Butterflies
Mariposa is Spanish for butterfly and annually the town of Mariposa, CA celebrates with the Mariposa Butterfly Festival the first weekend in May. On Foxtail Farm we see a wide variety of butterflies throughout the late spring and all through the summer. Below are some of the butterflies we have spotted on our property.
Acmon Blue
Plebejus acmon - caterpillars feed on lupines which are abundant on our property in the late spring. There are several butterflies that closely match the Acmon that can also be seen and those include the Arrowhead Blue, Shasta Blue and Echo Azure.
California Sister
Adelpha californica - Abundant in oak woodlands - Most common butterfly to be spotted on our property
California Tortoiseshell
Nymphalis californica - The browns and grays of the wing underside make it resemble a dead leaf when the wings are closed
Clouded Sulphur
Colias philodice, the common sulphur or clouded sulphur, is a North American butterfly in the family Pieridae, subfamily Coliadinae. This butterfly may be encountered in fields, lawns, alfalfa or clover fields, meadows, and roadsides. Swarms of these butterflies will congregate at mud puddles. We found several specimens near our garden in August 2018.
Common Buckeye
Junonia coenia - Found May through October and sightings are rare on our property
Edith’s Checkerspot
Euphydryas editha editha is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. The species can be found in locations of the San Bernardino Mountains, and Sierra Nevada mountains. Edith's checkerspot butterflies prefer grasslands and rocky outcrops found there. We spotted a specimen in June 2017. This butterfly is endangered and may become extinct due to climate change.
Lorquin’s Admiral
Limenitis lorquini is a butterfly in the Nymphalinae subfamily with the common name Lorquin's Admiral. The butterfly is named after Pierre Joseph Michel Lorquin, a French naturalist who came to California from France during the Gold Rush, and made important discoveries on the natural history of the terrain. The butterfly resides mostly in forest edges, mountain canyons, parks, streamsides, fencerows, orchards, and groves of cottonwood and poplar. Usually the butterflies feed on California buckeye, yerba santa, privet, bird droppings, and dung. We spotted a specimen in June 2020.
Mormon Metalmark
Apodemia mormo is a principally Neartic butterfly in the family Riodinidae. It is a particularly fascinating species for ecological and evolutionary research, as evidenced by its shifting taxonomic classifications.
Populations of A. mormo are widely distributed throughout western United States, with peripheral colonies located in Canada and Mexico. We spotted a specimen in late May 2019.
Pale Swallowtail
Papilio eurymedon, the pale swallowtail or pallid swallowtail, is a relatively common swallowtail butterfly found throughout much of the western North America. The pale swallowtail has a single brood throughout most of its range, but two or more along the Pacific Coast. Adults fly from April to October and are most common in May and July. Eggs are laid singly on host plants which include members of the genus Ceanothus, including buckbrush, mountain balm, and mountain lilac. We spotted a specimen in May 2020.
Sagebrush Sooty Hairstreak
Satyrium semiluna, known generally as the sagebrush sooty hairstreak or half-moon hairstreak, is a species of hairstreak in the family of butterflies known as Lycaenidae. Cheryl spotted this near the house in late May 2018.
Silvery Blue
Glaucopsyche lygdamus, the silvery blue, is a small butterfly native to North America. Its upperside is a light blue in males and a dull grayish blue in females. The underside is gray with a single row of round spots of differing sizes. We spotted a specimen in mid-August 2019 by the garden.
Variable Checkerspot
Euphydryas chalcedona is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in western North America, where its range stretches from Alaska in the north to Baja California in the south and extends east through the Rocky Mountains into Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming. The butterfly is usually brown or black with extensive white and yellow checkering and some red coloration on the dorsal wing. We spotted a specimen in late May 2019.
West Coast Lady
Vanessa annabella is one of three North American species of brush-footed butterflies known colloquially as the "painted ladies". V. annabella occurs throughout much of the western US and southwestern Canada.d throughout the western U.S.
Western Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio rutulus - Active and brightly colored, this butterfly when seen is generally not resting.
Yuba Fritillary
Speyeria callippe juba, is a Sierra Nevada west-slope subspecies. It is the first Fritillary to emerge and is usually the first to disappear. We spotted a specimen near our raised bed garden in May 2019. Image by bugguide.net
Zerene Fritillary
Speyeria zerene - Fritillary of which there are several types lay their eggs on violets. They can be found resting with wings open. Image by BugGuide.net