Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Bramble Hairstreak butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Meadow Cr, Jefferson Co, May 9 Bramble Hairstreak Callophrys dumetorum AKA Bramble Green Hairstreak Size: 1.0 - 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Above both sexes light brown. Below bright grass-green, sometimes with broken white median line on HW. Below, green on FW restricted to the leading 1/3. Perches on shrubs or grasses, rarely on ground. Similar species: Sheridan's perches on the ground, range of Western Green typically does not overlap. Host plant: Lotus crassisfolius, Lotus nevadensis var. douglasii . Habitat: Openings in Douglas-fir and Ponderosa pine forests, along road cuts and powerline corridors. Range: North Coast Range, Western Cascades, NE Cascades, Siskiyou Mtns, Warner Mtns. Season: Late March to mid-July Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Sooty Hairstreak butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Mt. Ashland Rd, Jackson Co, July 9 Sooty Hairstreak Satyrium fuliginosa AKA Western Sooty Hairstreak Size: 1.0 - 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Both sexes dull gray-brown above and below. Below, dull gray-brown with pale median spot band. No tails. Similar species: Range does not overlap with closely related Half-Moon Hairstreak. Host plant: Lupines (Lupinus ) . Habitat: Rocky outcroppings, mountain slopes, ridges and peaks, often with sagebrush. Range: Along the border with California in Jackson and Josephine counties. Season: Mid-June to mid-August Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Pelidne Sulphur butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Bonny Lakes Trail, Wallow Co, August 2 Pelidne Sulphur Colias skinneri AKA: Skinner's Sulphur Skinner's Pelidne Sulphur Size: 1.25 - 1.5 inches wingspan Key ID features: Smallish. Above lemon yellow, with solid dark brown to black borders. Below, HW dusted with black over-scaling, sometimes giving olive cast. On HW below, discal spot is small, thickly-rimmed in rose or reddish brown. Forewing also has more black over-scaling than other sulphurs in Oregon . Wing edges have a narrow rose-colored band (not pink). Similar species: This species has more extensive black overscaling on the VFW, which extends further from the FW leading edge. Clouded Sulphurs have double ring around discal spot on HW below. Western Sulphurs look greenish on HW below. Pink-edged Sulphurs have more rounded wings, and have much less overscaling below and have pink wing borders. Host plant: Various species of Vaccinium (huckleberry). Habitat: High forest clearings and moist meadows with Vaccinium . Range: In Oregon, only found in Wallowa Mtns and on Steens Mtn. Season: L ate June to early-September Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Hoary Comma butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Lost Lake, Linn Co, August 28 Hoary Comma Polygonia gracilis Size: Up to 2 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above orange with black blotches and spots, often with very jagged wing edges, submarginal row of yellow chevrons and brown to black marginal band. HW above has yellow gilded look, with yellow patches within dark orange marginal band. Below dark gray with lighter gray striations, and prominent curved (not sharply pointed) white comma in center of HW. Similar species: Satyr Comma has brown shades below, and barbed white comma on HW. Green comma has green submarginal shading below. Oreas comma has pointed white "v" below. Host plant: Currant species (Ribes ), and Rhododendron albiflorum (white azalea) . Habitat: Forest openings, riparian areas, subalpine meadows, mostly above 3,000 feet. Range: Coast Range, Willamette Valley, Western Cascades, east slope of Cascades, Blue Mtns . Season: Early February to mid-October Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Great Copper butterfly. Gallery Prev Next West Eugene Wetlands, Lane Co, July 25 - female Great Copper Tharsalea xanthoides AKA Lycaena xanthoides Size: 1.25- 1.75 inches wingspan Key ID features: Large for a copper. May have very short tail. Female above gray-brown with tan patches, black spots, and orange lunules (series of crescent shapes) on the trailing edge of the HW. Male above gray-brown, with only a few small spots along HW trailing margin. Below HW grayish brown with black spots, submarginal white band, and pale zigzag orange line along VHW trailing margin. Female with bolder zigzag orange line along VHW trailing margin. Often has a noticeable though small tail. Similar species: Edith's Copper is smaller, often with darker dorsal ground color, and VHW spots are larger and closer together . Edith's tend to have no tail or a tiny stub of a tail. Host plant: Dock (Rumex ) species are suspected. Habitat: Grassy hillsides in the south, wet meadows in the Willamette Valley. Range: South Siskiyou Mtns, southern Willamette Valley. Season: Mid-June to early September Abundance: Locally common Conservation Status: Secure throughout most of its range, but population in southern Willamette Valley is perilously small.

