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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 the California Tortoiseshell butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Buford Park, Lane Co, June 2 California Tortoiseshell Nymphalis californica Size: Up to 2.5 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above bright orange with black and white patches on the leading edge of FW, a few smaller black spots on FW, and dark border on FW and HW. Below striated two-toned with darker inner half and brown outer half with darker margin, and often a dark gray-blue submarginal line. Similar species: Above, Milbert's dark basally with bright orange rim. Below, Milbert's Tortoiseshell more distinctly two-toned, outer band lighter, more variable and more gray than brown. Host plant: Ceanothus species include snowbrush (C. velutinus ), deerbrush (C. integerrimus ) . Habitat: While dispersing, may be found in any habitat, including in the middle of urban areas. Otherwise in mountain slopes, canyons, meadows, riversides, road edges and shorelines. Range: Throughout Oregon . Season: Late January to early December. Abundance: Common, abundant in some years. Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the California Hairstreak butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Eight Dollar Mountain Rd, Josephine Co, June 4 California Hairstreak Satyrium californica Size: 1.0 - 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Dark gray-brown above. Below, lighter gray-brown with median black spot band lightly edged with white. On HW below, black v-shaped or checkmark-shaped spot next to blue patch below tail. Inner edge of blue patch on hindwing often bordered by orange. HW (and often FW) below has submarginal band of black lines or checks edged outwardly with orange. Similar species: Sylvan HS is generally more lightly marked, lacks the black V-shaped spot next to the blue HW patch (checkmark or dash instead), and orange halos only on two or three submarginal black crescents on HW . Host plant: Primarily Purshia tridentata (Antelope bitterbrush) and Ceanothus velutinus (Snowbrush) . Habitat: Buckbrush scrub, oak woodlands, canyons. Range: East slope of Cascades, most of SE and SW Oregon, Wallowa Mtns. Season: Early May to early September Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Gold-hunters Hairstreak butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Kinney Cr Rd, Jackson Co, May 26 Thank you to Dana Ross and Paul Hammond, volunteers at OSAC! Gold-hunter's Hairstreak Satyrium auretorum Size: 1.0 - 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Light brown above. Slightly darker brown below with variable uneven spot bands, and submarginal band of black chevrons, female more strongly marked. Tail barely noticeable, with adjacent blue frosted patch, and one or two of the chevrons with a small orange patch. Similar species: Somewhat similar to Hedgerow HS, which has more defined median line on HW below. Mountain Mahogany HS is more grayish below, often with a more frosted look. Host plant: Oaks (Quercus ), primarily Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana ) . Habitat: Oak-pine stands and shrubby habitats near oaks. Range: Along California border in Jackson County and SE Klamath County. Season: Early June to mid-July Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Dreamy Duskywing butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Box Canyon Meadows, Lane Co, July 9 Dreamy Duskywing Erynnis icelus Size: Up to 1.5 inch wingspan Key ID features: Small for a Duskywing. Males have hump at leading edge of FW. Above, FW gray-brown with frosted band and spots, no hyaline (translucent) spots near FW tip as on other Duskywings. HW plainer gray-brown with vague light spots. Below brown with light spots and pale gray patch near FW tip. Similar species: Other duskywings are larger, and have translucent hyaline spots on FW. Host plant: Willows and aspens. Habitat: Open meadows and road cuts, up to mid-elevations. Range: Siskiyou Mtns, Cascade Range, Blue Mtns, Wallowa Mtns, northern Coast Range. Season: Early April to late July Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Brown Elfin butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Grassy Glade, Lane Co, June 25 Brown Elfin Callophrys augustinus Size: 1.0 - 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Above both sexes brown or orangish brown (females), unmarked. Below HW violet to pink scaling over brown, usually two-toned with basal half somewhat darker, rarely with irregular median line, and sometimes light submarginal spot band. Similar species: Thicket HS has prominent "W" in white median line, is blue above, and submarginal spots on HW run entire length of trailing margin. Host plant: Wide range of plants including salal, madrone, manzanita, huckleberry, and many others . Habitat: Pine-oak woodlands, manzanita and salal thickets, sage-steppe, roadside seeps. Range: Most of Oregon except dry bottomlands east of the Cascade Range. Season: Mid-February to Late July Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Silver-Bordered Fritillary butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Williams Prairie, Crook Co, June 22 Silver-Bordered Fritillary Boloria myrina ( Was Boloria selene) Size: Up to 2 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above bright citrus orange with black veins, and black irregular lines, black bands of spots and chevrons that point inward. Checked fringe, light orange. Below HW is complex pattern of pearly silver/white patches, cream patches, burgundy patches and burgundy veins. Similar pattern on FW tip below, remainder of FW bright orange with black markings. Similar species: Pacific Fritillary has softer black submarginal markings above, and submarginal black triangles that point outward. Below Pacific has softer pattern of mauve, lavender and pale orange in the outer half of HW. Host plant: Violets, mostly Viola palustris (Marsh violet) and V. nephrophylla (Bog violet). Habitat: Marshy fields, riparian areas with willows. Range: Found in isolated colonies in Ochoco Mtns, Strawberry Mts, Wallowa Mtns. Season: Late May to mid-August (varies by site) Abundance: Locally common Conservation Status: Secure .

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Behr's Hairstreak butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Sand Creek, Klamath Co, July 1 Behr's Hairstreak Satyrium behrii Size: 0.8 - 1.0 inches wingspan Key ID features: Both sexes orange-brown above. Below, gray-brown with white edged black markings against gray on HW. FW below mousy brown with small submarginal spot bands. Very short stubby tails or no tails. Similar species: May be confused with a Hedgerow HS, which has more prominent, white-tipped tails, with an adjacent blue patch and a darker brown ground color. Host plant: Antelope bitterbrush (Purshiana tridentata ) . Habitat: Shrub-steppe, canyons, riparian areas, canyons, oak-pine forests. Range: Siskiyou Mtns, east slope of Cascades, and most of Oregon east of the Cascades except for Blue Mtns. Season: Early May to early September Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure