Springtime in Palo Duro Canyon

 

This spring of 2024, my husband and I made six trips to Palo Duro Canyon State Park to view the butterfly life. The last several springs had been pretty dry starting off, and many of the wildflowers didn’t bloom, or bloom much. This spring, a wetter late winter and early spring assured a decent wildflower bloom, and hopefully, butterflies. (Hackberry Emperor at left on cactus bloom.)

 

We had last visited Palo Duro Canyon in consecutive trips in the spring of 2019, mainly observing the progression of wildflower blooms. In 2019, our first trip was on May 13^th, after the golden puccoon colored the open land bright yellow and purple feather dalea flowers along the canyon walls and slopes have finished. (Purple feather dalea photo from 2024.) Each week, our hike started at the top of the Canyon, parking at the scenic overlook. We loved this hike, walking along juniper and mesquite, up and down the rocky crags. We were able to see a variety of micro niches where different plants and flowers grew along side, like the prairie broom-rape (Orobanche ludoviciana), a parasitic plant I’ve only seen this once, cloakfern and moss, always nested among the rocks.

 

We had hiked there a few times the previous fall, watching the grasses grow and change with the late season, so it was interesting to see the grasses after winter and in early spring. One little bend in the trail opened up into an enchanting grass meadow. Our hike was perfectly timed to see the grasses backlit by the rising morning sun.

 

Along this trail the first flowers – Perky Sue, scarlet beeblosson, gaillardias, yucca, wild onions and some Opuntia cacti -- were in bloom. Prickly pear cacti pads were arrayed with semi circle buds everywhere we hiked. I didn’t note any butterflies, nor did I have photos of any on flowers this week. At this point, what I really searched the ground floor for was small cactus blooms such as the lace cactus,  Echinocereus reichenbachii; pincushion cactus, Coryphantha vivipara, nipple cactus, Mammillaria heyderi and the hedgehog/claret cup cactus, Echinocereus cocciceus and E. triglochidiatus. It was a little early for these blooms.

 

The next week, May 22^nd, we observed flowers seen last week plus calylophus, spotted beebalm, feabane daisy, Indian Blanket, and silver-leaf nightshade decorating the Canyon floor. We viewed a Variegated Fritillary on a golden Gaillardia, Gaillardia pinnatifida, and a Red Admiral on an old plainsman wildflower. Yucca glauca, syn. angustifolia blooms were ubiquitous. Yucca are so ever-present in the landscape, one would think they bloom and set seed every year. Not so, as I would learn in dry years, when there was hardly a bloom to be seen.

 

By May 30^th, the array of wildflowers became impressive. Joining the display were blackfoot daisies, lace cactus, coreopsis, Engelmann’s daisy, tansy asters, paperflowers, the first purple coneflowers, white milkwort, antelope horns, prairie zinnia, yellow flax and threadleaf groundsel. Engelmann’s prickly pear blooms were prolific throughout the Canyon, drawing in many bees. Each cactus bloom lasts only for a day or too, with only one, or maybe two open per pad at a time, so the entire bloom period, in wet years, can be spread across six weeks. It was the most impressive cactus blooms we had seen in years, with even some pads fully in bloom at the same time.

June was equally stunning with Missouri evening primrose, cholla, New Mexico prickly pear, and headgehog cactus blooming profusely. Skeleton plant, Fendler’s and white penstemon, white loco and pink prairie clover lighting up the hiking trails. The winter and spring had enjoyed so much moisture, moss growing on the rocks was clearly visible on some exposures. More Red Admirals, Common Buckeyes and Reakirt’s Blues were seen.

 

We were mainly hiking to see the wildflowers, and noticed an increase in butterflies as the weeks ticked by. In addition to the upper CCC Trail, we would drive down to the Canyon floor and take a few smaller walks down different trails to observe a few more niches.

