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Some Butterflies from the Western Forests |
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This page contains photographs of and information about some of the common butterflies found in the forests of the Rocky Mountains and other mountain chains of the western United States and Canada. |
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The Two-tailed Swallowtail (Papilionidae) has always seemed to me to have three tails per hindwing despite its common name. The species looks like the Western Tiger Swallowtail, but is easily identified by the two (three?) tails of the hindwing. The species occurs throughout the western United States and southwestern Canada. It occurs in a wide variety of habitats, but is particularly common in the meadows, streamsides, and roadsides of the western forests. The larvae feed on a variety of deciduous trees including Ash and Chokecherry.
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The Rocky Mountain Parnassian (Papilionidae) is a distinctive, but very un-swallowtail like butterfly with white rounded wings and black spots and red circles. The species occurs throughout British Columbia southward through the Rocky Mountains to northern New Mexico. You'll find it in a wide variety of habitats, but it is most common in the open woods, meadows, and grasslands of the Rocky Mountains. The black and red markings on the female are much more extensive in the female than in the male.
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The Pine White (Pieridae) larvae feed on a variety of coniferous trees including Pine, Fir, and Douglas Fir. However it can be particularly abundant in the extensive and nearly single species Ponderosa Pine regions of the Western United States. Sometimes it can become a pest on the pines and the forest is filled with these white butterflies. The species occurs throughout the western United States and southwestern Canada.
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The Colorado Hairstreak (Lycaenidae) is one of the most beautiful and distinctive species in North America with its metallic purple wings with orange spots. The larvae feed on a variety of oak species and the species is most commonly found in oak woodlands or mixed oak-conifer forests. You'll find the Colorado Hairstreak primarily in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah.
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The Hydaspe Fritillary (Nymphalidae) is just one of a number of Speyeria species found in western North America. This species is found in montane meadows and forest openings thoughout the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada. The larvae feed on a variety of violet species.
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Weidemeyer's Admiral (Nymphalidae) is the western counterpart of the White Admiral of northeastern North America. The species occurs throughout the Rocky Mountain Region of the United northward to southern Canada. The adults can be found in deciduous forest or along stream and riversides in coniferous forests. They are also sometimes found in suburban areas of cities. The larvae feed on a number of willow and poplar species.
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The Common Alpine (Nymphalidae - Satyrinae) is perhaps the most abundant and visible species of the genus Erebia. It occurs throughout the Rocky Mountain region from British Columbia and Alberta, southward through the Rocky Mountains to northern New Mexico. The adults fly in mountains meadows and montane prairie as well as openings in the forest. The larvae feed on grasses.
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The Two-banded Checkered Skipper (Hesperiidae) is a denizen of meadows, open woods, and stream sides in the forests of the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada. The species occurs along the Pacific Coast to middle California and also southward along the Rocky Mountains to Colorado and Utah. The larvae feed on a variety of species in the Rose family (Rosaceae).
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