Oregon and Washington Butterfly Photos - Blues
by Will Cook
Here's a selection of images from a trip to the Portland, Oregon area, July 29-August 9, 2006. I ranged as far as Mt. St. Helens (Washington), Bend, and the NW Oregon coast (which was lacking in butterflies). Locals say that 2006 was a very poor year for butterfly numbers, and I believe them, though I still saw plenty of cool stuff. I also found a couple of odonates, too, which are appended at the end of the Skippers page. All photos were taken using a Nikon CoolPix 8800, the majority with a Nikon 4T close-up lens attached. The camera settings are encoded in the EXIF data in each jpg image, readable with image browsing programs such as the free one I recommend, FastStone. Identification help is appreciated!
Swallowtails and Whites | Coppers | Hairstreaks | Blues | Nymphalids | Skippers
Lycaenidae - Gossamer-wings
Polyommatinae - Blues
| Square-spotted Blue (Euphilotes battoides) These tiny but spectacular butterflies feed on (as caterpillars) and also nectar on various Eriogonum species. This one is on Eriogonum umbellatum (Sulphur-flowered Buckwheat), which is the most abundant species on Mt. Hood. Each high volcano in Oregon has an isolated population of this species, differing slightly from the one on the next volcano. Square-spotted Blue may be a complex of related species. |
| Square-spotted Blue (Euphilotes battoides) |
| Square-spotted Blue and Sagebrush Sooty Hairstreak habitat above Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, Clackamas Co., OR 8/7/06. |
| Echo Azure (Celastrina echo) |
| Boisduval's Blue (Icaricia icarioides), male This beautiful fresh Boisduval's Blue unfortunately didn't cooperate with my attempts at photography. Also known as Plebejus icarioides. |
| Boisduval's Blue (Icaricia icarioides), female |
| Boisduval's Blue (Icaricia icarioides), female |
| Boisduval's Blue (Icaricia icarioides), male |
| Anna's Blue (Lycaeides anna) Also known as Plebejus anna and sometimes lumped with Northern Blue (Lycaeides/Plebejus idas). |
| Anna's Blue (Lycaeides anna) |
| Anna's Blue (Lycaeides anna) Thanks to Jonathan Pelham for ID help with the blues and other pages. |
Swallowtails and Whites | Coppers | Hairstreaks | Blues | Nymphalids | Skippers
Comments? Questions? E-mail me at cwcook@duke.edu