Lists: Butterflies

RMBL Butterfly List

Transcribed from Michael Soulé's list from 1989, by David Inouye, November 2004 – with corrections. Additions include one by Ward Watt (Nov. 2004) and one by David Inouye (June 2007).

This list is primarily for the Gothic Townsite and lower Copper Creek. An appropriate field guide for the area is Paul Opler's Field Guide to Western Butterflies. Please note that this is not a comprehensive list, but only a starting point. Please send corrections/additions to data at rmbl.org.

Pieridae

Yellows

Colias eriphyle – yellow above and below, black wing margins, orange dot

Colias eurytheme – orange above, yellow-orange below; black margins

Colias alexandra – narrow or no black wing margin, greenish below on hindwing

Colias scudderii – greenish-yellow to lemon yellow, no black on wings

Whites

Pieris napi (Green-veined White) – entirely white; sometimes a few brown veins on underside

Pieris rapae (vagrant)

Pontia protodice (Checkered White) – dark “checker” markings on uppersides of wings are brownish-black, underside markings have a yellow-greenish cast

Pontia occidentalis (Western White) – dark “checker” markings on uppersides of wings are bluish-black, underside markings darker than in protodice and bluish- to plain black

Euchloe ausonides (Large Marble) – bronze-green marbling on dorsal hindwing

Anthocharis sara (Sara's Orangetip) – small; white to yellow ground with orange tips on forewings

Lycaenidae

Blues

Glaucopsyche lygdamus (Silvery Blue) – ventral hindwing: 2 – 4 – 2 pattern of dark spots

Plebejus aquilo (Arctic Blue) – ventral hindwing mottled white; scattered dark spots on ventral forewing

Plebejus melissa – orange spots on ventral forewing and hindwing; dorsal orange on females only.

Plebejus saepiolus– black bar on dorsal forewing; scattered black spots beneath

Lycaena heteronea (Blue Copper) – scattered black spots on ventral forewing; spots on ventral hindwing faint, if any

Lycaena rubidus (Ruddy Copper) – males bright copper; ventral hindwing nearly white

Plebeius [Icaricia] icarioides

Harkenclenus titus – dark brown, prominent row of large red spots along entire ventral hind-wing.

Lycaena dorsas

Lycaena nivalis

Everes amyntula

Agriades rustica

Nymphalidae

Cercyonis oetus (Small Wood Nymph) – all brown, large dark eyespot

Euptoieta claudia – bright orange/brown/black/white pattern; eyespot near front of forewing

Nymphalis antiopa (Mourning Cloak) – large butterfly, wings mostly brownish-black with a well-defined, striking cream-colored outer border

Nymphalis milberti (Milbert's Tortoiseshell) – margin of dorsal wings have brown, orange, and white stripes. Overwinters as an adult.

Vanessa atalanta

Vanessa cardui

Erebia epipsodea

Polygonia zephyrus

Polygonia satyrus

Oeneis chryxus

Oeneis uhleri

Coenonympha tullia (Common Ringlet)

Limenitis weidemeyerii

Phyciodes campestris (Field Crescent) –

Boloria titania helena

Speyeria atlantis

Speyeria mormonia

Speyeria callippe (absent since mid 1990s??, Carol Boggs)

Euphydryas gillettii (introduced)

Microtia palla

Papilionidae (Swallowtails)

Papilio zelicaon

Papilio rutulus

Danaidae

Danaus plexippus (Monarch butterfly); photographed in South Gothic 26 June 2007

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Lists: Butterflies