Butterflies and moths of north america collecting and. Butterflies and moths of colorado showcase listing of butterflies and moths found in the state of colorado. Photos submitted without required tags may be summarily removed. For more information on butterflies, please visit the. Eastern north america, by covell 2005, and the series moths of north america. Currently, we show 160,500 images and list over 8,300 species, and these numbers are growing every day. There are approximately 750 species of butterflies in the united states. You can participate by taking and submitting photographs of butterflies, moths, and caterpillars. Pdf on jan 1, 2002, paul a opler and others published butterflies of north america.
Today was the first butterfly sightings in arapahoe county colorado for me. Adult butterflies also feed on fluids such as nectar from flowers. It is an area with a high diversity of plant life and growing conditions. It is without question the most important book on butterflies in several decades, and the most complete treatment of a major butterfly faun ever published.
Gardening guide committee members, david winger, kenton. Two gray hairstreaks observed in the ditch behind my house on may 6th, one of which seemed to be nectaring at hoary cress flowers. As a comparison, there are some 17,500 species known in the world. The wings are also covered with overlapping scaleliked hairs which, when viewed from afar, present the vibrant patterns we commonly associate with butterflies. They were published between 1878 and 1885, most of these articles carry no authors name, yet some of them are nomenclatorially important. List of butterflies of eastern north america compiled by. Butterflies north america, butterflies publisher boston. From kyle gulch all the way up to this location, bennett creek was lined with thick groves of aspen trees. Large, small, and petite, and new this year, as i understand it, dragon flies. How many species of azures in massachusetts, or will the real spring azure. The colorado native plant gardening guides cover these 5 regions.
Ellis, and donald eff lakewood, hotchkiss, and boulder, colorado 159 in the decade since the publication of colorado buttelflies by brown, eff, and rotger, species of butterflies and skippers new to colorado marked with and many range extensions in colorado have been discovered. Butterflies of the grand canyon have an enormous range in size. Distribution of the monarch butterfly, danaus plexippus l. Using the same method of illustration as birds of north america, it features more than 2,300 pictures of butterflies in natural postures. The guide breaks down how to identify butterflies correctly by telling you what to look for. Scientific names list for butterfly species of north america, north of mexico. Caterpillars are common and during fall, winter, and spring may be an. The side of each segment has a tiny yellow dot and its tail end tapers.
Many kinds of butterflies can be found in colorado. A cataloguechecklist of the butterflies of america north of mexico. In the social species, each newly reared future queen overwinters by burrowing into soft ground or other safe place such as in compost piles. The population of the monarch butterfly in north america has declined by more than 90 percent in the last 20 years from use of insecticides and decreased breeding habitat.
While there is a good deal of information on bumble bees available, colorado is positioned in such a way that very few of the guides cover all the species that occur here. There are breeding colonies in the spring mountains. Butterflies and moths of pacific northwest forests and woodlands. By planting to attract butterflies and providing host plants for caterpillars you can help save butterflies and get the added bonus of watching them flutter around in your yard. Native plant gardening in colorados front range and foothills. A case of authorship, meutaea rubicunda nymphalidae f, m artin brown fountain valley school, colorado springs, colorado a series of synopses of the butterflies of north america appeared in. Monarch butterflies disappearing from western north america.
Most images of neotropical type specimens were scanned from print photographs taken by gerardo lamas, representing a lifetime of dedicated and imaginative research and a great generosity in allowing them to be. Scientific names are from the flora of north america. Butterflies of north america fewer than 800 of the known 12,000 lepidopterans found across the united states and canada are actually butterflies the rest being recognized as moths. The annual migration of north americas monarch butterfly is a unique and amazing phenomenon. Historically, butterfly enthusiasts collected butterflies with nets and. Beautifully illustrated and detailed guide to butterflies of north america. Within texas, just over 300 species of butterflies have been recorded in the. Jan loechell turner, colorado native plant society conps. They are vast resources of information and offer many workshops, field tours, and lectures open to the public. The twotailed swallowtail is north america s largest butterfly, with a wingspan of up to 6.
The eastern population of north americas monarchs overwinters in the same 11 to 12 mountain areas in the. Encourage butterflies by planning a butterfly garden. Painted ladies butterflies have taken over the front range on their way south. Many government agencies, organizations, and individuals across north america are working on projects to conserve monarch habitats and their migration. Butterflies seek out areas with food plants for the caterpillar stage. There are more than 200 species of skippers in the united states. Tagging is required it provides our lookup capabilities see below. He was an industrial pioneer in the coalfields of west virginia, opening some of the earliest mines in the southern part of the state. Butterfly families colorado front range butterflies. Butterfly visits increase when environmental needs are met.
Gardening practices and plant selection can prolong the stay of common visitors and draw new ones by providing the food and shelter they require. Explore the variety of moths and butterflies in north america. While much is known about the eastern portion of the. As a beginner this is very helpful because some look very similar, such as the california sister or the lorquins admiral. The butterflies of north america by edwards, william h. Butterflies of north america butterfly identification. The following list of butterflies are found in colorado. Scientific names list for butterfly species of north america, north of mexico find, read and cite all the. Muttkows ki 1910 and needham and heywood 1929 are long out of date. The twotailed swallowtail is north americas largest butterfly, with a wingspan of up to 6.
Visit butterflies and moths of north america for more info. Strays are usually found in the colorado or mojave deserts even in alfalfa fields but. This is a tagbased group, not just another place for pretty butterfly photos. Butterflies in the united states smithsonian institution. Texas place within north american butterfly diversity. The standard model for the migration of the monarch butterfly in western north america has hitherto been movement in the autumn to overwintering sites in coastal california, followed by a return inland by most individuals in the spring. This book is a source for some of the information included in this list. Scott has served on the faculties of colorado state university and the university of california, davis. Unlike other butterflies that can overwinter as larvae, pupae, or even as adults in some species, monarchs cannot survive the cold winters of northern climates. Their bodies are green and plump, completely covered in very short hairs. Planting to attract butterflies timberline landscaping, inc. Spring 2003 saw publication of the second kaufman field guide, butterflies of north america, covering every butterfly found from south texas to the arctic. While there is a good deal of information on bumble bees available, colorado is positioned in such a way that very few. One of the largest butterfly species in north america, this beautiful.
Each exhibit features a unique touch experience, live animals, interpretation by our talented exhibit staff and interactive technology that explores science and conservation topics. Alfalfa butterflies can become abundant and sometimes reach pest status in alflfa fields across the nation. An introduction to butterfly watching texas parks and wildlife. Butterfly pavilion is an azaaccredited nonprofit invertebrate zoo.
The zygoptera and anisoptera were covered by westfall and may 2006 and needham, west. The latest decrease in monarch butterflies is likely due to a decrease in the milkweed plant asclepias a primary food for monarchs from herbicide use in the butterflys reproductive and feeding grounds in the u. Anatomy, biology, lifecycle, taxonomy, ecology, evolution, survival strategies, migration, habitats, butterfly. Kaufman field guide to butterflies of north america kaufman. Please understand that that insects do not adhere to mandrawn borders on a map as such they may be found beyond the general reach as showcased on our website. Census bureau, census 2000 western slope lower elevation region.
The only field guide to cover all north american butterfly species, this monumental work is also a complete natural history, fully describing the biological and ecological world of butterflies in general. Illustrated lists of american butterflies north and south. The monarch is the only butterfly known to make a twoway migration as birds do. The front range and foothills region of colorado is the area east of the continental divide and west of the prairies and plains see map. Butterflies and moths of north america bamona is an ambitious effort to collect, store, and share species information and occurrence data. Jim has been studying butterflies for over 40 years. Kaufman field guide to butterflies of north america. He has written more than 60 scientific papers and contributed to four books on butterflies and grassland ecology. His trips have taken him to brazil, ecuador, costa rica, mexico, the west indies, canada and all 50 states.
May 31, 2016 the population of the monarch butterfly in north america has declined by more than 90 percent in the last 20 years from use of insecticides and decreased breeding habitat. Amy yarger, director of horticulture, butterfly pavilion. Colorado state university, fort collins, colorado 805231177. If all that doesnt hook you, then you will surely enjoy the full page color photos of 40 of north americas most treasured visitors accompanied by a detailed page of that butterflies likes and dislikes, particular identifying marks and region it can be found in. Welcome to butterflies of america a website devoted to the study and enjoyment of american butterflies. This resulted in abundant weidemeyers admirals all along crown point road. Curly dock, another groundlevel leafy plant, is also preferred. Fountain valley school, colorado springs, colorado a series of synopses of the butterflies of north america appeared in the first series of the bulletin of the brooklyn entomological society. For many people, butterflies are a welcome addition to the garden. Jim is the coauthor of butterflies of southeastern arizona, butterflies of north america and caterpillars in the field and garden and sole author of butterflies of the southwest. The florida entomological society will honor william and nadine mcguire with the.
Species, location, and month are particularly important. Half of these24 species totaloccur in colorado scott et al. Clicking on the text link will show you a picture of the butterfly and which specific counties in colorado the butterfly is found in. Western slope below 7,000 colorado native plant society. Presentation on butterflies to the master naturalists. Media related to butterflies of north america at wikimedia commons butterflies of north america 18681872 by w. Our aim is to develop a comprehensive online resource that will include information on taxonomy and identification, distribution and habitat, life history and bibliography for all butterfly taxa in america, including species, subspecies and undescribed geographic variants. Garden butterflies of north america mountain valley growers. The western pygmy blue butterfly is one of the worlds smallest butterflies and has a wingspan of only 0. List of butterflies of colorado the butterfly site. Observed and photographed at bentsenrio grande state park, hidalgo co.
A checklist of north american odonata, 2012 1 before the first edition of this checklist there was no re cent checklist of north american odonata. Caterpillars of the american copper are fond of eating the leafy parts of sheep and alpine sorrel, a plant from the buckwheat family. Find the best views of cheyenne mountain and colorado springs. This years flight butterfly auction will feature three sizes of butterflies. Running northsouth, it includes the cities of fort collins, greeley. Picture taken by melissa franklin may 2007 near collbran, co. Most are social, but a few species are social parasites. A deadly pest has reached north america may 3, 2020 colorado. Each link also provides more information about the butterflys identification and life history. Identification information courtesy of butterflies and moths of north america. All bumble bees, like butterflies have four life stages. Clicking on any image takes you to a page dedicated to that species, with full size photos and detailed information about its biology.
Scott blacks recent article from wings spring 2016. This model is based largely on observational and limited tagging and recovery data. Western north america book, many that are in southern california. They join images from north and central american boa pages interactive list and the neotropical type specimens photo collections. As an example, many butterflies will sip nectar from nonnatives, but the eggs need to. Awareness of the monarch butterflys life cycle and habitat requirements is essential for their survival and an important step in the conservation of this animal. Monarch migration and breeding in the southwest every fall millions of monarch butterflies across north america begin their long migration to overwintering sites deep in the mountains of mexico and along scattered sites along the california coast. Painted lady butterflies have taken over the front range on. Edwards 1868 william henry edwards march 15, 1822 april 2, 1909 was an american businessman and entomologist. Butterfly gardens for colorado perennial favorites. The species list including tags can help incomplete, but still useful. Monarch butterfly populations from western north america have declined far more dramatically than was previously known and face a greater risk of. Gardening guide committee members, david winger, kenton seth or otherwise listed.
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