Butterflies of Latir Peaks, Taos County,NM

Butterflies of Latir Peaks,
Taos County, NM
Natural Resource Institute, July 2010
Where are the Latir Peaks?
The Latir Peaks are located in the Carson
National Forest, a few miles northeast of Questa,
in northern Taos County, NM.
High-country lovers usually pass them by in favor
of Wheeler Peak, New Mexico’s more accessible
and highest summit, only 20 miles to the south.
Natural Resource Institute, July 2010
Why the Latir Peaks?
The Latir Peaks Wilderness
contains 8 of New Mexico’s 53
peaks exceeding 12,000 ft
elevation.
No one had ever before
documented the butterflies
living there.
Onset of climatic warming will
probably doom these tundra
species to local extirpation.
Natural Resource Institute, July 2010
Target Species
Our hit list of butterflies included:
Oeneis polixenes (not seen in NM since 1987)
Erebia magdalena (known from only 2 NM sites)
Lycaena cupreus (known from only 2 NM sites)
Oeneis melissa
Natural Resource Institute, July 2010
July 9, 2010
After camping the previous night at Cabresto
Lake, we hiked up to Heart Lake via Lake
Fork.
Natural Resource Institute, July 2010
Heart Lake, 11,400’
We made camp here on July 9.
Natural Resource Institute, July 2010
At Heart Lake we saw lots of these.
Greenish Blue
(Plebejus saepiolus)
•
Natural Resource Institute, July 2010
On July 10 we hiked
from Heart Lake up
through fog to the Latir
Peaks. At 12, 734’,
Venado Peak is the
highest.
Venado Peak
•
Natural Resource Institute, July 2010
Looking Northwest
Lustrous Copper
(Lycaena cupreus)
Mead’s Sulphur
(Colias meadii)
Natural Resource Institute, July 2010
Melissa Arctic
(Oeneis melissa)
Variable Checkerspot
(Occidryas anicia eurytion)
Chryxus Arctic
(Oeneis chryxus)
Uhler’s Arctic
(Oeneis uhleri)
On July 11, we
descended the
way we came,
via Lake Fork.
Purplish Copper
(Lycaena helloides)
Purplish Fritillary (Boloria montinus)
Northwestern Fritillary
(Speyeria hesperis electa)
Hoary Comma
(Polygonia gracilis zephyrus)
Satyr Comma
(Polygonia satyrus)