Oregon and Washington Butterfly Photos

Oregon and Washington Butterfly Photos - Skippers

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

Hesperiidae - Skippers

Pyrginae - Spread-wing Skippers

Persius Duskywing (Erynnis persius)
Jefferson Co., OR 8/1/06.

I only saw a few duskywings on the entire trip - and these eluded my attempts to get a decent picture.

Persius Duskywing (Erynnis persius)
Jefferson Co., OR 8/1/06.

Hesperiinae - Grass-Skippers

	Western Branded Skipper (Hesperia colorado) Jefferson Co., OR 8/1/06. The second most common skipper of the trip, nowhere near as abundant as the Woodland Skipper. Often lumped with the holarctic Common Branded Skipper (Hesperia comma), known in the UK as the Silver-spotted Skipper.
	Western Branded Skipper (Hesperia colorado) Jefferson Co., OR 8/1/06.
	Western Branded Skipper (Hesperia colorado) Deschutes Co., OR 8/2/06.
	Western Branded Skipper (Hesperia colorado) Jefferson Co., OR 8/2/06.
	Western Branded Skipper (Hesperia colorado), male Jefferson Co., OR 8/1/06.
	Sonoran Skipper (Polites sonora), female Jefferson Co., OR 8/1/06.
	Sonoran Skipper (Polites sonora) Mt. Hood, Hood River Co., OR 8/7/06.
	Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides) Tualatin NWR, Sherwood, Washington Co., OR 8/5/06. The most common skipper I saw by far, Woodland Skippers were everywhere, including suburban backyards, the coast, and the Cascades.
	Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides) Silver Falls State Park, Marion Co. OR 7/31/06.
	Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides), male Silver Falls State Park, Marion Co. OR 7/31/06.
	Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides), male Tillamook Co., OR 8/6/06.