Butterflies of the North Coast & Cascades

Butterflies are pollinators and important indicators of climate change because their distribution reflects environmental conditions. As temperatures and precipitation patterns changes, butterflies shift their distribution to conditions where they can survive and reproduce. Over the last decade, we have been assembling butterfly species lists for each park through inventories, research, and the Cascades Butterfly Project.

Skippers (Hesperiidae)

Species	Common name	Mount Rainier National Park	North Cascades National Park Complex	Olympic National Park	San Juan Island National Historical Park	Larval host plants
Carterocephalus palaemon	Arctic skipper	x	x	x		Grasses
Hesperia colorado	Western branded skipper	x				Grasses
Hesperia comma	Common branded skipper		x	x		Grasses and sedges
Hesperia juba	Juba skipper	x				Grasses
Ochlodes sylvanoides	Woodland skipper	x		x	x	Grasses
Erynnis icelus	Dreamy duskywing				x	Willows, poplars, aspens, and sometimes birch
Erynnis persius	Persius duskywing	x		x		Lupine and other legumes
Erynnis propertius	Propertius duskywing				x	Oaks
Pyrgus ruralis	Two-banded checkered skipper	x		x	x	Rose family

Woodland skipper (dorsal)

NPS

Gossamer-winged Butterflies (Lycaenidae)

Species	Common name	Larval host plants	Mount Rainier National Park	North Cascades National Park Complex	Olympic National Park	San Juan Island National Historical Park
Lycaena helloides	Purplish copper	Knotweeds and cinquefoils	x	x	x	x
Lycaena heteronea	Blue copper	Wild buckwheat	x	x
Lycaena mariposa	Mariposa copper	Mainly Ericaceae, including Cascade huckleberry	x	x	x
Lycaena nivalis	Lilac-bordered copper	Knotweed			x
Celastrina echo	Echo blue	Many plants including subalpine spirea and Cascade huckleberry	x		x	x
Euphilotes ancilla	Rocky Mountain dotted-blue	Wild buckwheat	x
Everes amyntula	Western tailed-blue	Legumes			x	x
Glaucopsyche lygdamus	Silvery blue	Legumes	x	x	x	x
Glaucopsyche piasus	Arrowhead blue	Lupines and milkvetch	x
Plebejus acmon	Acmon blue	Wild buckwheats and legumes	x	x	x
Plebejus anna	Anna's blue	Broadleaf lupine	x	x
Plebejus glandon	Arctic blue	Cascade huckleberry; pink heather; saxifrages; lupine	x	x	x
Plebejus icarioides	Boisduval's blue	Broadleaf lupine	x	x	x
Plebejus idas	Northern blue	Legumes	x	x	x
Plebejus lupini	Lupine blue	Wild buckwheats	x	x
Plebejus melissa	Melissa blue	Legumes	x
Plebejus saepiolus	Greenish blue	Clovers	x		x
Callophrys augustinus	Brown elfin	Mainly Ericaceae, including Cascade huckleberry	x		x
Callophrys eryphon	Western pine elfin	Several different pine species				x
Callophrys gryneus	Cedar/Juniper hairstreak	Junipers			x
Callophrys johnsoni	Johnson's hairstreak	Pine dwarf mistletoe on conifers	x
Callophrys mossii	Moss' elfin	Stonecrops, including Sedum	x		x	x
Satyrium sylvinus	Sylvan hairstreak	Willows	x		x
Strymon melinus	Gray hairstreak	Many herbs, particularly legumes and mallow family	x			x

Anna's blue butterfly

NPS

Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae)