 

We continued hiking on June 12^th and 18^th, until the heat closed in and flowers diminished. However, before that, hog potato, day flower, prairie evening primrose and bush morning glory and especially ratibida – red, yellow and mixed colors, poked up through Indian blankets and coreopsis. We continued to see Red Admirals, American Ladies, Reakirt’s Blues, Hackberry Emperors, checkered whites, Queens, Variegated Fritillaries and Black Swallowtails on American Basket flowers. I don't know if I really appreciated the bounty of Palo Duro Canyon in 2019. Looking back on these photos, I had never seen the Canyon so green and lush!

 

The variety of butterfly species weren't as great as I would notice in coming years, as the butterflies were an incidental, rather than intentional, benefit of our hikes. 2019 was a terrific wildlife year in the Canyon. In addition to the flowers and butterflies, bees, dragonflies, birds (road runners, turkeys and quail included), and lizards, complete with a Texas horned toad, filled out our fauna discoveries. We hadn’t seen such a gorgeous display since then, including 2024. Seeing so many different butterflies in the Canyon piqued my interest in the numbers and different species to be seen. This was before I began my observation of Local Butterflies at our home garden, which I began during the first Covid year in 2020, and continues to this day.

 

2024 in Palo Duro Canyon State Park

 

Our 2024 butterfly observation in Palo Duro Canyon State Park began on May 1^st, and continued for six consecutive weeks through to the last visit on June 5^th. We’d usually arrive in the Canyon about 10:00 a.m. and stay until 2:00, hiking, observing at different locations in the Canyon, mainly on the Canyon floor. In the next few weeks after June 5^th, the Canyon was closed off when late spring rains made trails impassable. After that, summer’s heat settled in, blooms diminished as did the butterflies (or so I think).

 

As expected, the butterfly observations started slow, and picked up as the spring bloom unfolded. I wanted to start early in May, to observe whether butterflies were active this early. Feather dalea, a woody shrub to 3 ½ feet, was in full bloom throughout the Canyon. As we drove along the floor of the Canyon, it’s purple haze colored the slopes, pleasantly contrasting with yellow wildflowers. The first butterflies were cabbage whites. Then I noticed a butterfly on an Antelope Horns -- a Juniper Hairsteak, sparkling like a little jewel. Of the local small butterflies, this green and orange gem is my favorite. Maybe because it’s the only butterfly I’ve seen with green coloring. It’s described as orange with brown margins on the upperside. But one rarely sees the upperside, and rightly so, as the underside of the wings, usually held upright, are the most colorful with green, white, orange and black markings and tail. The green is almost florescent when it reflects back bright sunlight. (Hackberry Emperor on three leaf sumac in berry at left and Juniper Hairstreak on the right.)

 

Orange Sulphurs darted here and there. On our hike, we noticed two Red Admirals and Black Swallowtails, a Painted Lady and several Common Sootywings. They were actively flying past us as we hiked where I had to chase them down to identify, rather than quietly sipping nectar waiting for me to take a photo like the Juniper Hairstreaks were. Not a bad start for the spring.

 

On May 8^th, six Black Swallowtails where observed at different locations in the Park, all in flight. Along the part of the Rock Garden trail, I had stopped as my husband went further up. Within a minute, a Red Admiral flew past, where I followed it to a tree where tiny blossoms were just opening. I later observed a Gulf Fritillary and six Orange Sulphurs throughout the Canyon. At our last stop, at the bird observation point, I noticed a small reddish butterfly, which I didn’t believe I’d ever seen before. It was darting among the short grasses along the trail, but I wasn’t able to get a photo for identification until two weeks later, and it wasn’t shown in my butterfly book. The Black Swallowtails must have started moving up through our area, as later in the week I observed them in our own garden in Amarillo (but not before). (Photo of Southwest Red Satyr on the left.)

 

The third week, May 14^th, we were kept on our toes after seeing a road runner, then a snake. The roadrunner kept the same distance between us as we kept trying to inch closer for a better look. Only three Orange Sulphurs, one Red Admiral, and a Common Checkered Skipper. As we walked along a thicket, I could see we disturbed a medium large brown butterfly. Yes, two Hackberry Emperors. Very thrilling, as we hadn’t seen one in five years.

 

Hackberry Emperors are medium-large butterflies up to nearly 3 inches across, with mostly brown, white and black uppersides, with one or two eyespots on the forewing and one bar and two dark spots in the “discal cell” located in the front core of the forewing. The underside hindwing has a row of large black eyespots near the margin, with the underside being grayish with many dark lines. I understand, descriptions barely do the butterfly justice. If you see a brownish butterfly, does one think “is there one bar and two dark spots in the discal cell in the front core of the forewing?” Having a photo, or several, makes the identification possible until one feels comfortable enough to identify it “on the fly,” as will happen with experience. One of the cool things about observing butterflies are recognizing their patterns of life and flight. (Hackberry Emperor, ventral side, on branch on the right. Photo at the very top of this GardenNotes is a Hackberry Emperor, dorsal side, where you can easily see the bar and two dark spots in the discal cell in the front core of the forewing.)

 

Hackberry Emperors can usually be found among hackberry trees, their larval host, rather than flowers, preferring oozing sap, fresh and decaying fruit, dung, carrion and muddy puddles. Having said that, I did observe Hackberry Emperors on Opuntia and paperflowers. Hackberry Emperors are known as friendly butterflies and will alight on sweaty skin for the salt. All members of the hackberry genius (Asterocampa) lay their eggs on hackberry trees and members of the Celtis genus (formerly in the elm family, currently placed with the Cannabis family), as well as the American Snout, which is in the Libytheana genus. Hackberries are common throughout the southwest and east to Florida and as far north as southern Wisconsin, wherever hackberries are found.

 

Back at the bird blind, I spotted two Dainty Sulphurs and a mule deer as I went chasing a photo of the Dainty Sulphurs. The low numbers caused me to wonder if we were hiking too early in the day. (Silvery Checkerspot on the left, Pearl Crescent on the right.)

 

On May 22, a warmer day, we noticed butterflies as soon as we reached the bottom of the Canyon. Our tally for the day was one Hackberry Emperor, Red Admiral, a Common Sootywing, Gray Hairstreak, and a Variegated Fritillary. Two Checkered Whites, three Orange Sulphurs and Juniper Hairstreaks, ten Dainty Sulphurs, and at least 20 Marine Blues on different trails. I looked closely to see if they were all Marine Blues, and as far as I could tell, they were. I was also able to identify the small reddish butterfly seen on May 8^th as a Southwest Red Satyr, a grass loving buttterfly. I saw it again in tall grass by the river after lunching in the shade among some trees.

 

As May heated up, so did the number and diversity of butterflies. On May 29^th, I observed one Painted Lady and Red Admiral, two Silvery Checkerspots and Common Sootywings, three Black Swallowtails and Variegated Fritillaries, four Common Checkered Skippers, five Hackberry Emperors and seven Gray Hairstreaks and Pearl Crescents, eight Dainty Sulphurs, ten Juniper Hairstreaks and Clouded Sulphurs. And at least 20 Marine Blues again and 27 Reakirt’s Blues. On another trail, I spotted one Southwest Hackberry Emperor (Astercampo celtis antonia), which is not as commonly seen, but not uncommon either. The Canyon was a fluttering! I would’ve liked to have stayed all day to see what else I could see. (Photo of Southwest Hackberry Emperor on the right on paperflower.)

 

June 5^th turned out to be our last trip to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. I observed one Silvery Checkerspot, Variegated Fritillary, a Painted Lady and a Common Buckeye; two Pearl Crescents and Queens; three skippers; four Southwest Red Satyrs; five Dainty Sulphurs; six Gray Hairstreaks, seven Common Checkered Skippers, nine Clouded Sulphurs, and fifteen Reakirt’s Blues. I checked the Reakirt’s blues carefully to be sure I wasn’t mistaking some for Marine Blues. No Marine blues on June 5^th, but one Square Spotted Blue, as best as I can identify it. If I hadn't been meticulously checking to see if they were all Reakirt's Blues, I doubt if I would've noticed the Square Spotted Blue.

