Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Tailed Copper butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Crane Cr, Lake Co, July 4 - male Tailed Copper Tharsalea arota AKA Lycaena arota Size: 0.75- 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Male coppery brown above. Female FW above has broad dark brown marginal bands, dark patches around coppery-orange spots, and HW with similar pattern with scalloped orange band along trailing edge. Small white-tipped tails on HW, longer on females. Below HW is boldly marked with spots, chevrons, a submarginal white band and black spots circled with white, against gray-brown background (bolder in females). Similar species: No other coppers have tails. No hairstreaks in our area are similar. Host plant: Currants and gooseberries. Habitat: Moist meadows, canyons, mountain canyons. Range: Siskiyou Mtns, Central and Southern Cascade Mtns, Klamath Mtns, Warner Mtns, central Willamette Valley. Season: Mid-June to late September Abundance: Locally common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for Mylitta Crescent butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Hills Creek Rd, Lane Co, Aug 27, male Mylitta Crescent Phyciodes mylitta Size: Up to 1.5 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above, orange with black spots, checks and borders. Females have wider black border above. Fringes checked. HW above with submarginal band of small black dots circled with orange, on males this is below large unmarked orange patch. HW below cream, tan and brown bands and patches, and bright marginal crescent below midpoint, haloed with brown. Similar species: Pale Crescent is larger than Field or Mylitta. Mylitta lacks nearly rectangular black bar at trailing edge of FW above. Host plant: Mostly thistles, including Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle) . Habitat: Prairies, weedy fields, meadows, roadsides, marshes. Range: All of Oregon . Season: Late February to mid-October Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Western Branded Skipper butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Mtn Lakes Wilderness, Klamath Co, August 14 Western Branded Skipper Hesperia colorado Size: Up to 1.25 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above, male orange with very light jagged line of orange spots, narrow dark brown edges (not toothed), bold dark stigmata on FW. Above female brown with jagged row of light orange spots, some almost white spots near wing tip, also with dark brown edges, like teeth pointing inward . Below greenish gray with disjointed white bands, sometimes small or missing, lowest patch of white on outer band not displaced inwardly. Similar species: On HW below Nevada Skipper has the lowest segment of the outer white spot band strongly offset. Juba Skipper is larger, has dark jagged "teeth" on FW above. Uncas Skipper and Sandhill Skipper have prominent light veins below. Host plant: Various grass species. Habitat: Broad range of grass dominated habitats. Range: All of eastern and southwestern Oregon. Season: E arly May to late September Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Northern Cloudywing butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Staly Creek, Lane Co, June 25 Northern Cloudywing Thorybes pylades AKA Cecropterus pylades Size: Up to 2 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above very dark brown with a few narrow white bars and spots on FW. Bars and spots translucent. Below similar to above, dark brown with with a few narrow tan or off-white bars and spots on FW. Similar species: Western Cloudywing flies notably faster, perches on rocks, has shorter white sub-cell bar in FW. Host plant: Many legume species, but often associated with Lotus crassifolius in Oregon . Habitat: Canyons, clearings and flowery flatlands. Range: Cascade Range, Eastern Blue Mtns, Wallowa Mtns, Siskiyou Mtns, Klamath Mtns, Warner Mtns. Season: Late April to mid-July Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for Riding's Satyr. Gallery Prev Next Light Peak, Warner Mtns, Lake Co, July 14 Ridings' Satyr Neominois ridingsii Size: Up to 2 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above sandy gray-brown with elongated light tan to white patches on FW containing black eyespots with white centers. Sometimes one small eyespot on HW above. Below similar to above, but with HW having a more grizzled look crossed by zigzag dark lines and light vein lines. Very cryptic and difficult to spot when perched with wings closed. Similar species: None. Host plant: Grasses, but no specific species identified in Oregon . Habitat: Grassy habitats including sage-steppe, plateaus, montane meadows and dry hillsides. Range: Millican Flats area near Pine Mtn in Crook and Deschutes counties, Light Peak in Warner Mtns, Pueblo Mtns, Trout Creek Mtns. Season: Late June to mid-August Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Common Checkered Skipper. Gallery Prev Next Illinois River Rd, Josephine Co, April 23 Common Checkered Skipper Burnsius communis Size: Up to 1 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above, very dark brown, with gray shading basally on FW, boldly checked fringes and numerous bright white patches (longer than on Two-Banded) . Overall lighter than Two-Banded due to more white patches. Below large white patches, with jagged brown bands, edged in darker brown. Similar species: Two-Banded Checkered Skipper is darker, has fewer white spots above and less white below. Host plant: Various species in the mallow family. Habitat: Found in a wide variety of habitats, both disturbed and undisturbed. Range: All of Oregon except the far NW corner. 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 the Mourning Cloak butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Big Summit Prairie, Crook Co, June 19 Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa Size: Up to 3 inch wingspan and larger Key ID features: Large. Above deep maroon edged with black band with blue spots, and cream to golden marginal band with dark mottling. Below nearly black with striations and tan specks, pale tan submarginal band. Similar species: Above, unlike any other Oregon species. California Tortoiseshell orange and black above, below is more complexly marked and shaded. Milbert's Tortoiseshell is smaller, orange bands above, and below broad band of striated brown in outer half. Host plant: Willows, and many other shrubs and trees including alder, maple, poplar, spiraea . Habitat: In riparian areas, and other openings, usually near water. Range: Throughout Oregon . Season: Early May to mid-October. Abundance: Common. Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Gray Hairstreak butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Picture Rock Pass, Lake County, August 5 Gray Hairstreak Strymon melinus Size: 1.0 - 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Dark gray above (darker when very fresh). Orange patch and light blue lines bordering tails above. Light gray below with bold broken median black line edged in white, and vague submarginal band of black chevrons on HW. Two sets of tails, one short and one long, with two prominent adjacent orange patches below. Similar species: Female tailed-blues are smaller, with more rounded FW, and usually lack clear gray ground color below. Hostplant: A true generalist that uses a huge range of plants and plant families . Habitat: Virtually all open habitats. Range: All of Oregon. Season: Late March to mid-October Abundance: Very common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Sachem butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Boardman, Morrow County, August 24 - male Sachem Atalopedes campestris Size: Up to 1.5 inch wingspan Key ID features: Larger and longer winged than other comparable Oregon skippers. Above orangish-brown, with dark brown borders. Male with large rectangular black patch around stigmata and vague light orange pattern on HW. Female above with dark patch on FW, with pale yellow spot band beyond that, and HW with light orange spot band. Male HW below with broad light yellowish patches sometimes nearly enclosing a darker rectangular patch . Female below, with darker HW ground color and curved band of smaller, more distinct spots. Similar species: Yuma Skipper and Juba Skipper are of similar size. Yuma Skipper is plain above and below. Juba Skipper has green gray ground color below with bold white spot bands. Host plant: Various grass species. Habitat: Pastures, gardens, roadsides and open prairie. Range: Cascade Range, Siskiyou Mtns, Willamette Valley, Columbia and Deschutes river drainages. Season: Late May to late August Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Royal Avenue, Lane Co, May 28 Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus Size: 2.75 - 3.75 inches wingspan Key ID features: Upperside yellow with vertical black bands, prominent tails, blue chevrons above long single tail. Below, very similar to above, with red-orange shading in yellow marginal spots near the tail. Similar species: Anise Swallowtail has more black on forewing; Pale Swallowtail much paler; Two-tailed Swallowtail is larger, has double tails, broader yellow bands. Host plant: Willows, maples, and many other native trees. Habitat: Riparian areas, canyons, watersides, trail, parks, often near water. Range: Throughout Oregon, often lower than Pale Swallowtail, but sometimes up to 7,000 feet. Season: Mid-April - mid-August Abundance: Very common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Lustrous Copper butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Sand Cr, Klamath Co, June 25 - female Lustrous Copper Lycaena cupreus Size: 0.75- 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Above bold orange with bold black spots and borders, female with more and larger spots. Below HW gray or creamy gray with large black spots and orange submarginal line, sometimes segmented. FW below light orange with large black spots and grayish outer margin. Similar species: Lustrous is deeper orange than other Oregon coppers with black spots above. Host plant: Dock (Rumex ) species are suspected. Habitat: Wet and dry meadows, open areas along streams. Range: South Cascade Mtns, Ochoco Mtns, Wallowa Mtns, Steens Mtn. Season: Late May to late-August Abundance: Locally common Conservation Status: Secure

This page provides background on the Butterflies of Oregon website, and about the photography, the author/photographer, and the purpose and history of ButterfliesofOregon.com. This site will be updated periodically each year, so please visit often! The Project Butterflies of Oregon is both an online guide to Oregon's butterfly species and a record of my endeavor to photograph all of Oregon's regularly occurring and breeding described butterfly species inside the borders of the state. As I continue to pursue images of those remaining species that have as yet eluded me and my camera, I plan to use the website, the information I’ve collected, and the stories about the butterflies and the photos to educate interested folks about native butterflies in Oregon, their habitats, their ecology and their conservation. Public presentations, and educational publications are likely to come with time. Check back here for updates or sign up to be notified of new Blog entries. The Photos All of the photographs of live butterflies in this website were taken by myself, Neil Bjorklund, of wild, un-manipulated butterflies, within the borders of Oregon. These photos are the best images sifted from my library of more than 10,0 00 photos of butterflies in Oregon (as of fall 2023). Considering all the photos that weren't high enough quality to keep, it’s safe to say I’ve taken something like 12,000-15,000 photos of butterflies in Oregon to produce this set of about 300! The images of pinned butterflies from the Oregon State Arthropod Collection were taken by me and by Dana Ross, lepidopterist extraordinaire, with support from Paul Hammond who selected the specimens for us. Thank you, Dana and Paul! I took the live butterfly images primarily in the years 2002-2006 and 2014-2023, so over about 13 years (as of 2023). I have experimented with a variety of cameras and lenses over the years. I began the switch to digital photography in 2003 with my beloved Nikon CoolPix E995. The lion’s share of the photos were taken with these four digital set-ups: FujiFilm X-T1/X-T3 / X-T4 with a Fuji 80 mm F2.8 Macro Lens Sony RX10 Mark IV Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Nikon CoolPix E995 The Photographer I am an Oregon boy through and through, born and raised in SW Portland. The earliest I can remember attempting butterfly photos was on a family vacation in California in about 1968, and my images of Pipevine Swallowtails along the side of Highway 99 taken with my little plastic camera didn't come out very well. Eight years later (1976) I got my first "real" camera - a spiffy Nikormat FT3 SLR! With that camera I took my first decent photograph of a butterfly in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1979—a Common Buckeye on the shore of Green Bay. Click the "More"button below to see that photo and read more history. More