Species	Common name	Larval host plants	Mount Rainier National Park	North Cascades National Park Complex	Olympic National Park	San Juan Island National Historical Park
Danaus plexippus	Monarch	Milkweek	x
Boloria chariclea	Arctic fritillary	Violets, American bistort, and Cascade huckleberry; many plants	x	x	x
Boloria epithore	Western meadow fritillary	Violets	x	x	x	x
Speyeria callippe	Callippe fritillary	Violets	x
Speyeria coronis	Coronis fritillary	Violets	x	x
Speyeria cybele	Great spangled fritillary	Violets	x
Speyeria hydaspe	Hydaspe fritillary	Violets	x	x	x
Speyeria mormonia	Mormon fritillary	Violets	x	x
Speyeria zerene	Zerene fritillary	Violets	x
Speyeria zerene bremnerii	Valley silverspot	Violets				x
Limenitis lorquini	Lorquin's admiral	Shrubs and trees including wild cherry, willows, and poplar	x	x	x	x
Aglais milberti	Milbert's tortoiseshell	Nettle	x	x	x	x
Chlosyne hoffmanni	Hoffmann's checkerspot	Cascade aster, other asters	x
Chlosyne palla	Northern checkerspot	Asters; Cascade aster and alpine aster	x	x
Euphydryas anicia	Anicia checkerspot	Many herbs including paintbrush, lousewort, and Penstemon		x
Euphydryas chalcedona	Snowberry checkerspot	Many herbs including paintbrush and beardtongue	x	x	x
Euphydryas colon	Colon checkerspot	Many plants including snowberry, Penstemon, louseworts, and paintbrush	x
Euphydryas editha	Edith's checkerspot	Many plants including Penstemon, louseworts, and paintbrush	x	x
Nymphalis antiopa	Mourning cloak	Several willows and western mountain ash	x	x		x
Nymphalis californica	California tortoiseshell	Wild lilac	x	x
Phyciodes cocyta	Northern crescent	Asters; Cascade aster and alpine aster	x
Phyciodes mylitta	Mylitta crescent	Native and introduced thistles, edible thistle	x			x
Phyciodes pulchella	Field crescent	Asters; Cascade aster and alpine aster	x		x
Polygonia faunus	Green comma	Various shrubs and trees; willow, birch, alder, currants, and azalea	x	x	x	x
Polygonia gracilis	Hoary comma	Currants; white azalea	x	x
Polygonia oreas	Oreas comma	Currants	x			x
Polygonia satyrus	Satyr comma	Nettle	x	x	x	x
Vanessa annabella	West coast lady	Mallow family	x			x
Vanessa atalanta	Red admiral	Nettle	x	x		x
Vanessa cardui	Painted lady	Many herbs, edible thistle	x	x	x	x
Vanessa virginiensis	American lady	Aster family				x
Cercyonis oetus	Small wood nymph	Grasses	x
Cercyonis pegala	Common wood nymph	Grasses	x
Coenonympha tullia	Ochre ringlet	Grasses and rushes		x
Coenonympha tullia insulana	Island ochre ringlet	Grasses and sedges				x
Erebia epipsodea	Common alpine	Grasses		x
Erebia vidleri	Vidler's alpine	Grasses		x	x
Oeneis chryxus	Chryxus arctic	Grasses		x	x
Oeneis nevadensis	Great arctic	Grasses	x

Milbert's tortoiseshell butterfly

NPS

Swallowtail Butterflies (Papilionidae)

Species	Common name	Larval host plants	Mount Rainier National Park	North Cascades National Park Complex	Olympic National Park	San Juan Island National Historical Park
Papilio eurymedon	Pale swallowtail	Leaves of cherry and ash; other shrubs and trees	x	x	x	x
Papilio indra	Indra swallowtail	Parsely family	x	x
Papilio multicaudata	Two-tailed swallowtail	Chokecherry and ash; other shrubs and trees	x
Papilio rutulus	Western tiger swallowtail	Cherry, willows, aspen, and ash; other shrubs and trees	x	x	x	x
Papilio zelicaon	Anise swallowtail	Parsley family including desert parsley, cow parsnip	x	x	x	x
Parnassius clodius	Clodius parnassian	Bleeding heart	x	x	x
Parnassius smintheus	Mountain parnassian	Stonecrops, including Sedum	x	x	x

Anise swallowtail butterfly

NPS / Tanner Humphries

Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)

Species	Common name	Larval host plants	Mount Rainier National Park	North Cascades National Park Complex	Olympic National Park	San Juan Island National Historical Park
Colias alexandra	Queen Alexandra's sulphur	Legumes	x
Colias eurytheme	Orange sulphur	Legumes, including broadleaf lupine	x	x
Colias interior	Pink-edged sulphur	Blueberries		x	x
Colias occidentalis	Western sulphur	Legumes	x		x
Colias philodice	Clouded sulphur	Legumes, including broadleaf lupine	x	x
Anthocharis sara	Sarah's orangetip	Mustards, including toothwort and bittercress	x	x	x	x
Euchloe ausonides insulanus	Island marble	Mustard family				x
Neophasia menapia	Pine white	Conifer needles including pines, Douglas-fir, and true firs	x	x	x
Pieris marginalis	Margined white	Mustards, including Cardamine	x	x	x
Pieris rapae	Cabbage white*	Mustard family	x		x	x
Pontia beckerii	Becker's white	Mustard family	x
Pontia occidentalis	Western white	Mustards, including field peppergrass, daggerpod, and bittercress	x	x	x
Pontia sisymbrii	Spring white	Mustard family			x

* = non-native

Orange sulphur butterfly

NPS / Melanie Weiss