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Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Western Cloudywing butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Oregon Mountain, Josephine Co, June 4 Western Cloudywing Thorybes diversus AKA Cecropterus diversus Size: Up to 1.75 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. Tends to perch on elevated rocks rather than on ground or plant. Similar species: Northern Cloudywing has shorter and wider sub-cell white bar on FW, and male lacks costal fold. Northern Mexican Cloudywing has striations below on the outer portion of wings. Host plant: Various clover (Trifolium ) species . Habitat: Damp hillsides, creeksides, clearings in coniferous forest. Range: Very restricted range near CA border in Josephine County and Klamath County. Season: Mid-May to early July Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for Small Wood Nymph. Gallery Prev Next Mill Cr Rd, Lane Co, August 9 Sylvan Wood Nymph Cercyonis silvestris AKA Sylvan Satyr Size: Up to 1.75 inch wingspan Note: this species, formerly assumed to be a west-side segregate of Great Basin Wood Nymph, was recently clarified by DNA analysis to be a distinct species. Key ID features: Above grayish-brown usually with two eye spots on FW. Below, striated chocolate brown with one to several small eyespots on HW, two eyespots on FW, lower spot usually noticeably smaller than upper spot. Dark median line on HW sometimes indistinct, less erratically jagged than on Small Wood Nymph. Similar species: Great Basin Wood Nymph is slightly larger, more grayish below, with more prominent HW median bands below, and HW median line more distinct and jagged. Small Wood Nymph is typically somewhat smaller and darker, with more distinct and more jagged VHW median line, and usually with significantly smaller lower eyespot. Host plant: Undetermined grass species. Habitat: Openings in forested habitats, and along forest roads in foothills and mountains. Range: West slope of the Cascades in Linn, Lane, Douglas,and Jackson counties. Season: Late July to late September Abundance: Locally common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Hydaspe Fritillary butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Catherine Cr Rd, Wallowa Co, July 8 Hydaspe Fritillary Argynnis hydaspe AKA Speyeria hydaspe Size: Up to 2.25 inch wingspan Key ID features: Male deep orange above with black veins, black shading near the body, black irregular lines inwardly, submarginal black spot band and black marking along margin like chain links. Female dark orange above with all black markings bolder. Below ground color of "disc" on HW usually deep maroon to purplish-brown, with creamy to white oval spots, and a submarginal pink or pinkish band, often vague or missing. Similar species: Hesperis has more reddish brown color below, and submarginal band is less pink, more distinct and usually crossed with bold veins. Zerene can have similar coloration, but would have smaller discal spots and more flattened marginal spots. Host plant: Violet (Viola ) species . Habitat: Openings, riparian areas and meadows in coniferous forests. Range: Found throughout Cascades and western Oregon, and in Klamath, Warner, Siskiyou, Ochoco, Wallowa and Blue Mtns. Season: Late May to late September. Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Viceroy butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Warehouse Beach Rec Area, Umatilla Co, August 24 Viceroy Limenitis archippus Size: Up to 3.25 inch wingspan Key ID features: At first glance looks like small Monarch. Bright orange above with black veins, bold black margins with single row of submarginal white spots, curving black line through HW. Below, lighter orange with black veins and borders, black line through HW more bold. Similar species: Monarch is notably larger and lacks black line through middle of HW, has double row of white spots in black marginal band above. Host plant: Willow (Salix ) species . Habitat: Near water and willows. Range: Found in Columbia River and Snake River drainages. Season: Early April to late September. Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure

Here you will find the most valuable field guides and printed information sources for butterflies in Oregon and Lane County. Resources: Books New All-Color 5th Edition Finding Lane County Butterflies The new 5th Edition is a significant overhaul of the original book, with 5 new important sites added, 45 new color photos, 10 new color maps, and hundreds of clarifications and improvements throughout. It now includes 30 of the best sites for butterflies in Lane County (and a few just over the line in Linn County). For each site, it describes when to go, how to get there, and which species you are likely to find there. Using this guide, you can, with some luck, find most of Lane County's more than 100 species. Order yours now from the Lane County Butterfly Club. 100% of sales proceeds benefit the Lane County Butterfly Club. Butterflies of Oregon: An Atlas Honoring John Hinchliff by Jeffrey C. Miller, Paul C. Hammond, Dana N.R. Ross and Neil H. Bjorklund This 2-volume set raises the standard for presenting the current state of our knowledge about Oregon's butterfly species and subspecies and where they are found in our state. Volume 1 (Species Distribution) 218 pages 8.5" x 11", 177 maps, 354 color photos Contains full color distribution maps for each species, and each subspecies. Volume 2 (Synthesis) 290 pages 8.5" x 11", 45 full color maps,108 color photos A virtual road tour for exploring Oregon butterflies Discussion of relationship between butterflies and Oregon's environments Exploration of site record counts, and where they do and don't occur Discussion of patterns in butterfly distribution Discussion of caterpillar foodplant relationships Two volume set $95 plus shipping. To order, send an email to: oregonbutterflyatlas2026@gmail.com Anchor Atlas Butterflies of Lane County When it was first released in 2002, this pocket-sized field ID guide to the butterflies of Lane County, Oregon was the first of its kind. Other similar "pocket guides" have appeared around the country as publishers realize that people don't want to carry around a 5-pound book in the field. This guide will be replaced by an all new field identification guide that covers all of the Willamette Valley and adjoining foothills-planned to be released in 2026. Sold through the Lane County Butterfly Club. Proceeds from sales benefit the Lane County Butterfly Club. Available from Lane County Butterfly Club . This is the definitive guide for identifying the butterflies of Oregon and Washington. It's chock-full of information about each species, with maps, history, biological information and more. It won't fit in your pocket, but you'll want a copy for reference anyway. Available from Amazon.com . Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest By Robert Michael Pyle and Caitlin LaBar. This is the latest and most comprehensive guide for identifying the butterflies of Oregon and Washington. It's chock-full of information about each species, with maps, history, biological information and more. It won't fit in your pocket, but you'll definitely want a copy anyway. Available from Amazon.com . Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest This is the definitive guide for identifying the butterflies of Oregon and Washington. It's chock-full of information about each species, with maps, history, biological information and more. It won't fit in your pocket, but you'll want a copy for reference anyway. Available from Amazon.com . Butterflies of Oregon Their Taxonomy, Distribution, and Biology By Andrew Warren. This thorough scientific work provides the most in-depth coverage of Oregon's butterfly species and set the groundwork for taxonomy studies and books that followed it. For a deeper dive into Oregon's butterflies, this is your "go to" source. Available from Amazon.com . Warren Book Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Washington, 3rd ed By Caitlin LaBar. This is a great field guide for identifying the butterflies of Washington. So small and light there's no reason not to take it into the field with you! Available from Amazon.com .

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Leona's Little Blue butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Doral View Sand Cr drainage, Klamath Co, July 6 Leona's Little Blue Philotiella leona AKA: Euphilotes leona Leona Blue Size: Up to 0.75 inches wingspan Key ID features: Small. Males dusky blue above with darker wing borders. Female dark brown. Below white or off-white with bold black spots, larger on FW, boldly checked fringes on FW. Similar species: No other similar species in Oregon. Host plant: Eriogonum spergulinum (Spurry buckwheat). Habitat: Pumice lands east of Crater Lake near host plant. Range: 6 square mile area east of Crater Lake. Season: Mid-June to late July Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: USFS Sensitive Species. Was proposed to be listed as Endangered under Federal Endangered Species Act, but after a 5-year review, listing was judged to be "not warranted."

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Moss's Elfin butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Jasper Rocks, Lane Co, February 24 Moss's Elfin Callophrys mossii Size: 1.0 - 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Above both sexes grayish brown. Below shades of reddish-brown with variable amount of lighter overscaling giving a somewhat frosted look, sometimes with shades of lavender. Broken white median line, stronger on HW. No tails. Similar species: Hoary Elfin has much stronger frosted look between trailing margin and postmedian line. Host plant: Several species of Stonecrop (Sedum ) . Habitat: Rocky slopes and ridges, canyon side slopes, stony flats, buttes, cliffs at oceanside. Range: Northern Cascades Range, Siskiyou Mtns, Ochocos, Blue Mtns. Season: Mid-February to mid-July Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Johnson's Hairstreak butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Deception Creek, Lane Co, June 26 Johnson's Hairstreak Callophrys johnsoni Size: 1.25 - 1.5 inches wingspan Key ID features: Above both sexes brown. Below chocolate brown. Long tails on HW. White median line containing flattened "W" near white-tipped tails, and submarginal row of black spots (sometimes vague) along half of trailing margin of HW. Similar species: Thicket HS has more prominent "W" (or "M") in white median line, is blue above, and submarginal spots on HW below run entire length of trailing margin. Host plant: Dwarf mistletoes that grow on Western Hemlock and Grand fir (in the Cascade Range) and on Ponderosa Pine (in the Blue Mountains). Habitat: Clearings in old growth coniferous forest (Ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, western hemlock, grand fir). Range: Cascade Range, Siskiyou Mtns, and in the Blue Mtns in Baker and Union counties. Season: Mid-May to early September Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Oregon State Species of Concern

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Sara Orangetip butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Little Groundhog Mtn, Lane Co, July 8 - male Julia's Orangetip Anthocharis julia AKA Julia Orangetip Size: 1.25 - 1.5 inches wingspan Key ID features: Male white above, with bold orange FW tip. Female pale yellow-green above with smaller orange patch near FW tip. Below patchy marbling with light yellow veins. Similar species: Sara's Orangetip, which occurs only along the California border is very similar and difficult to distinguish in the field where they overlap. The two species are distinguished by several characteristics, including larval characteristics, number of overwintering cycles, and shape and color of the chrysalis. Host plant: Crucifers including several rockcresses. Habitat: Wide variety of open habitats. Range: Found throughout Oregon. Season: Mid-March to mid-August Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Anise Swallowtail butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Hat Point Road, Wallowa Co, June 28 Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon Size: 2.5 - 3.0 inches wingspan Key ID features: Black with broad buttery yellow bands, twisted tails, black abdomen with narrow yellow side-stripes. Below similar pattern, with paler yellow ground color and reddish-orange halos on some of the black-bordered blue chevrons. Similar species: Oregon Swallowtail, which is larger, more lemony yellow, abdomen yellow with narrow black stripe on top and bottom. On Anise, black spot inside red spot near tail is in the middle of the red, whereas on the Oregon Swallowtail, its on the edge of the red. Host plant: Many species in the parsley family, including many native Lomatium species. Habitat: Variety of open areas, including wetlands, dunes, mountaintops, roadsides, and disturbed areas Range: Throughout Oregon. Season: Late February - mid-September Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Anicia Checkerspot butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Arizona Cr, Pueblo Mtns, Harney Co, June 2 Anicia Checkerspot Euphydryas anicia Size: Up to 2.25 inch wingspan Key ID features: Highly variable. Above black with red and white spot bands, marginal band of red spots. Below bands of white and red spots edged thinly in black, crossed by black veins. sometimes more white than red, marginal band is red, fringes checked. On hindwing below (starting at margin) pattern of bands is usually red-white-red-white -white. Similar species: Edith's checkerspot has red-white-red-red -white band pattern on HW below (starting at margin). Chalcedona Checkerspot has ivory spots above instead of white, and is larger. Snowberry Checkerspot is typically blacker above, with rounder wing shape. Host plant: Members of the figwort family, including penstemons and paintbrushes . Habitat: Sage-steppe, arid high grasslands, canyons. Range: In high desert east of the Cascade Range, from Warner Mtns to Steens Mtn up to broad swath along Deschutes River. Also in highlands west of the Snake River . Season: Mid-March to mid-August Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Butterflies of Oregon Blog Sign up for notices of new blog posts: Subscribe Thanks for submitting! All Posts Neil Björklund Nov 16, 2023 9 min The Lone Wanderer It was wicked-hot, dry, desolate, and extraordinarily beautiful in the desert near the Owyhee River in Malheur County, where I spent a... 237 views 2 comments 8 likes. Post not marked as liked 8 Neil Björklund Sep 22, 2023 7 min A Very Little Big Deal Last summer, I wrote about a visit I made to the pumice desert east of Crater Lake, to check up on our population of Leona's Little Blue,... 236 views 1 comment 3 likes. Post not marked as liked 3 Neil Björklund Aug 17, 2023 12 min The Great Butterfly Scrounge Maybe I could blame it on iNaturalist. Well, maybe a little on my friend John, too. Although John and I are probably about even, since I... 276 views 2 comments 4 likes. Post not marked as liked 4 Neil Björklund Apr 4, 2023 2 min The iNat Revolution Welcome to my first Blog post of the year! I can't wait to share some updates from this new butterfly season with you. In the meantime,... 235 views 1 comment Post not marked as liked Neil Björklund Sep 21, 2022 6 min Yes, We have Volcanos! I've been known to describe my avocation of chasing butterflies in Oregon as a game played on the huge game board of the state of... 175 views 1 comment 6 likes. Post not marked as liked 6 Neil Björklund Sep 15, 2022 7 min Wave the Checkered Flag! I first started looking for the enigmatic Checkered White (Pontia protodice) back in 2004, at Picture Rock Pass, in Lake County. It was,... 122 views 0 comments 3 likes. Post not marked as liked 3 Neil Björklund Sep 9, 2022 7 min Let's Go Dutch! Nope, I'm not talking about coffee--I'm talking about the peak in southern Oregon. You know, Dutchman Peak, in the Siskiyous. It was... 137 views 2 comments 5 likes. Post not marked as liked 5 Neil Björklund Aug 28, 2022 5 min Loving Leona Leona's Blue (Philotiella leona) is Oregon's only known endemic butterfly. It has been found only in the pumice flats created by the... 234 views 0 comments 5 likes. Post not marked as liked 5 Neil Björklund Aug 18, 2022 8 min The Bigfoot of Butterflies We humans tend to love stories about mysterious critters that may or may not exist or persist out in the wild places. The Northwest's... 235 views 0 comments 5 likes. Post not marked as liked 5 Neil Björklund Aug 12, 2022 7 min A Double Scoop of Rocky Road Back in May I visited a few of the sites where Andy Warren had studied azure blues back in the early 2000's. At several sites, mostly in... 114 views 0 comments 5 likes. Post not marked as liked 5 Neil Björklund Aug 3, 2022 8 min The Art of Waiting The Nevada Skipper flies very fast and low in treeless habitats on windswept ridges. When the wind is gusting they can just disappear... 167 views 0 comments 3 likes. Post not marked as liked 3 Neil Björklund Jun 7, 2022 11 min A Boy and His Butterfly Earlier this spring, I learned in an unexpected way about an obscure disease called 4H Leukodystrophy. It is an inherited genetic... 405 views 4 comments 6 likes. Post not marked as liked 6 Neil Björklund Apr 29, 2022 9 min Searching for Spring This year, just when we seemed to be heading for the most severe drought in Oregon history, winter seemed to wake up and say "oh, wait... 170 views 0 comments 6 likes. Post not marked as liked 6 Neil Björklund Aug 15, 2021 5 min Silverspotting The Oregon Silverspot (Argynnis zerene hippolyta) is a subspecies of the Zerene Fritillary (Argynnis zerene), found along the Oregon... 353 views 0 comments 6 likes. Post not marked as liked 6 Neil Björklund Aug 8, 2021 12 min Puttin' on the Frits Here in Oregon, as summer pushes on into July and early August, we get into smoke season, but we also get into the season of nymphalids... 226 views 0 comments 5 likes. Post not marked as liked 5 Neil Björklund Jul 14, 2021 10 min The Mysterious Case of the Vanishing Checkerspot I was packing for a trip to the southern Blue Mountains to (hopefully) photograph Garita Skipperlings for the first time, when I got the... 252 views 2 comments 3 likes. Post not marked as liked 3 Neil Björklund Jul 10, 2021 9 min The Tao of Skipperlings The Taoist Masters of old speak of the principle of Wu wei, or non-doing, as being central to their way of understanding how the world is... 159 views 0 comments 3 likes. Post not marked as liked 3 Neil Björklund Jun 27, 2021 13 min Heat Zombie and the Bakeoven Butterflies As a second generation native Oregonian, I have always felt some kind of civic duty to photograph the Oregon Swallowtail, our state insect.. 320 views 0 comments 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Neil Björklund Jun 6, 2021 6 min Hunting for the Gold Isn't it curious how sometimes when we are looking for one thing, we often find something else that is equally satisfying? 193 views 2 comments 4 likes. Post not marked as liked 4 Neil Björklund May 3, 2021 5 min Chasing Our Swallowtail My 2021 field season started quite a bit later than I'd planned, and sadly I had to skip a trip to the Illinois River in April in search... 211 views 3 comments 5 likes. Post not marked as liked 5