Cowiche Canyon April 18. Al Wagar

Robinson Canyon & Reecer Canyon, June 6. Al Wagar

Swakane Canyon, June 13. Al Wagar

Little Pend Oreille 4th of July butterfly Count, July 12. John Baumann

Though numbers of species and total number of butterflies seen were both low, we were really pleased with a very good human turnout of 17 counters, the highest yet so far, making two sizable teams. Further, we were able to locate some of the area’s more interesting skippers, Peck’s Skipper, the Long Dash and the Dun Skipper. The two latter species did not deign to show up until after everyone had broken up for the day, hiding out in plain sight near Brenda’s and my (John Baumann’s) campsite in a personal appearance. We located 24 species. Given the high heat we are considering trying before the holiday next year and are tentatively looking at June 27. So put it on your calendar now.

Chumstick Mountain, July 11. Al Wagar

Bethel Ridge, July 18. Al Wagar

Corral Pass, Pierce Co., August 2. Regina Johnson

The weather was a mixture of sun, clouds and thunderstorms as we reached the 6,100 ft. vista point on the Rainier View Trail, a 1-mile hike south of Corral Pass. Mount Rainier was moody, partially cloaked in clouds, but the views were still spectacular. We had lunch in the sun at a rocky viewpoint while Arctic Blues flitted just below around their Spotted Saxifrage host plants. A big thunderstorm was brewing just east of Mt Rainier and was slowly progressing our way. When the lightning reached within 2 miles we retreated a little lower, taking refuge under trees for a heavy brief rainstorm. After the storm passed we continued in the sun up the ridge to the south. While many of us stayed back, a few daredevils (most notably Bob Hardwick channeling his inner mountain goat) continued up the rocky ridge to a high point ½ mile farther on and 6,400 ft elevation. Towering just beyond is in- accessible Castle Mountain. Butterflies were not abundant; wildflowers were widespread and interesting, but the state of blooming suggested we were still early in the season at these elevations. Both flowers and butterflies will surely increase in coming weeks. Kudos to Regina Johnson and Marty Witt who bravely drove up the daunting Corral Pass Road (aka the ‘Road from Hell’ – don’t try it in a Prius).

Sauk Mountain August 8, 2015. Al Wagar

First WBA Monarch Tagging Event a Great Success! David James

On Saturday August 23, a group of 25 WBA members assembled at 9am at Lower Crab Creek near Vantage in eastern Washington. The Monarchs were already flying as we drove into this area dominated by Russian Olives and Milkweed.

I have been monitoring Monarch populations at this site for two years and it has been exciting to see a steadily increasing population during this summer. A few days before the tagging event I counted 74 Monarchs in a 3 hour period! So the timing and weather were perfect for our first attempt at tagging a wild population of Monarchs in Washington. To my knowledge this has never been done before. Before now we have not been aware of a large population of Monarchs at a single site sufficient to make tagging a viable proposition.

After quick instruction on how to tag a Monarch, the group dispersed over the habitat in small groups seeking their quarry. Monarchs were seen flying and were chased but the group soon learned it was more profitable to net them as they fed from the blooms of Purple Loosestrife.

By lunchtime more than 30 Monarchs had been tagged! Unfortunately, they became harder to find after lunch as they sought shade in the increasing temperatures. However, by the time the group set off home, we had tagged 41 Monarchs! This I think is the largest number of naturally occurring Monarchs tagged on a single day at a single location in Washington.

One of the goals of my research on Monarchs in Washington is to determine their overwintering destinations. One or two Monarchs tagged in earlier years in Washington have been found at overwintering sites in California but some observational and tagging evidence suggests that some may fly more directly southward, perhaps ending up in Mexico. Perhaps one of the 41 Monarchs WBA members tagged will help by providing another piece of data? I will certainly let you all know if one of our 41is recovered!

My sincere thanks to everyone who participated in the Monarch Tagging event. You will all be mentioned in the scientific paper I will write in a few years on Monarch population biology at Lower Crab Creek.

Despite the doom and gloom surrounding Monarchs and their population decline, we’ve had a great year for Monarchs in Washington! Numbers have been higher than seen for at least 5 years and hopefully this will continue. If it does we will certainly hold more tagging days.

David James, Monarch Tagging Event Organizer

Sheep Lake, Sept. 6

This was the last WBA field trip of the year. Unfortunately Bob, the leader, died two days before the trip. Some members decided to go anyway, and to spend time at the lake reminiscing about Bob.

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