Mountain West 2022

Share your notes and experiences in the field
MikeH
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Mountain West 2022

Post by MikeH »

Along South Platte River near Foxton
Jefferson Co. Colorado
June 24, 2022
High 70s, sunny turning to rain by early afternoon

Papilio rutulus
Papilio eurymedon
Euchloe ausonides
Pontia protodice
Pieris rapae
Colias alexandra
Limenitis weidemeyerii
Polygonia gracilis
Speyeria sp.
Phyciodes pallida
Phyciodes cocyta
Chlosyne nycteis
Coenonympha california
Satyrium liparops
Callophrys gryneus
Celastrina humulus
Cupido amyntula
Euphilotes ancilla
Epargyreus clarus
Euphyes vestris
MikeH
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by MikeH »

Oak Ridge Rd
Sevier Co. Utah
June 11, 2022
Sunny, 80s

Papilio rutulus
Papilio eurymedon
Papilio zelicaon
Pontia occidentalis
Euchloe ausonides
Colias sp.
Speyeria egleis
Speyeria callippe
Phyciodes mylitta
Phyciodes pulchella
Euphydryas editha
Euphydryas anicia
Aglais milberti
Coenonympha california
Glaucopsyche lygdamus
Glaucopsyche piasus
Icaricia saepiolus
Cupido amyntula
Thorybes pylades
Thorybes mexicana
Erynnis sp.

Success Loop
White Pine Co. Nevada
June 12, 2022
Windy, low 70s

Papilio rutulus
Pontia protodice
Colias alexandra
Coenonympha california
Oeneis chryxus
Nymphalis antiopa
Speyeria callippe
Phyciodes pulchella
Euphydryas editha
Icaricia icarioides
Hesperia juba
Last edited by MikeH on Mon Jun 27, 2022 6:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Chuck
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by Chuck »

Mike, "ridge" as in "Oak Ridge Rd" implies to me an elevated location not near water, and thus dry. So I'm surprised at the species. Is this a high meadow or something?
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by thejsonboss »

Humulus is cool, how do you differentiate that from echo? Is it just lightly marked vs echo?
MikeH
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by MikeH »

Chuck wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 12:36 pm Mike, "ridge" as in "Oak Ridge Rd" implies to me an elevated location not near water, and thus dry. So I'm surprised at the species. Is this a high meadow or something?
The part of Oak Ridge road I was collecting at is basically a hilltop covered in forbs, shrubs and oak/aspen trees with lots blooming.

Mostly hilltoppers but some other things.
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by MikeH »

thejsonboss wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 1:18 pm Humulus is cool, how do you differentiate that from echo? Is it just lightly marked vs echo?
More lightly marked, different flight period and only found near host.
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by MikeH »

Mayfield-Ferron road
Sevier Co. Utah
June 11, 2022
Sunny, 60s-80s depending on elevation

Papilio rutulus
Pontia protodice
Pieris rapae
Euchloe ausonides
Colias philodice
Colias alexandra
Speyeria egleis
Speyeria callippe
Boloria kriemhild
Phyciodes pulchella
Nymphalis antiopa
Aglais milberti
Coenonympha california
Glaucopsyche lygdamus
Icaricia saepiolus
Icaricia shasta
Cupido amyntula
Lycaena helloides
Hesperia juba
Burnsius communis
Pyrgus ruralis
Erynnis sp.
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by MikeH »

Lake Dorothey SWA
Las Animas Co. CO
July 23, 2022

Papilio multicaudatus
Pieris rapae
Colias philodice
Colias eurytheme
Colias alexandra
Nathalis iole
Speyeria aphrodite
Euptoieta claudia
Phyciodes pulchella
Phyciodes cocyta
Chlosyne gorgone
Nymphalis antiopa
Polygonia satyrus
Vanessa atalanta
Danaus plexippus
Satyrium calanus
Brephidium exilis
Echinargus isola
Leptotes marina
Plebejus melissa
Burnsius communis
Erynnis sp.
Piruna pirus
Oarisma garita
Epargyreus clarus
Lon taxiles
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by MikeH »

