There it goes! Did you miss it? That was the Quino Checkerspot Butterfly flight season gliding by. Better luck next time. This species has reached mythical status for me. I have a permit to survey for it, but over the past couple years, it seems like I never get a chance to see it.
As part of maintaining a permit, one has to take the test every so often as required by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). I took the Quino Checkerspot Butterfly test back in November of last year. It’s probably about the fourth or fifth time I’ve taken this test. It should be a breeze for someone like me, but as always, it was actually somewhat stressful.
It’s well known that this test is not something to be taken for granted, although I’ve thought about it. I first took the ‘Quino test’ way back in 2002, and the voice in my head tells me I have nothing to worry about. Colleagues and family tell me I have nothing to worry about. I’m a veteran. I’ve probably seen all the test video clip versions that are available. I’ve conducted USFWS protocol surveys for the Quino Checkerspot Butterfly for over the last 15 years.
I studied anyway. I ran through my homemade flash cards. I compiled and studied all of my butterfly photos. I looked at pinned specimens. I studied photos of pinned specimens. I ran through other people’s homemade flash cards. I did all these numerous times. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. After taking the test recently, I firmly believe one cannot study enough.
I’ve known colleagues who have stumbled into this test without studying much at all, pass, and then go on their merry way to QCB surveys in the spring. I can’t do that, although I envy them.
The Quino Checkerspot butterfly, or QCB, is rare. It’s also my main source of work in the early spring, hence the reason I had to retake the test. The USFWS has a policy that if you don’t observe QCB over the course of two survey or “flight” seasons, you have to take the QCB test as a refresher and be current for the third season. I can see why they have this policy, but I can also see why some people are not a fan of it.
As important as Quino surveys are to my income, I actually love to do the surveys. It can’t be too cloudy, cold, or windy during QCB surveys (which presents its own challenges, especially this year). I get to witness the spring bloom, from the earliest emergence, through senescence. I cover a lot of ground in remote areas and often get a solid workout. I get to run like a lunatic with a butterfly net and get paid to do so! The authorization, or more accurately, privilege to conduct these surveys is very important to me.
Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to observe a QCB over the last two seasons (2017 and 2018), though not for lack of trying. I spent upwards of 130 hours surveying for QCB last year, and well over 200 hours the year before that. The mythical QCB is rare.
The test is given at the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office and has two parts, a video portion and a pinned specimen portion. The video portion of the test is a big source of anxiety. It’s where they show clips of live butterflies that we, the test takers, have to identify. I’ll just say the video quality is not the strongest, hence the anxiety. In the video clips, some butterflies are mercifully on the ground. All bets are off when there’s a checkerspot on a tuft of red brome wagging in the wind.
Photo Credit: By Brian Lohstroh
