Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Ruddy Copper butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Williams Prairie, Crook Co, July 26 - male Ruddy Copper Tharsalea rubidus AKA Lycaena rubidus Size: 1.1 - 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Male above very bright coppery orange, with few small dark spots . Female above brownish gray orange with black spots, and submarginal spot band, often with orange submarginal zigzag line. Female HW below white with orange wash with very light spots; FW below light orange with black spots. Male similar below with lighter ground color. Similar species: No other Oregon butterfly is as bright orange as the male. Female somewhat similar to Blue Copper, which lacks the orange zigzag above and the orange wash below. Host plant: Dock (Rumex ) species. Habitat: Riparian habitast (near water), including wet montane meadows. Range: Southeastern Oregon, and east of Cascade Mtns from Ochoco Mtns south. Season: Mid-May to late 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

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Nevada Skipper butterfly. Gallery Prev Next E Camp Cr Rd, Baker Co, June 22 Thank you to Dana Ross and Paul Hammond , volunteers at OSAC! Nevada Skipper Hesperia nevada Size: Up to 1.25 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above, bright tan-orange, dark wing borders fade into orange. Below dark gray-green with disjointed white spot band, with lowest white patch on outer band dramatically displaced inwardly. Similar species: Juba and Western Branded skippers also have the lowest white spot in the outer band displaced inwardly, but not nearly as much. Host plant: Grass species, including western needlegrass (Achnatherum occidentale ). Habitat: Sage-steppe plateaus, and ridge and peak summits, usually above 4500 feet. Range: Warner Mtns, Baker County, north end of Malheur County, south portion of Grant, Crook and Deschutes counties. Season: Early May to late July Abundance: Locally common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for Great Arctic. Gallery Prev Frissell Ridge, Lane Co, July 18 Great Arctic Oeneis nevadensis Size: Up to 2.5 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above orangish tan with dark wing margins and black eyespots, one or more on FW, one or none on HW. Male has dark brown wash on inner half of FW. FW below similar to above, but with gray and black striations along FW leading margin and on wingtip. HW striated with white and brown, dark brown zigzag median lines, and darker band along margin. Similar species: None in Oregon. Host plant: Grasses, but no specific species identified in Oregon . Habitat: Grassy habitats including wet and dry meadows, roadsides, riparian zones. Range: Cascade Range, Siskiyou Mtns, Klamath Mtns, Warner Mtns, Coast Range in Curry County. Season: Late April to late September Abundance: Common in even numbered years in most of range. Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Mormon Metalmark butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Trout Cr Campground, Jefferson Co, Sep 2 Mormon Metalmark Apodemia mormo Size: 1.0 - 1.2 inch wingspan Key ID features: Males above dark charcoal gray with reddish brown on the FW, and white spots of various shapes, broadly checked wing fringes. Female above similar but darker overall. Below HW with bold white patches against dark brown. FW mirrors pattern of FW above. Similar species: Looks vaguely similar to a copper, but none closely resembles it. Host plant: Many buckwheat species (Eriogonum ) . Habitat: Arid canyons and flats. Range: West of the Cascades, in Columbia and Snake River drainages, and along California border in Klamath and Warner Mtns, and in Cascade-Siskiyou NM. Season: Late July to early October Abundance: Uncommon 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 Western White butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Eagle Cap Wilderness, Wallowa Co, Aug 26 - female Western White Pontia occidentalis Size: 1.25 - 1.75 inches wingspan Key ID features: Above, male white with black or gray markings on forewing, female has more extensive markings on both wings. Below dark overscaling creates gray-green margins along hindwing veins, darker in spring. Similar species: Co-occurs with Checkered White in SE Oregon. The two species are not separable in flight. Female Checkered White is less sharply marked, often with olive or brown shades above instead of the gray-black of Western. Male Checkered White has narrower gray marks on the forewing margins with more white in between, and forewing markings are less extensive in general. Host plant: Many native species in the mustard family. Habitat: Open habitats, including woodland openings, mountain meadows, and barren areas above tree line. Range: Throughout Oregon west of the Cascade Crest. Season: Mid-March to mid-September Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Queen Alexandra's Sulphur butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Mtn Lakes Wilderness, Klamath Co, August 15 Queen Alexandra's Sulphur Colias alexandra Size: 2.0 - 2.8 inches wingspan Key ID features: Larger than any other Oregon sulphur, with more pointed FW. Below HW discal spot is white (not pearly) with no satellite spot, often unrimmed. Below HW has heavy black overscaling, giving strong green cast. Similar species: Clouded Sulphurs are smaller and have double ring around discal spot on HW below. Western Sulphurs are smaller and often have brighter pink wing borders. Pink-edged Sulphurs have more rounded wings, lack black overscaling below and have bright pink wing borders. Host plant: Various species in the pea family, especially Astragalus (milkvetch) and Medicago (alfalfa). Habitat: Meadows, roadsides, dry steppe slopes and forest glades. Range: Throughout eastern Oregon. Season: mid-April to mid-September Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for Common Ringlet. Gallery Prev Next Jones Canyon, Sherman Co, May 2 Common Ringlet Coenonympha california AKA Ochre Ringlet AKA Coenonympha tullia Size: Up to 1.5 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above plain creamy tan, sometimes peachy orange tan or whitish tan . Below dusky tan to yellowish tan, sometimes with light eye spots, and irregular light bands. Similar species: No similar species in Oregon. Host plant: Both native and non-native grasses and sedges . Habitat: Grassy habitats of all types. Range: All of Oregon except portions of central and northern coast and coast range. Season: Late March to late October Abundance: Very common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Northern Blue butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Catherine Cr Rd, Wallowa Co, July 8 Northern Blue Plebejus idas Size: 1.0 - 1.25 inch wingspan Key ID features: Male deep violet-blue above with black marginal band and white fringe. Female brown above with scalloped orange marginal band, clearer and bolder on HW. Below, light bluish gray with black spots, with row of marginal spots that are black inwardly, then orange, and outwardly black with a patch of iridescent blue, lighter and less clear on FW. Similar species: Male Acmon and Lupine Blues have orange band on HW above, and females of those species have no orange on FW above. Melissa Blue has brighter orange borders and bolder iridescent patches on HW below. Anna's Blues don't occur east of the Cascades in NE Oregon. Host plant: May be using plants in the pea family and/or heath family . Habitat: Moist, cool montane meadows and forest openings, and dry meadows among conifers. Range: Found from Ochocos to Wallowas and Blue Mtns in NE Oregon. Season: Early June to late August Abundance: Common 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 Great Basin Wood Nymph. Gallery Prev Next Picture Rock Pass, Lake Co, Aug 5 Great Basin Woodnymph Cercyonis sthenele Size: Up to 2 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above, brown or gray-brown with two eye spots on FW, lower eye slightly smaller, otherwise plain. Below, silvery striated brown with one to several small eyespots on HW, two large eyespots on FW (lower one smaller as above), but nearly equidistant from FW margin. Dark median line below lobed, but smoother than in Small Wood Nymph. Similar species: Small Wood Nymph is smaller, and HW median line below is more erratically jagged. Host plant: Undetermined grass species . Habitat: Sage-steppe, bunchgrass prairie, pinyon-juniper stands, ponderosa pine lands, oak-lined canyons. Range: Eastern Oregon, Siskiyou Mtns, Cascade Range from Lane County south. Season: Late June to late September Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure