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Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Northern White Skipper. Gallery Prev Next Baldy Cr Rd, Jackson Co, June 28 (new county record) - male Northern White Skipper Heliopetes ericetorum Size: Up to 2 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above pearly-white, with "chains" of dark brown chevrons along wing margins, light on males, bolder and more extensive on females . Below white with irregular vague bands of light tan, pinkish brown or mustard. Similar species: No other similar species in Oregon. Host plant: Various species in the globemallow family. Habitat: Various habitats in arid areas including riverbanks, canyons, roadsides, lower elevation forest openings, weedy fields and alfalfa fields. Range: Primarily Columbia, Deschutes, Snake River and Owyhee river basins, but also recent records in southern Lake and Jackson counties. Season: Early May to early October Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Butterflies of Oregon has exquisite photos and information about all of Oregon's native butterfly species, covering the identification, distribution and biology of each species. A lively blog provides seasonal stories and updates from the field. Butterflies of Oregon Welcome to Butterflies of Oregon, a resource for Oregon butterfly enthusiasts, with photos of all of Oregon's regularly occurring butterfly species and information to help you find and identify them. Butterflies of Oregon also shares stories of the author's attempt to photograph all of Oregon's butterfly species in the wilds of Oregon. Thanks for visiting! www.butterfliesoforegon.com Subscribe to Blog Thanks for submitting! Email Us

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Chalcedona Checkerspot butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Kinney Cr Rd, Jackson Co, May 26 Chalcedona Checkerspot Euphydryas chalcedona Size: Up to 2.75 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above black with alternating red and white spot bands separated by black lines. HW below has red and white bands, which, from the margin run red-white-red-white-white. Submarginal spot band on dorsal HW has larger pale ivory spots than other similar species. Similar species: Edith's checkerspot has red-white-red-red-white band pattern on HW below. Snowberry Checkerspot has smaller spots in the submarginal band on the dorsal HW, often more red on forewing, and longer forewings. Hostplant: Several species in the figwort family, including paintbushes (Castilleja ), penstemons, and monkeyflowers . Habitat: Mountains and high canyons. Range: Warner Mtns, southern Klamath Mtns and in Jackson and Josephine counties along the border with CA . Season: Late April to early August Abundance: Locally common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Lareg Marble butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Hat Point Rd, Wallowa Co, June 30 Large Marble Euchloe ausonides Size: Up to 1.75 inches wingspan Key ID features: Above, milk-white with black pattern on FW tip and narrow black bar in forewing cell, sometimes with light white scaling. Below, bold green marbling with yellow wash against white background and yellow veins. Similar species: California Marble and Desert Marble are smaller. California Marble has pearly or shiny look to white areas on VHW, and green marbling is often darker. Desert Marble lacks white scaling on forewing cell bar, and DFW tip markings often black rather than dark gray. Host plant: Many cruciferous species. Habitat: Open montane and foothill slopes, dry meadows and canyons, sage steppe habitats. Range: All of eastern Oregon and southwestern Oregon south of Douglas County. Season: Late March to late July Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Spring Azure butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Fitton Green, Linn County, March 26 Echo Azure Celastrina echo AKA Pacific Azure Size: 1.0 - 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Male lilac-blue above, with no black markings. Female dusky-blue, with few marginal spots ringed with gray, FW with dark bands on outer edge. Below, bright gray-white, with very light marginal band of chevrons, and small black spots. Below, gray discal bars on both FW and HW. Similar species: Light markings below with no tails or orange spots distinctive and usually easy to distinguish from other blues. Host plant: Many shrub species including red osier dogwood, elderberry, madrone, snowbrush, and oceanspray . Habitat: Shrubby habitats and riparian areas. Range: Most of Oregon except dry basin and range areas on the east side of Cascade Mtns. Season: Late February to early October Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for Common Alpine. Gallery Prev Next Coyle Cr Rd, Crook Co, June 29 Common Alpine Erebia epipsodea AKA Butler's Alpine Size: Up to 2 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above very dark brown with orange patches containing small black eyespots with white centers--two closely spaced eyespots and sometime two or more additional smaller eyespots on FW, three to five eyespots on HW. Below similar to above, but with HW having a slightly grizzled or rough look compared to clean dark brown above. Similar species: None. Host plant: Grasses including Foxtail bristlegrass (Setaria italica ) . Habitat: Grassy habitats including sage-steppe, plateaus, montane meadows and dry hillsides. Range: Northeastern Oregon in Ochoco Mtns, Wallowa Mtns, Blue Mtns. Season: Early May to early August Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Northern Checkerspot butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Crane Cr, Lake Co, May 30 - male Northern Checkerspot Chlosyne palla Size: Up to 1.75 inch wingspan Key ID features: Highly variable. Male above, bands of orange and sometimes yellow-orange, separated by black lines, crescents and checks . Female often darker than male above. Below bands of off-white and brick red with black veins and edges. Often on HW below, submarginal red band has yellowish centers in red spots. Similar species: Sagebrush Checkerspot pure white rather than off-white below. Hoffman's Checkerspot darker basally on HW above. Host plant: Not well-documented, but likely species in the aster family . Habitat: Sage desert, pinyon-juniper savanna, washes, gulches, canyons and brushy flats. Range: Meadows, roadsides, streambanks, clearings . Season: Late March to early August Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Directory with photos and links for all of Oregon's butterflies in the skipper family.

