A Connectivity Corridor, Pollinator Garden, and Butterflies - Part 3

By Dianne Keller

Lilac-bordered Copper on Oregon Sunshine (Eriophyllum lanatum), Rob Santry, July 16, 2020.

The many butterflies in Mark’s pollinator garden easily grab our attention as they flit from one flower to another while probing for nectar.  This allows us to see the importance of flowering plants to this insect’s adult stage.  However, much less apparent to us are the plants that support the egg and larvae (caterpillar) stages.  These essential plants are called host plants and can come in the form of trees, shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers.  They attract the female which, in turn, bring in the male for mating.  They serve as egg laying sites as well as food, shelter, and concealment for the caterpillars. Some have disgusting alkaloids when consumed by the caterpillars provide protection into adulthood.  Many also serve as sources of nectar.

Each butterfly species depends on a specific plant, a family of plants or in some cases a community of particular plants for their sustenance.  Many butterflies have synced their life phases to the phenology of their host plant.  For instance Monarchs depend on milkweeds, and Painted Ladies depend on thistles, mallows and lupines.  

The following are further examples from Mark’s property illustrating host plant/butterfly associations.

Boisduval Blue

Male Boisduval Blue cruising lupine host plant looking for females, Shingletown, Shasta County, California. Rob Santry, May 24, 2010

The host plant for this small blue butterfly is lupine, usually the hairiest one to be found in the area.  On Mt. Ashland that is probably Velvet Lupine (Lupinus leucophyllus).  The butterfly finds its host plant with its great eye sight. They see better than humans. Most butterfly species can perceive a broad spectrum of colors including ultraviolet light which allows them to visually zoom in on the specific colors and patterns of their host plant. (Rooted Wings Co. 2025)

The male Boisduval never ventures further than 50 yards from the lupine patch as he patrols for females.  (Pyle & LaBar, 2018) The female deposits her eggs singly on leaves, stems, and flowers favoring new growth.  Eggs hatch in under a week, and throughout the summer larvae feed on the leaves eating holes halfway through leaving round yellow scars.  Larvae sometimes rest by day below the lupine plant in holes dug by ants.  (James & Nunnallee, 2011) 

Larva tended by ants encourage the relationship by secreting a sugary liquid.  Worker ants eagerly consume the offering and in return protect their food source from being preyed upon.  This symbiosis not only keeps the larva from being directly eaten by birds or other insects, but also, an army of ants discourage parasitoid insects from depositing their eggs on or inside the caterpillar’s body, saving it from being consumed. (Tufts Pollinator Initiative 2025)

With the approach of winter the half-grown caterpillars turn a purplish brown and seek out the base of their dry, withered host plant where they go into diapause (a period during which growth and development is suspended in response to adverse environmental conditions).  When warm spring days arrive the small caterpillars become active again, eating the host plant’s young shoots.  They grow rapidly and by summer have metamorphosized into butterflies and are once again pursuing mates among the lupine leaves.

Fritillaries: Atlantis, Callippe, Great Basin, Hydaspe, Western Meadow, and Zerene

Hydaspe Fritillary probing a Spreading Dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium) flower head, Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, Rob Santry, July 7, 2017.

Several species of violets can be host plants for the above listed fritillaries.  The yellow flowering Pioneer violets (Violia glabella) are found on Mark’s property.  The plants appear soon after snow melt and flower early in the spring providing larvae emerging from the forest duff with nutritious new growth.  

The caterpillars grow fast.  Warm summer days bring the adults out in mating flights.  However, females don’t lay eggs until fall, after the males have died out and the violets have dried up.  It takes more than sharp eyesight for the female to find her host plant.  Butterflies get much of their information through chemoreceptors on both their legs and antenna.  Females probe for the chemical signature of underground violets and, when found, lay a single egg at each. (James & Nunnallee, 2011).  In the spring succulent leaves burst from the forest floor just as the larvae emerge.

Golden Hairstreak 

Golden Hairstreak on her host plant Giant Chinquapin (Chrysolepis chrysophylla), Mark Newberger property, Rob Santry, September 6, 2024.

Giant Chinquapin (Chrysolepis chrysophylla) is one of the host plants for the Golden Hairstreak.  These bushes are in abundance in the Montane Chaparral ecosystem of Mark’s property.  The adult butterflies emerge in late spring, early summer, then enter aestivation (inactivity during summer due to heat and dryness) until late August, early September.  Aestivating adults sit quietly on the cool, moist floor of the chinquapin thicket or in leaf litter.  Their courting and mating behavior happens at dusk, on branches within the thicket.  However, for them, it is not dark in there because they can see with the down-welling far-red light not absorbed by chlorophyll.  Unlike most butterflies with only one acute visual zone facing forward, this species also has one facing upward that has photoreceptors loaded with far-red sensors.  The structure of their eyes has become designed for their habitat!  (Bernard, Gary 2025) 

In the fall a female places her chalky-colored eggs underneath her host plant’s leaves.  Larva, pupa and adults are well hidden against the creamy yellow leaf underside, making camouflage probably their prime survival strategy.   (James & Nunnallee 2011).  

