Last updated: June 22, 2018
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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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

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 |

NPS / Melanie Weiss