Day 3, August 7th, 2009

Today we made our to the ranch at Cave Creek, AZ where we will be staying. We drove south for a couple of hours along a dry, flat basin. The land was covered with creosote bushes. I learned that they secrete a toxic substance that kills off all other plants so they can reign supreme. A little later as we progressed along the highway and up on altitude, the topography began to change. Mesa's and tall rock faces began to appear. We stopped here to collect some caterpillars, but found very few due to the lack of rain. Later, as we approached the foothills of the Chiricahuan Mountains, we entered an area of dry grasses, followed by thickets of mesquite and acacia trees. Finally, we arrived in Cave Creek which is comparatively quite lush. There are dozens of humming birds flitting around. The creek is dry and so is the air, but the temperature is much more reasonable. We spent the rest of the day setting up the lab at the Southwest Research Station and collecting caterpillars. (On the way to the lab we saw a rattlesnake by the road. It was a four footer!) At night we star gazed and watched the bats feeding on moths. Dr. Wagner set up a vapor light to attract moths. Hundreds came of all shape and sizes.