Lindsey’s Skipper

Lindsey’s skipper sipping nectar from Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, Rob Santry, July 7, 2017.

Lindsey’s skippers are unique in that they utilize two different host plants in sequence.  First the female often lays her eggs in clumps of an arboreal lichen (Usnea florida) typically found on fence posts and tree trunks.  After hatching the tiny larvae drops down and must find a host grass.  On Mark’s property one of their host grasses is Roemer’s fescue (Festuca idahoensis ssp. roemeri).  When the caterpillar is fully grown it burrows down to the base of a grass clump and builds a nest on top of or just under the soil using silk and blades of grass. It then goes into diapause through much of the summer and all winter.  In the spring when temperature, moisture, and day length are right the caterpillar emerges, goes into pupation, and transforms into a winged adult.  (Kappen, Linda, 2023)

Host Plants and the Caterpillars that Feed Upon Them

Each ecosystem on Marks property – Montane White Fir Forest, Montane Chaparral, Wet, Moist and Dry Meadows – includes a different set of butterfly host plants.  Many of these plants are in the form of trees and bushes.  Following are photos of many of the host plants on his property and the butterfly species that depend on them.  Two stars (**) after the host plant name means it is not only a caterpillar feed plant but, also, a source of nectar.  See how many of the butterfly photos you can match up to their name.

The Montane White Fir Forest ecosystem with its open sunny glades covers about half of Mark’s property. Host plants that can be found there include:

 Host Plant: Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) 

Butterflies: Pine White and Western Pine Elfin 

Host Plant: Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens)

Butterfly: Cedar Hairstreak

 Host Plant: Pioneer Violet (Viola glabella) 

Butterflies: Atlantis, Callippe, Hydaspe, Western Meadow, and Zerene Fritillaries 

Host Plant: Oceanspray** (Holodiscus discolor)

Butterflies that depend on it: Pale Tiger Swallowtail, Echo Azure, and Lorquin’s Admiral.

Host Plants: Usnea (a lichen in Parmeliaceae family) and Roemer’s fescue (Festuca idahoensis roemeri)

Butterfly that depends on it: Lindsey’s Skipper.

Host Plant: Common Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)

Butterfly that depends on it: Snowberry Checkerspot.

As you walk along the Pacific Crest trail through the Montane Chaparral ecosystem the following host plants are abundant:

Host Plant: Greenleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula) **

Butterfly that depends on it: Brown Elfin.

Host Plant: Giant Red Indian Paintbrush** (Castilleja miniata)

Butterflies that depend on it: Leanira Checkerspot and Common Buckeye.

Host Plant: Snowbrush** (Ceanothus velutinus)

Butterflies that depend on it: Pale Tiger Swallowtail, California Hairstreak, Lorquin’s Admiral, Echo Azure, California Tortoiseshell, and Pacuvius Duskywing.

Host Plant: Showy Penstemon** (Penstemon speciosus)

Butterfly that depends on it: Common Buckeye.

Host Plant: Giant Chinquapin** (Chrysolepis chrysophylla)

Butterflies that depend on it: Golden Hairstreak, California Sister, and Propertius Duskywing.

On the north side of the ridge running through Mark’s property is a Wet/Moist Meadow ecosystem supporting the following host plants:

Host Plant: Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum)

Butterfly that depends on it: Western Tiger Swallowtail.

Host Plant: Tower Rockcress** (Turritis glabra)

Butterflies that depend on it: Large, Gray & Pearly Marbles and Western, Margined & Cabbage Whites.

Host Plant: Redflower Currant (Ribes sanguineum) **

Butterfly that depends on it: Hoary Comma.

Upslope from the Mt. Ashland Ski Road is Mark’s south-facing Moist/Dry Meadow ecosystem where the following host plants have taken root: 

Host Plant: Cow Parsnip** (Heracleum maximum)

Butterfly that depends on it: Anise Swallowtail.

Host Plant: Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) **

Butterflies that depend on it: Pale Tiger Swallowtail, California Hairstreak, Lorquin’s Admiral, Brown Elfin, and Common Buckeye.

A number of host plants adapted to Dry Meadow conditions were seeded in Mark’s Pollinator Garden.

Host Plant: Alice Eastwood fleabane (Erigeron aliceae) **

Butterfly that depends on it: Hoffman’s Checkerspot

Host Plant: Arrowleaf buckwheat (Eriogonum compositum) **

Butterfly that depends on it: Acmon Blue.

Host Plant: Sulphur-flower Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum) **

Butterflies that depend on it: Summit Blue and Acmon Blue.

Host Plant: Oregon Checkermallow (Sidalcea oregana) **

Butterfly that depends on it: Two-banded Checkered Skipper.

Host Plant: Velvet lupine (Lupinus leucophyllus) **

Butterflies that depend on it: Boisduval’s Blue, Gray Hairstreak.

Host Plant: Broad-leafed Lupine (Lupinus latifolius) **

Butterflies that depend it: Persius Duskywing, Painted Lady, Anna’s Blue, Silvery Blue, and Western Sulphur.

