Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Purplish Copper butterfly. Gallery Prev Next King Mountain Rd, Harney Co, June 13 - male Purplish Copper Tharsalea helloides AKA Lycaena helloides Size: 1 - 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Male above brownish with purple iridescence when fresh. Female above light orange with black spots and wide brown borders. Male and female HW below lavender with submarginal orange zigzag line (females darker); FW below with black spots. Similar species: Lilac-bordered has distinctive two-toned HW below. Other coppers have white or grayish undersides. Host plant: Docks (Rumex ) and Knotweeds (Polygonum). Habitat: Wide variety of habitats . Range: All of Oregon. Season: Late April to mid-October Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Here you will find the additional online resources for butterflies in Oregon and Lane County. Resources - Online Northwest Butterflies Caitlin Labar's lovely and informative website on the butterflies of Oregon and Washington. Visit and you will learn a lot! Butterflies of America A comprehensive guide to the butterflies of North, Central and South America. Photos of pinned specimens and some live butterfly species, covering all described species and recognized taxa including subspecies. Very helpful for our Greater Fritillaries here in Oregon (Speyeria sp.). Lane County Butterfly Club (Chapter of NABA) The new website for the only Oregon chapter of the North American Butterfly Association. Find out about their series of presentations in winter, their summer field trips, butterfly counts and other activities. Washington Butterfly Association Facebook page for the large and lively state of Washington Butterfly Association. Keep up to date on their presentations in winter and their field trips in summer, and other activities. Oregon Zoo: Taylor's Checkerspot A webpage describing how the Oregon Zoo is contributing to the conservation of this endangered Northwest butterfly. Conserving Oregon Monarchs Learn about the State of Oregon's plan for conserving Monarchs in Oregon. Oregon Silverspot Butterfly Visit the US Fish and Wildlife Service's page on the endangered Oregon Silverspot. Fender's Blue Visit the US Fish and Wildlife Service's page on the endangered Fender's Blue. Conservation of Prairie-Oak Butterflies in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia Online article about conservation status and measures for Fender's blue (Icaricia icarioides fenderi ), Taylor's checkerspot (Euphydryas editha taylori ), Mardon skipper (Polites mardon ), island marble (Euchloe ausonides insulanus) , and Oregon silverspot (Speyeria zerene hippolyta ), and a brief review of 10 additional at-risk butterfly species in the ecoregion. Xerces Society Get plugged in to the first and foremost conservation organization for butterflies and other invertebrates. They do great work in education, advocacy, and conservation planning. Please support them!

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 Columbian Skipper butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Kinney Cr Rd, Jackson Co, May 27 Columbian Skipper Hesperia columbia Size: Up to 1.4 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above, bright orange often with deeply toothed dark border, male with dark stigmata on FW, female with dark patch in same location. Below greenish tan with reduced disjointed white bands, inner band reduced to a couple of spots. Similar species: Other grass skippers have bolder, more extensive white bands below. Host plant: Various grass species. Habitat: Dry shrubby habitats. Range: Jackson County and southern Josephine County. Season: Early May to mid-October Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Gillett's Checkerspot butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Oregon State Arthropod Collection, #000176215 - male Thank you to Dana Ross and Paul Hammond , volunteers at OSAC! Gillett's Checkerspot Euphydryas gillettii Size: Up to 2 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above black with red and white spots, wide red band through both wings, usually with narrow white bands on both sides. Below similar pattern, but with black reduced, and confined to narrow lines between red and white patches. Similar species: This is the only Oregon checkerspot with wide red submarginal spot bands above. Host plant: Species in the honeysuckle family, possibly black twinberry (Lonicera involucrata ) and red twinberry (L. utahensis ) . Habitat: High flowery meadows. Often occurs near small streams or wetlands, not straying far from its host plants and nectar sources. Range: On the summit of the west rim of Snake River Canyon near Hat Point . Season: Late June to early July Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure in other states. Survival of colonies may depend on wildfire interrupting habitat succession. Current Oregon population unknown.

on iNaturalist Join the revolution! On the iNaturalist.org website, there is a Butterflies of Oregon Project that collects and displays all of the photos of butterflies submitted from Oregon. There are now over 30,000 photos of butterflies from Oregon, and the number of people submitting butterfly photos from Oregon is growing every year! You can view the most recent Oregon butterflies posted to iNaturalist at right, or go directly to the Butterflies of Oregon Project page. Note: the links at right to the individual iNaturalist posts only work if you right-click the link and select "open in a new tab" or "open in a new window." iNaturalist.org has the largest online collection of recent records of butterfly sightings, and the largest number of users, and has emerged as the best place to both share your sightings and get help identifying them. By contributing your photos of Oregon butterflies to iNaturalist, you are making them available to others for learning, study and pleasure. Being part of this community of naturalists benefits everyone involved. recent Oregon sightings: View additional recent Oregon butterfly sightings on iNaturalist.org.