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Sheridan's Hairstreak butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Wolf Mtn, Lane Co, June 22 Sheridan's Hairstreak Callophrys sheridanii AKA Sheridan's Green Hairstreak Size: 0.8 - 1.0 inches wingspan Key ID features: Above both sexes light gray or brown. Below dark green when fresh, with black scaling, lighter green with gray when worn. Below, HW post median white band variable, sometimes bold. Below, FW mostly green. Often perches directly on the ground. Similar species: Bramble and Western Green primarily perch on shrubs or host plant. Bramble HS is usually found in more moist habitats, whereas Sheridan's is usually found in hotter, drier, well-drained sites. Host plant: Many buckwheat species (Eriogonum ), including Eriogonum umbellatum. Habitat: Washes, canyons, draws, high rocky-chutes, alpine swales. Range: Southern Cascades, Siskiyou Mtns, Warner Mtns, Steens Mtn, Ochoco Mtns, Blue Mtns, north central Oregon. Season: Early March to early August Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Uncas Skipper butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Millican Flats, Deschutes Co, June 24 Uncas Skipper Hesperia uncas Size: Up to 1.4 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above, male brownish orange darker wingtips with light orange spots. Above female brown with jagged row of light orange spots. Below dark greenish gray with lighter veins, and disjointed white bands joined by thin vein lines. Similar species: Sandhill Skipper has light veins below but they are tan or yellowish. Nevada Skipper lacks light veins, and has the lowest segment of the outer spot band strongly offset on HW below. Host plant: Grass species. Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides ) is suspected in Oregon. Habitat: Sage-steppe, hot dry plains, alkali basins, arid canyons. Range: Far southeast corner of Harney and Malheur counties, alkali and sage flats in southern Crook and northern Jefferson counties. Season: Late May to late June Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Checkered White butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Lost Lake, Linn Co, August 26 - male Checkered White Pontia protodice Size: 1.5 - 2.0 inches wingspan Key ID features: Extremely variable and challenging to ID with certainty. Above, white with black, brown or charcoal checks, bars or chevrons. Below yellow-veined with brown or olive chevron marks. Similar species: Western White has darker and more extensive DFW markings and, and bolder yellow-green markings on the VHW, especially along veins. On Western White males, the gray triangles along the FW tip usually are joined to each other, while on Checkered White they are often separate. Pattern of veins on the forewing also differ as seen here . DFW markings in female Checkered Whites are often more extensive and brownish gray. Host plant: A wide variety of both weedy and native cruciferous species. Habitat: Arid habitats, both disturbed and undisturbed. Range: Primarily in southeast Oregon and east of Cascade Mtns, with scattered records in the Willamette Valley and Coast Range. Season: Earl June to late September Abundance: Uncommon in Oregon Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Sagebrush Checkerspot butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Big Indian Gorge, Harney Co, June 20 - male Sagebrush Checkerspot Chlosyne acastus Size: Up to 1.75 inch wingspan Key ID features: Male above, bands of pale orange and yellow-orange, separated by black lines, crescents and checks . Basal 1/3 of HW above sometimes black with little orange. Male often lighter than female above. Below bands of chalk-white and brick red with black veins and edges. More white below than other similar species. Similar species: Northern Checkerspot darker above, and with off-white rather than white below. Host plant: Several species including green rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus ), gray rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa ), desert yellow fleabane (Erigeron linearis ) and asters in the genus Dieteria . Habitat: Sage desert, pinyon-juniper savanna, washes, gulches, canyons and brushy flats. Range: Mostly below 5000 feet in SE Oregon deserts, and below 3000 feet in Columbia and Snake r iver basins . Season: Late April to late June Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure