Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Pacific Dotted Blue butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Frisselll Ridge, Lane Co, July 16 - male (L), female (R) Dotted Blue Euphilotes enoptes AKA Pacific Dotted Blue Size: Up to 0.85 inch wingspan Key ID features: Small. Male blue above with dark wing borders. Female dark brown above with vague orange zigzag along trailing margin. Both sexes have checked fringe on FW. Below bluish-gray with black spots, and orange edges to submarginal black spots on HW. Similar species: Euphilotes blues are often best told apart by host-plant association, location and flight period. Several other species have orange bands on the ventral hindwing, instead of separate orange spots. In the western Cascades, only this species has separate orange spots. Host plant: Eriogonum nudum (bare-stem buckwheat), E. elatum (tall woolly buckwheat) and E. compositum (arrowleaf buckwheat). Habitat: Well-drained sites where hostplant grows, including high plateaus, ridges, gravelly slopes and roadsides. Range: Western Cascade Range, Siskiyou Mtns, Klamath Mtns . Season: Mid-April to early August Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Western Green Hairstreak butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Lord Flat, Wallowa Co, June 22 Western Green Hairstreak Callophrys affinis Size: 1.0 - 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Above both sexes gray. Below bluish green, sometimes with broken white median line on HW. Similar species: Bramble's range does not overlap. Sheridan's perches on the ground, Western Green perches on top of shrubs. Host plant: Buckwheats (Eriogonum ). Habitat: Sage steppe, dry ridges, mountain summits. Range: Far eastern Oregon, Ochoco Mtns. Season: Early April to mid-July 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 Mountain Mahogany Hairstreak butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Crooked Cr, Lake Co, August 6 - male Mountain Mahogany Hairstreak Satyrium tetra Size: 1.0 - 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Dark gray-brown above. Gray-brown below with median line, and submarginal band of black chevrons. Tail short on males, longer on females, with adjacent blue frosted patch, and one (or mare) of the chevrons with small orange patch. Similar species: Somewhat similar to Hedgerow HS, which has more defined median line on HW below. Gold-Hunter's HS is more brown below, with a less clear and defined median line on HW below. Host plant: Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus, C. ledifolius ) . Habitat: Dry ridges and plateaus, oak-pine edges, shrubby areas with Mountain Mahogany. Range: Southern portion of Josephine, Jackson, Klamath and Lake counties. Season: Early July to late August Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure

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 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 Silver-spotted Skipper butterfly. Gallery Next Kinney Creek Rd, Jackson Co, May 29 Silver-spotted Skipper Epargyreus clarus Size: Up to 2 inch wingspan Key ID features: Our largest skipper. Above dark brown to almost black, with dull orange bars on FW. Below dark brown to black with shining white patch on HW and coppery orange patch on FW. Similar species: None in Oregon. Host plant: many legume species . Habitat: Open, flowery areas at middle to lower elevations. Range: Western Oregon, Columbia and Snake River basins. Season: Late April to early September Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Thicket Hairstreak butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Rock Creek Canyon, Baker Co, June 23 Thicket Hairstreak Callophrys spinetorum Size: 1.0 - 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Above both sexes bright, steely blue. Below reddish-brown. White-tipped black tails on HW, with adjacent patches of gray-blue and orange. Bold white median line containing distinct "W" near tails, and submarginal row of black spots along the entire trailing margin of HW. Similar species: Johnson's HS lacks prominent "W" in white median line, is brown above, and submarginal spots on HW only run half way along the trailing margin. Host plant: Several species of mistletoe that grow on conifers (Arceuthobium sp.) . Habitat: Clearings in mature coniferous forest (Ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, western hemlock, Grand fir). Range: East flank of Cascades Range, southern Cascades, Siskiyou Mtns, Ochocos, Blue Mtns. Season: Late April to mid-August Abundance: Uncommon 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 Mountain Parnassian butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Boccard Point, Jackson Co, July 5, female Mountain Parnassian Parnassius smintheus AKA Rocky Mountain Parnassian Size: 2.0 - 2.5 inches wingspan Key ID features: White/gray/translucent wings with red spots on the HW, and often with additional red patches bordered with black on FW. Antennae are boldly black/white striped. Similar pattern below, with medial red spots having pink centers. Similar species: Clodius Parnassian (Parnassius clodius ), which is larger, usually has solid black antennae Host plant: Stonecrops including Sedum obtusatum, S. lanceolatum Habitat: Primarily rocky outcroppings above 2500' elevation. Range: Siskiyou Mtns, Aldrich, Blue and Wallowa Mtns Season: Late June to late August. Abundance: Locally common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Woodland Skipper butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Frissell Ridge, Lane Co, July 18 Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides Size: Up to 1 inch wingspan Key ID features: Highly variable. Above orange, with dark brown, "toothy" borders, less distinct on HW. HW with large orange patch bordered by dark brown. Male above with narrow black stigmata, forming part of dark diagonal band running from wing base to FW tip. Female above also has dark diagonal band, with dark patch replacing stigmata . Below HW light yellowish brown usually with "folded" band of connected light spots (sometimes bold, sometimes barely visible or missing). Similar species: Sachem and Juba Skipper fly at the same time but are larger. 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: Any open grassy habitat. Range: A ll of Oregon. Season: Mid-June to early October Abundance: Common to abundant Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Northern White Skipper. Gallery Prev Next Baldy Cr Rd, Jackson Co, June 28 (new county record) - male Northern White Skipper Heliopetes ericetorum Size: Up to 2 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above pearly-white, with "chains" of dark brown chevrons along wing margins, light on males, bolder and more extensive on females . Below white with irregular vague bands of light tan, pinkish brown or mustard. Similar species: No other similar species in Oregon. Host plant: Various species in the globemallow family. Habitat: Various habitats in arid areas including riverbanks, canyons, roadsides, lower elevation forest openings, weedy fields and alfalfa fields. Range: Primarily Columbia, Deschutes, Snake River and Owyhee river basins, but also recent records in southern Lake and Jackson counties. Season: Early May to early October Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure