After things started to warm up, I decided to run over to the Curve-winged Metalmark spot on the Rio Grande off Rio Rico Road. As many as a hundred Curve-winged Metalmarks have been reported at this location and I was happy to count forty of them prior to the on coming cold front. They were also putting on quite a show. Some king of weird interspecific orgy is going on in this first photo. Hope that Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak knows what it's doing.
Also at this spot were several Red-bordered Pixies and a couple of stunning White-striped Longtails.
From there I ran over to Santa Ana NWR where Robin Zurovec was celebrating her first Evan's Skipper. It was only my second. She later found two more which was pretty unusual for a bug this rare.
A Panoquina congener, Purple-washed Skipper, was nearby. Notice the long hind wing and prominant wing veins characteristic of this genus.
Robin and Troy also found a Violet-banded Skipper and I later found a second.
Troy told me about a huge Guava Skipper he saw on the trails. I may have found it as this one had to have a wingspan of at least three inches. What a beauty!
Another beauty was this smart Soldier.
Yesterday Honey and I ran out to Starr County to look for stuff. Mike Rickard, Ginny Musgrave and John Rosford found a White Scrub-Hairstreak which I missed but I did get to see their nice Red-crescent Scrub-Hairstreak at Falcon State Park.
Other interesting stuff included Coyotoe Cloudywing, Mexican Yellow and Olive-clouded Skipper.
