Search this site

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 Pale Crescent butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Gert Canyon, Wasco Co, May 4, male Pale Crescent Phyciodes pallida Size: Up to 2 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above, orange patches and bands separated by black, much lighter in males. FW fringes checked, HW fringes white. HW above with submarginal band of small black dots circled with orange. Males especially have squarish black bar at middle of FW trailing edge above . Below white, tan and brown bands and patches. Similar species: Pale Crescent is larger than Field or Mylitta. Mylitta lacks squarish black bar at trailing edge of FW above. Host plant: Thistles including Cirsium undulatum . Habitat: Dry foothill gullies, streamsides and canyons. Range: Lower Deschutes River basin, Snake River basin . 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 White butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Eagle Cap Wilderness, Wallowa Co, Aug 26 - female Western White Pontia occidentalis Size: 1.25 - 1.75 inches wingspan Key ID features: Above, male white with black or gray markings on forewing, female has more extensive markings on both wings. Below dark overscaling creates gray-green margins along hindwing veins, darker in spring. Similar species: Co-occurs with Checkered White in SE Oregon. The two species are not separable in flight. Female Checkered White is less sharply marked, often with olive or brown shades above instead of the gray-black of Western. Male Checkered White has narrower gray marks on the forewing margins with more white in between, and forewing markings are less extensive in general. Host plant: Many native species in the mustard family. Habitat: Open habitats, including woodland openings, mountain meadows, and barren areas above tree line. Range: Throughout Oregon west of the Cascade Crest. Season: Mid-March to mid-September Abundance: Common 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 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 black bands, bolder in spring. 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 Lindsey's Skipper butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Kinney Cr Rd, Jackson Co, May 28 Lindsey's Skipper Hesperia lindseyi Size: Up to 1.25 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above, bright orange. Female relatively unmarked, male with vague dark borders, narrow stigmata on FW. Below greenish tan with disjointed white (female) or yellowish (male) spot bands--spots angular, veins lined with pale (not bright) scales. Similar species: Sandhill Skipper smaller, with larger light areas below. Uncas Skipper range does not overlap. Host plant: Lupines, grasses, oaks. Habitat: Oak woodland and dry shrubby habitats with grasses. Range: Jackson County and Josephine counties, southern Klamath County, Warner Mtns. Season: Early June to mid-July Abundance: Locally common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Sheridan's Hairstreak butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Wolf Mtn, Lane Co, June 22 Sheridan's Hairstreak Callophrys sheridanii AKA Sheridan's Green Hairstreak Size: 0.8 - 1.0 inches wingspan Key ID features: Above both sexes light gray or brown. Below dark green when fresh, with black scaling, lighter green with gray when worn. Below, HW post median white band variable, sometimes bold. Below, FW mostly green. Often perches directly on the ground. Similar species: Bramble and Western Green primarily perch on shrubs or host plant. Bramble HS is usually found in more moist habitats, whereas Sheridan's is usually found in hotter, drier, well-drained sites. Host plant: Many buckwheat species (Eriogonum ), including Eriogonum umbellatum. Habitat: Washes, canyons, draws, high rocky-chutes, alpine swales. Range: Southern Cascades, Siskiyou Mtns, Warner Mtns, Steens Mtn, Ochoco Mtns, Blue Mtns, north central Oregon. Season: Early March to early August Abundance: Uncommon 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 Checkered White butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Lost Lake, Linn Co, August 26 - male Checkered White Pontia protodice Size: 1.5 - 2.0 inches wingspan Key ID features: Extremely variable and challenging to ID with certainty. Above, white with black, brown or charcoal checks, bars or chevrons. Below yellow-veined with brown or olive chevron marks. Similar species: Western White has darker and more extensive DFW markings and, and bolder yellow-green markings on the VHW, especially along veins. On Western White males, the gray triangles along the FW tip usually are joined to each other, while on Checkered White they are often separate. Pattern of veins on the forewing also differ as seen here . DFW markings in female Checkered Whites are often more extensive and brownish gray. Host plant: A wide variety of both weedy and native cruciferous species. Habitat: Arid habitats, both disturbed and undisturbed. Range: Primarily in southeast Oregon and east of Cascade Mtns, with scattered records in the Willamette Valley and Coast Range. Season: Earl June to late September Abundance: Uncommon in Oregon Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Sagebrush Checkerspot butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Big Indian Gorge, Harney Co, June 20 - male Sagebrush Checkerspot Chlosyne acastus Size: Up to 1.75 inch wingspan Key ID features: Male above, bands of pale orange and yellow-orange, separated by black lines, crescents and checks . Basal 1/3 of HW above sometimes black with little orange. Male often lighter than female above. Below bands of chalk-white and brick red with black veins and edges. More white below than other similar species. Similar species: Northern Checkerspot darker above, and with off-white rather than white below. Host plant: Several species including green rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus ), gray rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa ), desert yellow fleabane (Erigeron linearis ) and asters in the genus Dieteria . Habitat: Sage desert, pinyon-juniper savanna, washes, gulches, canyons and brushy flats. Range: Mostly below 5000 feet in SE Oregon deserts, and below 3000 feet in Columbia and Snake r iver basins . Season: Late April to late June Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Melissa's Blue butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Millican Flats, Deschutes Co, June 21 Melissa's Blue Plebejus melissa Size: 1.0 - 1.25 inch wingspan Key ID features: Male shiny violet-blue above with black marginal line and white fringe. Female brown above with scalloped orange marginal band, clearer and bolder on HW. Below, brownish-gray with bold black spots, with submarginal row of orange patches, bordered inwardly with black and a row of black spots, which on HW have bold patch of iridescent blue bordered by black. Similar species: Male Acmon and Lupine Blues have orange band on HW above, and females of those species have no orange on FW above. Orange borders of Northern Blues below are less bold. Host plant: Legumes, including lupines, lotuses, milkvetches and many others . Habitat: Hot, low to mid-elevation prairies and meadows, as well as disturbed areas like agricultural fields. Range: Found throughout eastern Oregon and in southern Klamath County, and Jackson County. Season: Late April to late September Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Northwestern Fritillary butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Frissell Ridge, Lane Co, July 17 Northwestern Fritillary Argynnis hesperis AKA Hesperis Fritillary AKA Speyeria hesperis Size: Up to 2.5 inch wingspan Key ID features: 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 deep reddish to chocolate brown, with creamy to white elongated oval spots, and a distinct submarginal band of warm or pinkish tan, crossed by dark veins. Often with yellowish-tan "spashes" or rays within the discal area. The cream spot in the middle of the bottom of the ventral hindwing is usually "smeared" toward the outer edge. Similar species: Hydaspe has a submarginal band that is more pinkish and often less distinct, and the cream-colored spot on the bottom edge of the ventral hindwing is small and not smeared toward the outer edge. Host plant: Violet (Viola ) species . Habitat: Openings, riparian areas and meadows in pine and fir forests. Range: Found in central and southern Cascades, Siskiyou, Ochoco, Strawberry, Wallowa and Warner Mtns. Season: Mid-June to early September. Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure