Presence and abundance of butterflies in the Wassuk Range, Sweetwater Mountains, and east slope of the Sierra Nevada, Nevada and California

These data document observed presence and abundance of butterflies in canyons throughout three mountain ranges in the western Great Basin (Mineral, Douglas, and Lyon Counties, Nevada and Mono County, California): the Wassuk Range, Sweetwater Mountains, and east slope of the Sierra Nevada. Data were collected from 2012 through 2015, inclusive. Records for each year reflect multiple visits (generally 5 or 6) at about 10-14 day intervals from early June through early to mid August. Data include species detected, date, location, and abundance. Data also include measures of the relative abundances of plants that serve as nectar sources and of mud from which butterflies obtain nutrients.
Data were collected to examine relationships between occurrence or occupancy of butterflies and topography and between occurrence of butterflies and birds. Data also were collected to investigate baseline variation in occurrence of butterflies in space and time. Knowledge of baseline variation informs assessment of possible effects of environmental change, whether natural or anthropogenic.
Original metadata date was 09/08/2015. Minor metadata updates on 12/15/2016.