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 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

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 Sierra Nevada Blue butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Bradley Lake Meadows, Douglas Co, July 13 - male Sierra Nevada Blue Agriades podarce AKA Sierra Blue Size: 1.0 - 1.2 inch wingspan Key ID features: Male dusky gray-blue to sky blue above, dark gray wing borders with white fringes, black cell end bars (FW), and white circles with black centers along trailing margin. Female mostly gray to gray-brown above, with prominent FW cell end bar and light blue-gray circles with dark centers along trailing margin. Below FW and HW have black spots ringed with white, and submarginal row of black checks or chevrons rimmed in white against brown or gray-brown background, with marginal row of black spots rimmed with white. Similar species: Arctic Blue has white patches against dark gray background on HW below, and may or may not still exist in Oregon. Host plant: Likely to be Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon aplinum and D. jeffreyi ) . Habitat: Moist meadows above 5,000 feet. Range: Along the crest of the southern Cascades, along the western border of Klamath County. Season: Late June to early August Abundance: Uncommon 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 Orange Sulphur butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Upper Mule Prairie, Lane Co, August 2 - male Orange Sulphur Colias eurytheme Size: 1.3 - 2.3 inches wingspan Key ID features: Males above, bright orange with unbroken black border. Females above either bright orange or greenish white with "window" spots breaking up black border. Below, central pearly "discal" spot on HW with small satellite spot, and two pinkish-brown rings, and submarginal row of black or brown "eurytheme spots." Similar species: Western Sulphur and Clouded Sulphur are lemony yellow, lacking orange. White females difficult to separate from Clouded Sulphur, but often HW border is stronger in female Orange Sulphur. Host plant: Many species in the pea family. Habitat: Most commonly seen in meadows, pastures, fields and other open habitats. Range: Throughout Oregon Season: Late March to early November Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Izee Rd Meadow, Grant Co, July 1 - male Great Spangled Fritillary Argynnis cybele AKA Speyeria cybele Size: Up to 3 inch wingspan Key ID features: Male orange above with thin black veins, black shading near the body, black irregular lines inwardly, and bands of black spots and chevrons near wing edge. Female striking white to cream above with similar black markings as male. Below male has dark orange "disc" on HW with silvery-white spots and warm tan submarginal band. Below female has dark brown disc with silvery-white spots and tan to ivory submarginal band. Similar species: Female Great Spangled is unmistakable. Male has lighter black markings above along wing edge than other greater fritillaries, and silver spots on HW disc below are much smaller in proportion to size of disc (disc looks more empty) in comparison. Host plant: Violets (Viola ) especially Viola glabella (stream violet) . Habitat: Open meadows, openings in oak-pine forest, lower slopes of mountains in eastern Oregon. Range: Western and southwestern Oregon, Ochoco Mtns, Blue Mtns, Wallowa Mtns, Warner Mtns, Steens Mtn, Mt Jefferson area. Season: Early June to early October. Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure .

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Ancilla Blue butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Sage Hen Rest Stop, Harney Co, June 12 Ancilla Blue Euphilotes ancilla AKA Rocky Mountain Dotted Blue Size: Up to 0.85 inch wingspan Key ID features: Small. Male blue above with narrow dark wing borders. Female dark brown above with variable orange zigzag along trailing margin. Both sexes have checked fringe on FW. Below yellowish-gray with bold black spots, and orange edges to submarginal black spots on HW, often forming solid band. Similar species: Best told from other Euphilotes blues by host-plant association, location and flight period. Host plant: Eriogonum sphaerocephalum (rock buckwheat). Habitat: Well-drained sites where hostplant grows, including gravelly slopes and roadsides. Range: Harney County . Season: Late May to early July Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure