Posted on Sep 21, 2024
This is the second year I went to the Sky Islands to look for D. grantii. My goal was to collect at least five individuals per population and to explore and discover additional mountain ranges where D. grantii might be living. Also, visiting Payson, where the highest number of D. grantii are found, was on my bucket list.
My first stop is always Fort Davis. This time I arrived here around 2 pm and it was very windy so I decided I was not going to do light sheeting. Instead, I visited the observatory.
The next day I went to Portal and camped there for a night. I did not need more individuals from here but this one of the Sky Islands I really like. It was a rainy day and I turned on mercury vapor pretty late due to the rain. Just 5 min after setting up, I got my first D. grantii of the year. It was so worth it, so I did not stay up too late.
Striped plateau lizard
Sceloporus virgatus
Black-tailed rattlesnake
Crotalus molossus
Just right after rain I finally set up the lightsheet
The first D. grantii of the year!
The second location was Sierra vista. This was a new spot, and I assumed that D. grantii should live here. The roads got washed out very badly on the way to the top. I checked a few other potential places but they were not good and the elevation was not high enough so I decided to give that road another try. I saw a lot of people coming down so I stopped to ask them. “ It's very rocky, and I didn’t make it to the top. “ was the answer I heard from multiple people.
I told myself that I’ll keep driving until it’s not drivable. On the way to the top, a U.S. Forest Service vehicle coming down, I flagged it and asked the driver. She looked at my truck and asked, "Is that four wheel drive?” “Yes” , I replied. She told me I should be able to make it and there’s a big hole. Most people would try to stay close to the wall, but if you want to make it you need to drive close to the cliff side. I kept her words in mind. When I saw that big hole, my right wheels were just a couple inches off the cliff.
I made it all the way to the top and I met a couple. I talked to them about my research and what I was doing. They invited me to join them for dinner. I stayed there for 2 nights but I didn’t get any D. grantii but some Chrysina spp.. I still don’t know if I just had bad luck or there’s not many D. grantii in that area.
C. beyeri & C. lecontei
Prionus californicus
18 ft. insect net.
Better to have and not need, than need and not have
Looking down at Carr canyon. And, here is one of those spots has signal
Monsoon season. The same spot just 30 min it can change a lot.
Next, I went to Mt. Lemmon, the place where I caught the only male last year and this is my favorite Sky Island. Once I got back service again, I received a text from the medical doctor I met on the top of Sierra vista. He told me if I was heading to Mt. Lemmon I could crash at his place in Tucson. At Mt. Lemmon I met another family from Utah. Daniel, the father, asked me if they could join me in light sheeting because they have never seen it before. That night we observed some cool moths and caught 3 D. grantii, including one male individual.
Daniel with first D. grantii encounter in his life
First male D. grantii of the year. Mt. Lemmon never disappoints me
A beetle wrangler!
Background is my favorite primitive camping spot.
Next morning I went to Summerhaven to get food and drinks before heading to Tucson. I texted Jonathan and we went to a bar and grabbed drinks before dinner. Next day I headed toward Payson. On the way, I had brunch with Cassi. We went to grad school together and she studied the immune system in opossums. That afternoon I arrived at Payson. At night I met up with Jay. We met online because of our mutual interest in beetles. In Payson you didn’t need any equipment for D. grantii. All you need is to walk around with a flashlight. As a result, I collected and kept around 15 individuals just right before 10 pm.
Cassi and me having brunch together
Jay and I after collecting
The result of walking around Payson, AZ
Some of large males I got. One is from Mt. Lemmon and the other is from Payson.
The last stop was Mt. Graham. reaching about 10,700 ft. There were no previous records from this mountain so I did not have much expectation. It was a windy night and very slow. But suddenly, I heard a loud noise and something dropped about 10 yards away from the sheet. It was a male D. grantii. Even though I only caught one, it was still exciting to confirm that D. grantii are present here.
A male D. grantii from Mt. Graham. code MG1!
Ten-lined June beetle
Polyphylla decemlineata
The big difference between Mogollon Rim and Sky Islands, I believe, is population size and the habitat. In the Sky Islands, I had to set up everything and wait all night just to catch a single individual. In Payson, I only need to walk around to find dozens.
In conclusion, this is another successful fieldwork expedition. I collected enough samples for my study, met new friends, and caught up with old friends. Now I am back in Texas, it is going be a super busy semester. extraction, sequencing, and my qualifying exam are all on the horizon. Stay tuned for what I’ll discover both in the lab and out in the wild.