to Katfish Kove Fishing camp on the Mimbres River south of the state park. Luna County. Way to many bullfrogs.

Anax junius (Common Green Darner)

Enallagma praevarum (Arroyo Bluet)

Rana catesbeiana (American Bullfrog) shouldn't be here.

August 28

This morning the group went to the West Fork of the Gila River in the Cliff Dwellings National Monument. Diana and I walked up to the dwellings instead following the group up the river. We did see a couple of good odes before we left the group and a few critters up the canyon.

Road going into Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

Our first dragonfly was a good one. Aeshna persephone (Persephone's Darner) In the parking lot.

On the trail to the dwellings.

Some of the dwellings

A few photos of some things we saw on the way up to the dwellings.

Argia lugens (Sooty Dancer)

Argia plana (Springwater Dancer)

Adelpha eulalia (Arizona Sistor)

Hetaerina vulnerata (Canyon Rubyspot)

Paltothemis lineatipes (Red Rock Skimmer)

Sceloporus cowlesi (Southwestern Prairie Lizard)

Sceloporus poinsettii (Crevice Spiny Lizard)

Urosaurus ornatus (Tree Lizard)

This is what dragonfly chasers look like.

Back at the State Park. Black-tailed Jackrabbit

Back at the State Park. Desert Cottontail

August 29

The group headed back up to the Gila Cliff Dwellings again, but this time is was on the Middle Fork of the Gila behind the Visitor Center. Diana stayed back at camp this time. I rode with one of the participants. This was a very good morning for odes. I think everyone was pleased with the results.

Enjoying the river chasing dragonflies and damselflies.

Archilestes grandis (Great Spreadwing)

Argia moesta (Powdered Dancer)

Argia nahuana (Aztec Dancer)

Erpetogomphus compositus (White-belted Ringtail)

Erpetogomphus heterodon (Dashed Ringtail)

Erpetogomphus heterodon (Dashed Ringtail)

Erpetogomphus lampropeltis (Serpent Ringtail)

Enallagma praevarum (Arroyo Bluet)

Green Birdwing Grasshopper

Hetaerina americana (American Rubyspot)

Hesperagrion heterodoxum (Painted Damsel)

Telebasis salva (Desert Firetail)

Back at camp the hosts had a meal prepared for everyone. We visited and discussed what we had seen on the trip. This was the close of the meeting. We will be leaving in the morning.

August 30

Diana and I got up early and headed down to Deming, New Mexico to go to Church. Nice little group. We ate and then headed for the Chiricahua Mountains in Southeastern Arizona. There had been a good amount of rain before we arrived. The creek was up. We found a good level spot in the back of Rucker Canyon camp ground. We walked around a little before dark and then set up a bug light to see what would come in.

Argia tonto (Tonto Dancer) female

Dynastes granti (Western Hercules Beetle)

Below are three of the better looking moths that came to the light.

Chrysoecia atrolinea

Chrysoecia thoracica

Synchlora pectinaria

August 31

A cool morning for August. I looked at birds briefly until the sun warmed the surroundings. Diana and I packed up and headed down to the creek to see what was flying. Very few odes were out on the creek.

Adelpha eualia (Arizona Sister)

Cyllopsis pyracmon

Eurema proterpia

Phyciodes tharos

Pyrrhopyge araxes

Hermit Warbler

Mexican Jay

Plumbeous Vireo

Hetaerina vulnerata (Canyon Rubyspot)

Paltothemis lineatipes (Red Rock Skimmer)

Mallow

Grasslands south of the Chiricahua Mountains looking back at them.

The road we were on. Looks good during the rainy season.

We headed down to Douglas to eat and then went back north to White Water Draw Wildlife Management Area.

Enallagma civile (Familiar Bluet)

Enallagma praevarum (Arroyo Bluet)

Ischnura demorsa (Mexican Forktail)

Ischnura hastata (Citrine Forktail)

Lestes alacer (Plateau Spreadwing)

Perithemis intensa (Mexican Amberwing)

Rhionaeschna multicolor (Blue-eyed Darner)

Sympetrum corruptum (Variegated Meadowhawk)

It looked like it was going to rain everywhere, so we decided to go up the Roper Lake State Park and hook up for the night. It was nice to get showers and clean up. It rained at dusk so much that it flooded the camp ground. The spadefoots started calling so I went out looking for them. I had to go through and under some brush, but it was worth it. I got a few photos.