 Host Plant: Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) ** 

Butterfly: Monarch 

The Scouler’s Willow, another host plant, finds the moisture it needs located down-slope from Mark’s greenhouse.

 Host Plant: Scouler’s Willow (Salix scouleriana) ** 

Butterflies: Western Tiger Swallowtail, Satyr Anglewing, and Lorquin’s Admiral 

List of Butterflies Seen on Mark’s Property

Sixty (60) species of butterflies have been documented on Mark’s property as of 2025.  That is a little over half of the 99 species found over an eight-year period along the Siskiyou Crest between Dutchman Peak and Mt. Ashland.  Habitat for some of those 99 species does not occur on Mark’s 40 acres.  For example, the host plant of Mountain Parnassian (Parnassius smintheus sternitskyi) and Moss’s Elfin (Callophrys mossii) is sedum a succulent which grows among the rocks on steep granitic cliffs.  The host plant of the Sierra Nevada Blue (Agriades podarce) is Alpine Shooting Star (Dodecatheon alpinum) which favors the soggy soils of wet meadow seeps. These species are unlikely to be seen on Mark’s property.  However, there are certainly other species along the crest that have the potential of showing up.  

Abundance on Mark’s property: 

A = abundant, likely to see more than 20 individuals per visit to the right spot at the right time.

C = common, likely to see 4-20 individuals per visit to the right spot at the right time.  

U = uncommon, likely to see 0-3 individuals per visit to the right spot at the right time.  

Early, Mid, Late and All indicate flight period.

Northern Cloudywing, U, Mid

Propertius Duskywing, U, Early-Mid

Pacuvius Duskywing, U, Mid

Persius Duskywing, C, Mid

Two-banded Checkered Skipper, U, Mid

Juba Skipper, C, Mid-Late; Lindsey's Skipper, U, Mid; Woodland Skipper, C, Late; Clodius Parnassian, C, Mid; Anise Swallowtail, C, All; Western Tiger Swallowtail, C, All; Pale Tiger Swallowtail, C, All; Orange Sulphur, C, All; Western Sulphur, U, Early-Mid; Gray Marble, U, Early; Large Marble, C, Early-Mid; Pearly Marble, U, Early; Pine White, U, Late; Margined White, U, All; Cabbage White,

U, All; Western White, U, Mid; Edith's Copper, U, Mid; Purplish Copper, U, Early, Late; Lilac-bordered Copper, A, Mid; California Hairstreak, U, Mid; Juniper Hairstreak, A, Early-Mid; Golden Hairstreak, C, Late; Brown Elfin, U, Early; Western Pine Elfin, U, Early; Gray Hairstreak, U, Early-Mid; Echo Azure, C, All; Silvery Blue, U, Mid; Summit Blue, C, Mid; Boisduval's Blue, C, Mid; Acmon Blue, C, Mid-Late; Anna's Blue, U, Mid-Late; Monarch, U, Mid-Late; Western Meadow Fritillary, C, Mid; Zerene Fritillary, C, Mid-Late; Callippe Fritillary, C, Mid; Great Basin Fritillary, C, Mid; Northwestern Fritillary, U, Mid; Hydaspe Fritillary, A, Mid-Late; Lorquin's Admiral, C, Mid-Late; California Sister, U, Mid-Late; Painted Lady, C, All; American Lady, C, All; California Tortoiseshell, U, All; Satyr Anglewing, U, All; Hoary Comma, C, All; Common Buckeye, U, Mid-Late; Snowberry Checkerspot, U, Mid; Leanira Checkerspot, U, Mid; Hoffmann's Checkerspot, C, Mid; Northern Checkerspot, U, Early-Mid; Mylitta Crescent, C, All; Field Crescent, C, Mid; Ochre Ringlet, U, All; Common Woodnymph, U, Mid-Late; Great Arctic, U, Mid.

References

Photographers

The majority of the butterfly photos are curtsey of Rob Santry downloaded from his Flickr website. Exceptions are Anna’s Blue by Frank Lospalotto and Monarch by Barbara Peck.

Host plant photos were gathered from a variety of sources including Caitlin Bean, Dianne Keller, and the internet.

Literature Cited

Bernard, Gary. Feb. 5, 2025. Red Blindness, Red Vision and Far-Red Vision of Butterflies, Washington Butterfly Association presentation, https://youtu.be/CiaMklr4lzE

James, David G. and David Nunnallee. 2011. Life Histories of Cascadia Butterflies.  Oregon State University Press.

Kappen, Linda, 2023, Lindsey’s Skipper of the Pacific Northwest, Applegater, winter 2023, P. 13, applegater.org/pdf/2023/v16n04/v16n04p13.pdf)

Pyle, Robert M. and Caitlin LaBar. 2018. Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest.  Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.

Rooted Wings Co., 2025. How Do Butterflies Find their Host Plants, rootedwingsco.com

Tufts Pollinator Initiative. 2025. The Butterflies who are raised by ants, sites.tufts,edu)

Plant names used are those given at https://plants.usda.gov

Butterfly common names are those used by Pyle & LaBar in their 2018 book "Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest".