Butterflies In the Desert: As They Fly Away

28 Sep Butterflies In the Desert: As They Fly Away

One step out of the ordinary, to look for butterflies, record data, and to capture a photo of these dainty insects. The butterfly survey had a great many climbs that challenged me both mentally and physically. One the most important aspects of hiking 4 days a week in 100-degree weather is to be prepared for anything! Take the extra water in case a hike takes longer than expected. I even learned how plants, insects, and wildlife are all connected to each other. I saw many reptiles and amphibians. Remains of skunks, foxes, and large predator traces. There are sometimes cultural, or human impacted areas of the park, and many nature trails. There are 25 different cacti species in the park, the most common are cholla, prickly pear, pin cushion, Barrel, and saguaro cacti. There are a great many diverse plants including ocotillos, mesquite trees, and agaves.  From data collection to photo capturing and to Identifying species of butterfly not seen at Saguaro National Park before. I can recall common and most scientific names of butterflies. In Arizona there are over 300 species of butterflies and we found an impressive number of species in the park. There are so many parts to all the field skills and knowledge I have acquired. The rewarding beautiful desert hikes have taught me to overcome challenges in an instant and find new ways of overcoming sometimes scary situations. The work as a butterfly intern at Saguaro National Park has helped shape my perspective and future goals to educate others and to share my passion for hiking and animals. This gives me the ability to be passionate about what the future holds, and I look forward to all the opportunities that come my way.