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Half-moon Hairstreak butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Three Creeks Lake, Deschutes Co, August 6 Half-Moon Hairstreak Satyrium semiluna AKA Sagebrush Sooty Hairstreak Size: 1.0 - 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Both sexes dull gray above and below. Below, median band of small dark spots with white halos, and submarginal band of black spots with halos. No tails. Similar species: May be confused with a female Boisduval's blue, which has some blue below (Half-moon has no blue), white fringes, and usually one to three black basal spots on HW below. Range does not overlap with closely related Sooty Hairstreak. Host plant: Lupines (Lupinus ) . Habitat: Subalpine meadows, high ridges, sage steppe, open slopes. Range: East of the Cascades except Columbia basin in Gilliam, Morrow and Umatilla counties. Season: Mid-May to early September Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

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 Rural Skipper butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Grave Creek Bridge, Josephine Co, June 29 Rural Skipper Ochlodes agricola Size: Up to 1 inch wingspan Key ID features: Above, small, tan-orange with graduated dark border . Male with black stigmata on FW, female with black patch in same location. HW below plain orange-tan in male, plain purplish brown in female which has vague lighter patches. Similar species: Unmarked orange-tan HW below on male distinct within its range. Host plant: Various grass species. Habitat: Forest edges and openings, riparian areas. Range: Josephine, Curry and Coos counties, small area along CA border at Jackson County/Josephine County border. Season: Late May to late July Abundance: Locally common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Western Pygmy Blue butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Umatilla NWR, Umatilla Co, September 4 Western Pygmy Blue Brephidium exilis Size: 0.5 - 0.75 inches wingspan Key ID features: Very small. Dark orangey-brown above, sometimes with blue patches next to body. HW above with white fringe and indistinct, variable submarginal band of blackish spots. FW below, disjointed white lines on orange-brown background. HW below with brown or blue bands edged in white, and marginal row of bold black spots with metallic blue or silver centers next to submarginal white band. Similar species: No similar species in Oregon. Host plant: Various species in the pigweed family, including Saltbush (Atriplex), Pigweed (chenopodium) and Russian thistle (Salsola kali) . Habitat: Desert lowlands and flats, including disturbed areas. Range: Primarily SE Oregon in Lake, Harney and Malheur counties, but expands north in some years. Season: Mid-July to late September Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Lilac-bordered Copper butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Mt. Ashland Road, Jackson Co, July 9 - female Lilac-Bordered Copper Tharsalea nivalis AKA Lycaena nivalis Size: 1 - 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Male above brownish with orange zigzag line on trailing margin. Female above light orange with black spots and borders. HW below two-toned, creamy yellow next to the body, and lilac in the outer half, with vague zigzag orange line (colors brighter in female). Similar species: Purplish lacks distinctive two-toned HW below. Other coppers have white or grayish undersides. Host plant: Knotweeds (Polygonum). Habitat: Mountain meadows, openings in fir and pine forests . Range: All of Oregon's mountains except Coast Range. Season: Mid-May to late August Abundance: Common Conservation Status: Secure

Photos, flight season, distribution and host plant information, conservation status, and identification tips for the Hoary Elfin butterfly. Gallery Prev Next Undisclosed location, western Oregon Hoary Elfin Callophrys polios Size: 1.0 - 1.25 inches wingspan Key ID features: Above both sexes gray-brown. Below shades of dark brown. Light white median line, stronger on FW, with strong "frosted" look between HW median line and HW margin. No tails. Similar species: Moss's Elfin lacks strong frosted look between trailing margin and postmedian line. Hostplant: Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ) . Habitat: Open rocky areas in mountains, coastal bluffs and dunes, forest roadsides, always close to Kinnikinnick. Range: Isolated populations in Blue Mtns, coastal Lincoln and Curry counties, and in Linn, Morrow and Wallowa counties. Season: L ate April to late May Abundance: Uncommon Conservation Status: Coastal subspecies C. polios maritima is imperiled in OR