Scaphiopus couchii (Couch's Spadefoot)

September 1

I looked along the dam area at Roper Lake before leaving to other areas. The view of the Graham Mountains to the west was great this morning.

Pinaleno Mountains (Graham's) west of Roper Lake State Park. Morning after rains the night before.

Still lots of water in the camp ground this morning. Eurasian Collared-dove getting a drink.

Anax junius (Common Green Darner) Always lot of these at this lake.

Dythemis fugax (Checkered Setwing)

Datura (Jimson Weed) A night bloomer

Pachydiplax longipennis (Blue Dasher)

Rhionaeschna multicolor (Blue-eyed Darner) mating

We headed for Workman Creek which is between Globe and Young, Arizona on AZ 288. We got there at 12:30 pm. I thought this was going to be great after seeing a spiketail dragon as soon as we turned on the road that follows the creek, but we didn't see very much.

The scenery on the way up to Workman Creek was great.

At the start of the road north of Globe.

Some of the canyons getting to the higher country.

The forest along Workman Creek

Argia plana (Springwater Dancer) female

Argia tonto (Tonto Dancer)

Cordulegaster diadema (Apache Spiketail) The only one that hung up and he was too high.

Gyrocheilus patrobas

Leptotes marina

Poanes taxiles (Taxile Skipper)

Young, Arizona from the south.

Roads going to are not paved until you get to town. The roads in town are paved and the road north is paved for a short distance.

Diana and I headed up to Alderman Camp Ground on Haigler Creek. It had rained before we arrived but the roads were OK. I set up the bug light to see what would come in.

Dynastes granti (Western Hercules Beetle) only one came in to the light.

Xyloryctes jamaicensis (Rhinocerus Beetle) Several of these came in to the light.

Below are a few of the moths that came to the light.

Choristostigma elegantalis

Cisthene martini

Prorella gypsata

Xerochlora inveterascaria

September 2

Here is our camp site at Alderman Camp Ground on Haigler Creek also the creek and a sign at the parking lot to the creek.

Good looking creek. I thought I was going to see more than I did.

We need more signs like this.

Agave

Apodemia mormo

Cogia hippalus

Erynnis meridianus (Meridian Duskywing)

Argia plana (Springwater Dancer)

Enallagma praevarum (Arroyo Bluet)

Hesperagrion heterodoxum (Painted Damsel)

Hesperagrion heterodoxum (Painted Damsel)

Hetaerina vulnerata (Canyon Rubyspot)

Ischnura demorsa (Mexican Forktail)

Sympetrum corruptum (Variegated Meadowhawk)

Sceloporus cowlesi (Southwestern Prairie Lizard)

More clouds were building, so we headed up out of the canyon and headed east. We stopped at Show Low to eat lunch and then washed clothes in Lake Side. We found a camp site at Benny Creek Camp ground north of Greer.

Going up out of Haigler Creek canyon.

Looking back down were we had come from.

Septemger 3

It rained off and on most of the night. When we woke the sun was out. We packed up and headed down through Greer and parked at the end of road at a trail head. I had read that there was good spot for Apache Spiketails there.

Cordulegaster diadema (Apache Spiketail)

Cordulegaster diadema (Apache Spiketail)

Mourning Cloak

I barely had enough time to get the photos of the butterfly and the spiketail before the clouds rolled in again. By the time I got back to the pickup, it started raining. Diana and I spent the rest of the morning at museum in town learning about the history of the area. We got a text from Troy telling us that someone had found a Straight-tipped Ringtail in Bear Canyon on the south side of the Huachuca's. So we headed for Parker Lake Camp Ground. We got there pretty late.

Some scenery shots on the way.

Grasslands just south of Alpine, Arizona

This is why everyone loves the rainy season in Arizona.

Looking southeast from a look out before heading down into the canyon country.

Big dump truck down at the mines north of Clifton, Arizona. Some of the biggest open pit mines in the country.

We got to Parker Lake after dark. Got a camp site. Rained off and on all night.

September 4

Cloudy and dizzle off and on all day. We did not go over to Bear Canyon because we wanted sun. Diana and I did walk down to the lake anyway. It was cloudy, cool, and wet. We did find a few odes hanging low to the ground in the grass.

A fisherman on the lake.

The grass and tall vegetation around the lake was good for resting odes.

Enallagma basidens (Double-striped Bluet)

Erythrodiplax basifusca (Plateau Dragonlet)

Enallagma civile (Familiar Bluet)

Ischnura damula (Plains Forktail)

Libellula luctuosa (Widow Skimmer)

Paltothemis lineatipes (Red Rock Skimmer) female

Pseudoleon superbus (Filigree Skimmer)

Perithemis tenera (Eastern Amberwing)

Tramea lacerata (Black Saddlebag)

Started raining again and rained until an hour after dark. Pretty much relaxed the rest of the day.

September 5

This was our last chance to get the ringtail that had been seen in Bear Canyon. We were up early and headed over to Bear Canyon. Of course it was cloudy and cool. We got there at 8:00 am and I tried a couple of times to see if anything was out with no success. I waited and waited and finally at 10:30 am the cloud cover broke and the sun was out. What a difference that made.

The area above Bear Canyon on southwest side of the Huachuca Mountains.

A few photos before the sun can out.

Sulpher-bellied Flycatcher

Papilio multicaudata (Two-tailed Tiger Swallowtail) on Cardinal Flower

Some of the odes I found.

Argia extranea (Spine-tipped Dancer)

Argia hinei (Lavender Dancer)

Argia lacrimans (Sierra Madre Dancer)

Argia nahuana (Aztec Dancer)

Argia plana (Springwater Dancer)

Argia tonto (Tonto Dancer)

Archilestes grandis (Great Spreadwing)

Hesperagrion heterodoxum (Painted Damsel)

Hetaerina americana (American Rubyspot)

Libellula satruata (Flame Skimmer)

Erpetogomphus lampropeltis (Serpent Ringtail)

I got him. I got him!!! Only a handful of these have been seen in the U.S. This made my day or maybe year for chasing odes.

Erpetogomphus elaps (Straight-tipped Ringtail)

Erpetogomphus elaps (Straight-tipped Ringtail)

Erpetogomphus elaps (Straight-tipped Ringtail) female. I didn't realize I had got a female until later looking at my photos.

We headed out of Arizona toward New Mexico. A couple of images before we left.

Southern edge of the Huachuca Mountains from Coronado Pass

The border fence east of Coronado Pass

We ate in Sierra Vista and then headed for Carsbad, New Mexico. Spent the night in a motel 6.

September 6

Diana and I went to church at Sunset Church of Christ with our cousins H.D. and Carolyn Lamberth. After eating lunch and visiting with them for awhile, we headed for Monahans State Park. On the way we stopped at Eunice, New Mexico in Lea County at the Eunice Municipal Recreation Area lake. Lots of common odes here, but none have been documented on Odonata Central.

Argia sedula (Blue-ringed Dancer)

Enallagma civile (Familiar Bluet)

Enallagma praevarum (Arroyo Bluet)

Erythemis simplicicollis (Eastern Pondhawk)

Ischnura damula (Prairie Forktail)

Lestes alacer (Plateau Spreadwing)

Libellula luctuosa (Widow Skimmer)

Libellula pulchella (Twelve-spotted Skimmer)

Libellula saturata (Flame Skimmer)

Pachydiplax longipennis (Blue Dasher)

Plathemis lydia (Common Whitetail)

Sympetrum corruptum (Variegated Meadowhawk)

Tramea lacerata (Black Saddlebag)

We spent the night at Monahans State Park.

September 7

A picture of the sands before we left.

On the way home Diana and I stopped at the Pecos River, Pecos County, west of Imperial on FM 11.

Anax junius (Common Green Darner)

Argia moesta (Powdered Dancer)

Argia sedula (Blue-ringed Dancer)

Dythemis fugax (Checkered Setwing)

Enallagma civile (Familiar Bluet)

Ischnura barberi (Desert Forktail)

Macrodiplax balteata (Marl Pennent)

Tramea onusta (Red Saddlebag)

We ate lunch in Iraane and then headed home.