Near Muddy Mountain
Natrona Co. WY
Aug 18, 2022

Colias philodice
Colias eurytheme
Colias alexandra
Euptoieta claudia
Speyeria aphrodite
Speyeria zerene
Speyeria cybele
Speyeria mormonia
Speyeria hesperis
Speyeria edwardsii
Phyciodes campestris
Cercyonis oeta
Cercyonis pegala
Plebejus melissa
Hesperia colorado
Ochlodes sylvanoides
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by MikeH »

North Tongue River Road
Sheridan Co. WY
Aug 19, 2022

Parnassus smintheus
Pieris rapae
Pontia occidentalis
Colias philodice
Colias christina
Colias skinneri
Vanessa cardui
Polygonia gracilis
Phyciodes pulchella
Phyciodes cocyta
Speyeria cybele
Speyeria mormonia
Speyeria zerene
Speyeria hydaspe
Speyeria edwardsii
Euptoieta claudia
Cercyonis pegala
Cercyonis oeta
Lycaena editha
Lycaena dorcas
Lycaena mariposa
Lycaena heteronea]
Plebejus idas
Icaricia Icarioides
Satyrium semiluna
Thymelicus lineola
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by chrisw »

That is quite a list. Amazing that you can find that many Speyeria in one location.
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by MikeH »

In late summer sometimes there isn't much nectar so when there is a good plant area it can draw in lots of leps.

Image

Image
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by Trehopr1 »

I still find it amazing that there is so much variety and abundance of insect life out in the western states despite all the reports of extreme droughts and occurrences of flash flooding which have been all over the news this summer.


Nature finds a way....
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by Chuck »

Love the photos Mike. It's such a different environment than what I am accustomed to, either in eastern USA or As/Pac.
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by MikeH »

Here are some pictures of Colias from my late summer trip:


Image

Bottom two are Colias skinneri from the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming, the two columns on left are Colias christina from the Bighorn mountains, I love how there is so much variation in females of this species. Third column is a male christina from the Bighorns and a female Colias interior from Deer Lodge County Montana. Column on right is Colia alexandra from Muddy Mountain in Natrona County Wyoming.
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by bobw »

Nice selection.
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by Chuck »

Interesting! At first glance I thought "oh, philodice and eurytheme" so upon reading the data it was rather a shock. Pretty impressive.

Are these grass field/roadside captures or do they occur in (what is to my mind) dry mountain scrub?
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by jhyatt »

MikeH wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 12:37 pm Bottom two are Colias skinneri from the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming, the two columns on left are Colias christina from the Bighorn mountains, I love how there is so much variation in females of this species. Third column is a male christina from the Bighorns and a female Colias interior from Deer Lodge County Montana. Column on right is Colia alexandra from Muddy Mountain in Natrona County Wyoming.
MikeH, I am green with envy! Several years ago I traveled to the Bighorn Mtns. to collect. The day I arrived some big fires broke out high in the mountains, and all the roads above about 8000' were closed to all but emergency traffic - both the northern and southern routes. Collecting the higher elevations was totally impossible, and I came home empty-handed as far as Colias were concerned. I did get some nice Speyerias and a few other things, but my dreams of Colias were a bust.

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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by Trehopr1 »

Very nice indeed MikeH.

It's nice to see some species from out west as none of this can be found east of the Mississippi.

You are very fortunate to live out west (encountering all those panoramic views) along with the ability to collect so many varied species of Colias.

Great hunting and post pictures of that nice western stuff whenever possible...☺️
MikeH
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Re: Mountain West 2022

Post by MikeH »

Chuck wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 1:12 pm Interesting! At first glance I thought "oh, philodice and eurytheme" so upon reading the data it was rather a shock. Pretty impressive.

Are these grass field/roadside captures or do they occur in (what is to my mind) dry mountain scrub?
The alexandra is the prairie subspecies 2nd brood that lives in rather terrible looking dry grassland/sagebrush with rabbit brush shrubs as the attractant. Like this
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Qx9oT6oE81CkbZPx8

Skinneri/interior tends to live in forest edges/open forest where the host blueberries live. In the Bighorns with skinneri that tends to be subalpine forest and meadows like this
Image

For christina, I am still not quite sure where they like to be the most, this is the first time I have found this subspecies in numbers and I don't know if the behavior I saw was typical earlier in the flight. I have found them at a variety of elevations but they seem to like moist forest openings/meadows the most.
I have found them occasionally in the same high elevation forest edges as skinneri.
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