The first one up is the Big Bear Fall Butterfly Count. We ran this for the first time last year, and when I asked if folks wanted to run it again this year, I had about 15 people say yes. The fall Big Bear count count will be on Saturday, September 14. Most folks will meet at the Angelus Oaks Cafe at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast and assignment to specific areas. Some folks, mainly from the Morongo Basin will go directly to their assigned locations, mainly in the northern part of the count circle. The Big Bear Count is often the best count in southern California, but this year conditions in late summer have not been too favorable for butterflies so we'll have to see what happens on count day. The roads in the Big Bear can be quite rough so if you have a truck or 4WD vehicle, I'd suggest bringing it. We have one area we need to survey (Arrastre Creek) that, at the moment, I don't know how we'll get out to since no one who wants to go there has a rugged enough vehicle for the road conditions.
We haven't yet set a formal date for the fall Joshua Tree count, but it looks like it will be on Saturday, October 12. Whatever the date, we'll meet at the Joshua Tree Visitor Center at 8 a.m. as we have done in the past. Conditions right in the park now are not very good for butterflies, but we have received some recent rains so things may improve by early October.