Post by reifb on Aug 1, 2012 16:39:25 GMT -8
2012.07.15-18 Winter Park/Fraser, CO
I’m always amazed by the diversity of a new area. Last summer I encountered my first Lycaena rubidus, and was astounded by the beauty of this butterfly. There were only a few of the butterflies where I had been hiking and assumed it would be difficult to find the species. Then I come to Fraser, CO and find the species all over the wet areas. The other species that is extremely abundant in Fraser is Lycaena helloides. On a major mountain biking section of Fraser I encountered at least one of these butterflies on every flower bunch in the Aster family. The one new species for me in Fraser is Lycaena editha, which I wasn’t sure about at first due to a range map I had of this species, but there were so many that I was able to make a positive ID. On a later day I was able to hike a section of the Continental Divide Trail off of Berthoud Pass. I was looking for Erebia magdalena and Oeneis melissa which I had never seen before. I did not see a single alpine or artic (a bit surprised about this as both Erebia epipsodea and Erebia callias were so abundant in similar habitat I hiked last summer) until I finally reached the highest point of the trail section I was hiking. I encountered three of the Oeneis melissa and was able to net two of them.
It was a very successful trip that allowed me to net two new species (Lycaena editha and Oeneis melissa), female Parnassius smintheus, Lycaena rubidus, Lycaena heteronea (I’ve only collected males before), a different patterned Euphydryas editha than I had, and five species of Speyeria (S. mormonia, S. edwardsii, S. callippe, S. atlantis, S. egleis). In a week I get to spend some time in Steamboat Springs and look forward to what is flying around there.
Species collected/spotted:
Berthoud Pass/Continental Divide Trail
Parnassius smintheus
Colias meadii
Plebejus shasta
Boloria montinus
Euphydryas editha
Nymphalis milberti
Oeneis melissa
Euchloe ausonides
Lycaena cupreus
Agriades glandon
Spyeria mormonia
Polygonia gracilis
Fraser
Pieris marginalisColias eurytheme
Colias alexandra
Nathalis iole
Lycaena rubidus
Lycaena helloides
Lycaena heteronea
Lycaena editha
Plebejus saepiolus
Speyeria callippe
Speyeria egleis
Speyeria mormonia
Speyeria atlantis
Speyeria edwardsii
Phyciodes campsestris
Boloria montinus
Limenitis weidemeyerii
Erebia epipsodea
I’m always amazed by the diversity of a new area. Last summer I encountered my first Lycaena rubidus, and was astounded by the beauty of this butterfly. There were only a few of the butterflies where I had been hiking and assumed it would be difficult to find the species. Then I come to Fraser, CO and find the species all over the wet areas. The other species that is extremely abundant in Fraser is Lycaena helloides. On a major mountain biking section of Fraser I encountered at least one of these butterflies on every flower bunch in the Aster family. The one new species for me in Fraser is Lycaena editha, which I wasn’t sure about at first due to a range map I had of this species, but there were so many that I was able to make a positive ID. On a later day I was able to hike a section of the Continental Divide Trail off of Berthoud Pass. I was looking for Erebia magdalena and Oeneis melissa which I had never seen before. I did not see a single alpine or artic (a bit surprised about this as both Erebia epipsodea and Erebia callias were so abundant in similar habitat I hiked last summer) until I finally reached the highest point of the trail section I was hiking. I encountered three of the Oeneis melissa and was able to net two of them.
It was a very successful trip that allowed me to net two new species (Lycaena editha and Oeneis melissa), female Parnassius smintheus, Lycaena rubidus, Lycaena heteronea (I’ve only collected males before), a different patterned Euphydryas editha than I had, and five species of Speyeria (S. mormonia, S. edwardsii, S. callippe, S. atlantis, S. egleis). In a week I get to spend some time in Steamboat Springs and look forward to what is flying around there.
Species collected/spotted:
Berthoud Pass/Continental Divide Trail
Parnassius smintheus
Colias meadii
Plebejus shasta
Boloria montinus
Euphydryas editha
Nymphalis milberti
Oeneis melissa
Euchloe ausonides
Lycaena cupreus
Agriades glandon
Spyeria mormonia
Polygonia gracilis
Fraser
Pieris marginalisColias eurytheme
Colias alexandra
Nathalis iole
Lycaena rubidus
Lycaena helloides
Lycaena heteronea
Lycaena editha
Plebejus saepiolus
Speyeria callippe
Speyeria egleis
Speyeria mormonia
Speyeria atlantis
Speyeria edwardsii
Phyciodes campsestris
Boloria montinus
Limenitis weidemeyerii
Erebia epipsodea