Santa Clarita and Northern Los Angeles County Area Butterfly and Moth Site
Dead Mountains road trip, March 6,7 2005
These shots show the mountain range's northern edge, viewed from the powerline road,
looking south. During the day (left) and at sunset (right). The smaller ridges and
canyons to the right were the ones explored on this trip into the mountians.
The terrain is typically rocks/sand/gravel with fresh green flora (left
photo). The right two shots show the "foothills" which are scattered
around the alluvial plain to the north of the main mountain range. These
hills are anywhere from 20 to 100 feet high and are magnets for
hill-topping species including Swallowtails, Vanessids, Orange Tips,
Marbles (right two pictures).
These 4 shots show one of the larger canyons located on the north end of
the range. About 1/2 mile up the canyon, water rose to the surface and
flowed short distances before absorbing back into the sandy soil, only
to re-appear a hundred or so feet further downstream. This (and other
steep rocky canyons) were loaded with Neumoegen's Checkerspots. They
were so numerous that territorial "squabbles" involving up to 4 males
fighting for a choice patch of canyon bottom were common. Females were
found nectaring and searching for host plant in the smaller
perpendicular revines. In addition to checkerspots, Painted Ladies were
common as they migrated northward. Oddly, I saw no Pimas, Marbles
or swallowtails in the canyons at any time.
These are three nice shots of a Neumoegen's Checkerspot as it nectars on
fiddle-neck and hold a territory on the canyon bottom.
The two right pictures show a yet to be identified (suspected to be V.
cardui) larva found on fiddle-neck. The next two are the same larva in
the lab, and after pupation (3-10-2005). The left two photos show Hemileuca
larvae (burnsi?) on Fremont Indigo Bush, which has just started to grow
new foliage.
