Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Anna's Blue butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Crescent Mtn, Linn Co, August 8 - male (L), female (R) Anna's Blue Plebejus anna Size: 1.0 - 1.25 inch wingspan Key ID features: Male shiny 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 tiny black spots, with row of orange checks, bordered inwardly with black and a small, light patch of iridescent blue, lighter and less clear (or absent) 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 much brighter orange borders and bolder iridescent patches on HW below. Northern Blues not found in Cascades. Host plant: Legumes, especially lupines and lotuses . Habitat: Moist, cool montane meadows and forest openings, and dry meadows among conifers, usually above 3000 ft. Range: Found in Cascade Range, Siskiyou Mtns, Klamath Mtns and Warner Mtns. Season: Early June to mid-October Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Mustard White butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Plunkett Cr, Benton Co, July 31 Mustard White Pieris marginalis AKA Margined White Size: 1.25 - 1.5 inches wingspan Key ID features: Above milky-white, with black shading basally (near the thorax). Below, hindwing veins faintly lined with brownish back bands. Summer brood males usually nearly pure white. Similar species: Cabbage White has black spot in center of FW. Host plant: Cresses, toothworts and other mustard species. Habitat: Openings in moist forests, usually coniferous. Range: Throughout western Oregon west of the Cascades, and in Ochoco, Wallowa Blue, and Warner Mtns. Season: Late March to early October 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 the Gorgon Copper butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Mt. Ashland Rd, Jackson Co, July 15 Gorgon Copper Tharsalea gorgon AKA Lycaena gorgon Size: 1.25 - 1.5 inches wingspan Key ID features: Male above coppery orange, with not spots, with purple irridescence when fresh. Female above light coppery orange with black spots, crescents and margins. Below HW grayish white with black spots, and submarginal row of black chevrons with orange borders. Similar species: Ground color of Great Copper above is more gray; below Great Copper lacks band of chevrons with orange borders below. Edith's is smaller and has brown spots below. Purplish Copper is smaller and has fewer and smaller black spots below. Host plant: Eriogonum nudum (bare-stemmed buckwheat). Habitat: Meadows, open areas along streams, roadsides. Range: Found in Siskiyou Mtns, Klamath Mtns, and Warner Mtns. Season: Late May to mid-August Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Eastern Tailed Blue butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Doral View Little Groundhog Mtn, Lane Co, July 22 - female Eastern Tailed-Blue Cupido comyntas Size: 0.75 - 1.0 inches wingspan Key ID features: Male bright blue above, female dark gray or gray-brown, with coppery-green iridescence when fresh. HW with white fringe and marginal band of black spots with gray borders. Below, gray or bluish-gray, with black spots rimmed with white, variable marginal band of spots and chevrons, orange patches next to small white-tipped tails. Usually shows black cell-end bar on FW above and below. Similar species: Western Tailed-Blue tends to be whiter below and usually lacks black cell end bar on the FW above. Host plant: Many species in the pea family including lupines, vetches and clovers . Habitat: Often in weedy, disturbed habitats, but also in native wet meadows and riparian areas. Range: West of the Cascade Range, Wallowa Mtns and NE Blue Mtns. Season: Early April 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

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. 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 Clodius Parnassian butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Mule Mountain Ridge, Lane Co, August 5, male Clodius Parnassian Parnassius clodius Size: 2.25 - 3 inches wingspan Key ID features: Above, white, gray/translucent wings with red spots, and all-black or nearly all-black antennae. Same general pattern below, but HW below often has additional red patches basally, and red spots in the median area usually have pink centers. Similar species: Mountain Parnassian (Parnassius smintheus ), which is smaller, and has boldy black/white barred antennae. Host plant: Pacific Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa ). Habitat: Mountain meadows and moist, open mountain woodlands, occasionally in lowlands. Range: Western Oregon, Blue Mountains, Ochocos, Warner Mountains. Season: late May to late August Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Directory with photos and links for all of Oregon's butterflies in the swallowtail, white and sulphur families. Swallowtails, Whites & Sulphurs Click photo for more details Clodius Parnassian Parnassius clodius Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus Western Sulphur Colias occidentalis Julia's Orangetip Anthocharis julia Pine White Neophasia menapia Checkered White Pontia protodice Mountain Parnassian Parnassius smintheus Pale Swallowtail Papilio eurymedon Queen Alexandra's Sulphur Colias alexandra Gray Marble Anthocharis lanceolata Mustard White Pieris marginalis Western White Pontia occidentalis Oregon Swallowtail Papilio machaon Two-tailed Swallowtail Papilio multicaudata Pelidne Sulphur Colias pelidne Large Marble Euchloe ausonides Cabbage White Pieris rapae Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon Clouded Sulphur Colias philodice Pink-Edged Sulphur Colias interior California Marble Euchloe hyantis Becker's White Pontia beckerii Indra Swallowtail Papilio indra Orange Sulphur Colias eurytheme Sara's Orangetip Anthocharis sara Desert Marble Euchloe lotta Spring White Pontia sisymbrii

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Greenish Blue butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Lincoln Cr Rd, Jackson Co, May 20 Greenish Blue Icaricia saepiolus Size: 0.85 - 1.25 inch wingspan Key ID features: Male bright blue above with narrow dark wing borders and white fringes. Female brown above with some blue scaling inwardly, and vague or no orange zigzag along trailing margin. Both sexes have distinct black cell end bars on FW above. Male blue-gray below with black spots and marginal row of black triangles. Female below brownish-gray with bold black spots, and orange edges to submarginal black spots on HW. HW below usually has two closely spaced black triangles edged with orange at anal angle of wing. Similar species: Boisduval's blues have black spots below with substantial white halos, and lack orange edged triangles at anal angle of HW. Hostplant: Several clover species (Trifolium ) . Habitat: Wet meadows and riparian areas with clover. Range: Irregular distribution pattern, in Cascades, Ochocos, Blues, Wallowas, Siskiyous, Klamaths and Warner Mtns, plus disjunct populations along the south and middle coast . Season: Late April to late August Abundance: Common inland, scarce along coast Conservation Status: coastal subspecies imperiled in Oregon.

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 .

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