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Shasta Blue butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Wickiup Plain, Lane Co, August 12 Shasta Blue Icaricia shasta Size: 0.85 - 1.25 inch wingspan Key ID features: Male dark blue above with dark cell end bars 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. Both sexes gray below with gray-rimmed black median spots, and submarginal black spots with iridescent eyes bordered inwardly with black, rimmed inwardly with orange. Similar species: Separated from other Icaricia blues by gray ground color below and HW spots with iridescent eyes. Host plant: Several pea family species including lupines, clovers, and milkvetches . Habitat: High rocky ridges, plateaus, and high pumice flats. Range: Found in central and south-central Oregon in Ochocos, east slope of Cascades, Warners, and on Steens Mtn. Season: Mid-June to mid-August 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 Dun Skipper butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Coburg Ridge, Lane Co, July 3 - male Dun Skipper Euphyes vestris Size: Up to 1.4 inch wingspan Key ID features: Medium gray-brown above and below, can have orange iridescence when fresh. Male with dark brown stigmata on FW, female with vague small white spots on both wings, above and below. Similar species: No other Oregon skipper is this shade of brown and relatively unmarked. Host plant: Sedges ( Carex ). Habitat: Moist areas including roadsides, meadows, riparian areas, seeps. Range: West of the Cascade Range crest. Season: Late May to early September Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Great Basin Fritillary butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Catherine Cr Rd, Union County, July 8, ssp. nigrescent Great Basin Fritillary Argynnis egleis AKA Speyeria egleis Size: Up to 2.25 inch wingspan Key ID features: Smallish. Varies significantly among subspecies especially below. Medium 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, bolder on female. Below ground color of "disc" on HW generally light brown, with large silvery-white oval spots usually with darker halos or caps. Similar species: Zerene and Callippe both have darker disc color below. Hostplant: Violet (Viola ) species . Habitat: Varies by ssp. in each region, including ridgetops, meadows, pumice flats and subalpine slopes. Range: Found in southern Cascades, Siskiyou Mtns, Klamath Mtns, Ochocos, and in Wallowas and northeastern Blue Mtns. Season: Mid-June to early September. Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Desert Marble butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Smith Rocks State Pk, Jefferson Co, May 2 Desert Marble Euchloe lotta Size: 1.25 - 1.5 inches wingspan Key ID features: Above, pearly-white with black pattern on FW tip and thin black rectangle in forewing cell with no white scaling. VHW green marbling is lighter, with yellow wash and yellow veins. Similar species: Large Marble is notably larger. California Marble VHW has pearly or shiny look to white areas, with darker green marbling, and is found only in and near Josephine County. Host plant: Tall tumblemustard, tansy mustard, rockcress and other crucifers. Habitat: Primarily arid bottomlands, including desert flats, sage-steppe, bitterbrush plateaus, Pinyon-Juniper forest, and dry gullies. Range: Most of eastern Oregon except Blue, Aldrich and Wallowa Mtns. Season: Late March to late June Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for Common Ringlet. Gallery Prev Next Jones Canyon, Sherman Co, May 2 Common Ringlet Coenonympha california AKA Ochre Ringlet AKA Coenonympha tullia Size: Up to 1.5 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above plain creamy tan, sometimes peachy orange tan or whitish tan . Below dusky tan to yellowish tan, sometimes with light eye spots, and irregular light bands. Similar species: No similar species in Oregon. Host plant: Both native and non-native grasses and sedges . Habitat: Grassy habitats of all types. Range: All of Oregon except portions of central and northern coast and coast range. Season: Late March to late October Abundance: Very common Conservation Status: Secure

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