 

The Square Spotted Blue, or Buckwheat butterfly (photo on the left), can be found mostly west of Texas to the Pacific Coast in areas where buckwheat wildflowers (Eriogonum species) grow. Their underside is off-white to gray with black spots close to the margin ranging from square to round and from large to small and a line of orange spots between the rows of black spots. They are commonly found in New Mexico, so it shouldn’t be considered too out of region in Palo Duro Canyon, where wild buckwheat, Erigonum annuum grows and flowers June to October. This Buckwheat Blue is the fourth blue I’ve seen in the Texas Panhandle, along with Marine, Reakirt’s and Western Pygmy Blue (seen on a different part on the eastern rim Palo Duro Canyon in July, and usually in our garden in September and October).

 

Over the six weeks on morning and early afternoon hikes, I identified 25 different species of butterflies. Of these, the Southwest Red Satyr, Southwest Hackberry Emperor and the Square Spotted Blue were new to me. I saw at least three butterflies/moths I wasn’t able to identify. On any given day, one will see a somewhat different kaleidoscope of butterflies, never the same, along with all the other flora and fauna of Palo Duro Canyon. Notably, I did not see a Monarch butterfly. I hope Monarchs will regroup from their recent low numbers and return to our skies in coming years.

 

Observing wildflowers and butterflies in consecutive weeks certainly increased my curiosity overall about the flora and fauna of Palo Duro Canyon. One interest led to another that is just as satisfying, year to year. Indeed, naturalist observation can be done anywhere, even in one’s own  garden. Take notes, take photos and then ponder the results. Looking back, I can remember the immediate terrain specific butterflies were observed and the thrill of seeing another species I have never observed before. Now, I also wonder, how much more there is yet to observe. (Reakirt's Blue on Golden Gaillardia on the left, Red Admiral in spring blossoms on the right.)

 

I haven't room to include photos of many of the butterflies I observed in Palo Duro Canyon State Park this spring. I included photos of butterflies not seen, or rarely seen, in my garden. Photos of butterflies can be seen in my series Local Butterflies, Local Butterflies 2021, Local Butterflies 2022, and Local Butterflies 2023 and the plants that attracted them for the past five years. The last in the series, Local Butterflies 2024 will be posted shortly.

Butterflies Observed in Palo Duro Canyon Spring 2024*
Rank by Days Observed	Species	Number of Days Observed	Total Number Observed
1	Red Admiral	5	6
2	Dainty Sulphur	4	25
3	Orange Sulphur	4	16
4	Hackberry Emperor	4	15
5	Common Checkered Skipper	4	13
6	Clouded Sulphur	3	20
7	Gray Hairstreak	3	14
8	Black Swallowtail	3	11
9	Southwest Red Satyr	3	7
10	Checkered White	3	6
11	Variegated Fritillary	3	5
12	Painted Lady	3	3
13	Reakirts Blue	2	42
14	Marine Blue	2	40
15	Juniper Hairstreak	2	13
16	Pearl Crescent	2	9
17	Common Sootywing	2	6
18	Silvery Checkerspot	2	3
19	Queen	1	2
20	Gulf Fritillary	1	1
21	Southwest Hackberry Emperor	1	1
22	Common Buckeye	1	1
23	Square Spotted Blue	1	1
	Cabbage Whites	2-3	nearly every day
	Grass Skippers	1	3
Six Days, approximately 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Canyon floor trails
May 1, May 8, May 14th, May 22nd, May 29th and June 5th

  Angie Hanna, November, 2024 

(Common Buckeye, and Dainty Sulphur.)