Trip Report for Southern Tamaulipas, Mexico, October 19 — October 22, 2007
Participants: Gill Carter, Will Carter, Richard Lehman

Author: Richard Lehman, Weslaco, Texas

After crossing the border at Los Indios, we drove straight through to Los Troncones Canyon just north of Cd. Victoria with only a few brief stops at some blooming Eupatorium odoratum along the roadside north of Padilla. The flowering vines along the road into Troncones were in full bloom and crawling with butterflies, particularly hairstreaks, some pierids, and some nymphalids. We didn't have too much time to spend as we were trying to make it to a friend's house near Gomez Farias before dark.

Saturday morning we spent several hours working the road between El Encino and the low water bridge over the Rio Sabinas. The highlight was seeing an Emerald Aguna. Most of the action was around white flowering trees that were too tall for easy photography. After a brief side trip to Gomez Farias we drove on to the Cañon de la Servilleta just south of the Ocampo road before it crosses the Sierra de la Cuchara. A mile or so down the road we came to the beginning of the small village. The second house on the right had orange and pink bougainvilleas blooming in the fence. With these there were white flowering vines that hairstreaks usually love and sure enough a very fresh Regal Hairsteak posed for dozens of photos. Neora and Strophius Hairstreaks and four different Arcius Swordtails let us take many, many more photos. Once we finally tore ourselves away, we drove on to the river that flows through the canyon. A beautiful Damo Hairsteak was laying eggs and allowed us to photograph the entire process.We drove on to Ocampo and spent the night at a simple but perfectly adequate hotel (Las Cabañas). Cost was $125 pesos for a single room.

Sunday morning we left Ocampo and drove part way across the road from west of Ocampo to Naranjo. The roadside was drier than on previous trips and butterflies were not abundant. In fact, it was slow. Consequently, we decided to go back to Cañon de la Servilleta. All the hairstreaks from the previous day and a few new individuals were in the same vine. After cocktails on the terrace at Cumbres Inn in Gomez Farias, we went to a friend's house for the night.

Monday morning we explored the first few miles of the road from Azteca on the Rio Sabinas to Gomez Farias. This is beautiful semi-evergreen and evergreen forest and the road is very good. Some great hairstreaks have been reported on this road in the past. A blustery "norte" soon put an end to our trip, and we headed for the border.

A total of 190 species were identified.

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