Butterflies of Oregon

Most identification guides can only show a couple small photos of each species. It is helpful to have additional views, especially where there are differences between the sexes or regional subspecies. Listed below are selected common butterfly species found in Oregon. Click on a highlighted species name to see various photos of that butterfly. The list will grow as photos of other species become available.

I generally follow Pyle's Butterflies of Cascadia for the English and scientific names as this is the primary guidebook for Oregon. I try to cross-reference with the standardized names used by NABA or other authors where they differ (see references). Unfortunately there is considerable disagreement on several species.

Photos by Dennis Deck unless otherwise specified.

Swallowtails (Family Papilionidae)

Swallowtails (Subfamily Papilioninae)

• Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)
• Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon)
• Oregon Swallowtail (Papilio oregonius)
• Indra Swallowtail (Papilio indra)
• Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus)
• Two-tailed Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata)
• Pale Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon)

Parnassians (Subfamily Parnassiinae)

• Clodius Parnassian (Parnassius clodius)
• Mountain Parnassian (Parnassius smintheus)

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Whites and Sulphurs (Family Pieridae)

Sulphurs (Subfamily Coliadinae)

Whites (Subfamily Pierinae)

• Pine White (Neophasia menapia)
• Becker's White (Pontia beckerii)
• Spring White (Pontia sisymbrii)
• Checkered White (Pontia protodice)
• Western White (Pontia occidentalis)
• Margined White (Pieris marginalis)
• Cabbage White (Pieris rapae)
• Large Marble (Euchloe ausonides)
• Desert Marble (Euchloe lotta)
• California Marble (Euchloe hyantis)
• Gray Marble (Anthocharis lanceolata)
• Sara's Orangetip (Anthocharis sara)

Sulphurs (Subfamily Coliadinae)

• Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice)
• Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)
• Western Sulphur (Colias occidentalis)
• Queen Alexandra's Sulphur (Colias alexandra)
• Pelidne Sulphur (Colias pelidne)
• Pink-edged Sulphur (Colias interior)

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Gossamer-wing Butterflies (Family Lycaenidae)

Coppers (Subfamily Lycaeninae)

• Tailed Copper (Lycaena arota)
• American Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)
• Lustrous Copper (Lycaena cupreus)
• Great Copper (Lycaena xanthoides)
• Edith's Copper (Lycaena editha)
• Gorgon Copper (Lycaena gorgon)
• Ruddy Copper (Lycaena rubidus)
• Blue Copper (Lycaena heteronea)
• Purplish Copper (Lycaena helloides)
• Lilac-bordered Copper (Lycaena nivalis)
• Mariposa Copper (Lycaena mariposa)

Hairstreaks (Subfamily Theclinae)

• Golden Hairstreak (Habrodais grunus)
• Great Purple Hairstreak (Atlides halesus)
• Coral Hairstreak (Satyrium titus)
• Behr's Hairstreak (Satyrium behrii)
• Sooty Hairstreak (Satyrium fuliginosum)
• California Hairstreak (Satyrium californicum)
• Sylvan Hairstreak (Satyrium sylvinum)
• Gold-hunter's Hairstreak (Satyrium auretorum)
• Mountain Mahogany Hairstreak (Satyrium tetra)
• Hedgerow Hairstreak (Satyrium saepium)
• Western Green Hairstreak (Callophrys affinis)
• Sheridan's Green Hairstreak (Mitoura sheridani)
• Thicket Hairstreak (Mitoura spinetorum)
• Johnson's Hairstreak (Mitoura johnsoni)
• Cedar Hairstreak (Mitoura gyrnea)
• Brown Elfin (Incisalia augustinus)
• Moss' Elfin (Incisalia mossii)
• Hoary Elfin (Incisalia polios)
• Western Pine Elfin (Incisalia eryphon)
• Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)

Blues (Subfamily Polyommatinae)

• Western Pygmy-Blue (Brephidium exile)
• Marine Blue (Leptotes marina)
• Eastern Tailed-Blue (Everes comyntas)
• Western Tailed-Blue (Everes amyntula)
• Spring Azure (Celastrina argiolus)
• Square-spotted Blue (Euphilotes battoides)
• Pacific Dotted-Blue (Euphilotes enoptes)
• Columbia Dotted-Blue (Euphilotes columbiae)
• Rocky Mountain Dotted-Blue (Euphilotes ancilla)
• Leona's Little Blue (Philotiella leona)
• Arrowhead Blue (Glaucopsyche piasus)
• Silvery Blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus)
• Anna's Blue (Lycaeides anna)
• Northern Blue (Lycaeides idas)
• Melissa's Blue (Lycaeides melissa)
• Greenish Blue (Plebeius saepiolus)
• Boisduval's Blue (Plebeius icarioides)
• Shasta Blue (Plebeius shasta)
• Acmon Blue (Plebeius acmon)
• Lupine Blue (Plebeius lupini)
• Sierra Nevada Blue (Agriades podarce)
• Arctic Blue (Agriades glandon)

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Metalmarks (Family Riodinidae)

Mormon Metalmark (Apodemia mormo)

Brush-footed Butterflies (Family Nymphalidae)

Heliconians and Fritillaries (Subfamily Heliconiinae)

• Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele)
• Coronis Fritillary (Speyeria coronis)
• Zerene Fritillary (Speyeria zerene)
• Callippe Fritillary (Speyeria callippe)
• Atlantis Fritillary (Speyeria atlantis)
• Great Basin Fritillary (Speyeria egleis)
• Northwestern Fritillary (Speyeria hesperis)
• Hydaspe Fritillary (Speyeria hydaspe)
• Mormon Fritillary (Speyeria mormonia)
• Silver-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene)
• Meadow Fritillary (Boloria bellona)
• Western Meadow Fritillary (Boloria epithore)
• Arctic Fritillary (Boloria chariclea)

See also a visual guide to Oregon & Washington Fritillary subspecies.

True Brush-foots (Subfamily Nymphalinae)

• Leanira Checkerspot (Thessalia leanira)
• Northern Checkerspot (Chlosyne palla)
• Sagebrush Checkerspot (Chlosyne acastus)
• Hoffmann's Checkerspot (Chlosyne hoffmanni)
• Northern Crescent (Phyciodes cocyta)
• Field Crescent (Phyciodes pratensis)
• California Crescent (Phyciodes orseis)
• Pale Crescent (Phyciodes pallida)
• Mylitta Crescent (Phyciodes mylitta)
• Chalcedona Checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona)
• Edith's Checkerspot (Euphydryas editha)
• Satyr Comma (Polygonia satyrus)
• Green Comma (Polygonia faunus)
• Hoary Comma (Polygonia gracilis)
• Compton Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis vaualbum)
• California Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica)
• Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)
• Milbert's Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis milberti)
• American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
• Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
• West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella)
• Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
• Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)

Admirals and Relatives (Subfamily Limenitidinae)

• Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)
• Weidemeyer's Admiral (Limenitis weidemeyerii)
• Lorquin's Admiral (Limenitis lorquini)
• California Sister (Adelpha bredowii)

Satyrs (Subfamily Satyrinae)

• Ochre (Common) Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia)
• Common Wood Nymph (Cercyonis pegala)
• Great Basin Wood Nymph (Cercyonis sthenele)
• Small Wood Nymph (Cercyonis oetus)
• Butler's Alpine (Erebia epipsodea)
• Vidler's Alpine (Erebia vidleri)
• Ridings' Satyr (Neominois ridingsii)
• Great Arctic (Oeneis nevadensis)
• Melissa Arctic (Oeneis melissa)
• Chryxus Arctic (Oeneis chryxus)

Monarchs (Subfamily Danainae)

• Queen (Danaus gilippus)
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

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Skippers (Family Hesperiidae)

Spread-wing Skippers (Subfamily Pyrginae)

• Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
• Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades)
• Western Cloudywing (Thorybes diversus)
• Mexican Cloudywing (Thorybes mexicana)
• Dreamy Duskywing (Erynnis icelus)
• Propertius Duskywing (Erynnis propertius)
• Pacuvius Duskywing (Erynnis pacuvius)
• Persius Duskywing (Erynnis persius)
• Two-banded Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus ruralis)
• Common Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus communis)
• Northern White-Skipper (Heliopetes ericetorum)
• Common Sootywing (Pholisora catullus)
• Mohave Sootywing (Hesperopsis libya)

Grass Skippers (Subfamily Hesperiinae)

• Arctic Skipper (Carterocephalus palaemon)
• Garita Skipperling (Oarisma garita)
• Uncas Skipper (Hesperia uncas)
• Juba Skipper (Hesperia juba)
• Common Branded Skipper (Hesperia comma)
• Western Branded Skipper (Hesperia colorado)
• Columbian Skipper (Hesperia columbia)
• Lindsey's Skipper (Hesperia lindseyi)
• Nevada Skipper (Hesperia nevada)
• Peck's Skipper (Polites peckius)
• Sandhill Skipper (Polites sabuleti)
• Mardon Skipper (Polites mardon)
• Tawny-edged Skipper (Polites themistocles)
• Long Dash (Polites mystic)
• Sonoran Skipper (Polites sonora)
• Sachem (Atalopedes campestris)
• Rural Skipper (Ochlodes agricola)
• Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides)
• Yuma Skipper (Ochlodes yuma)
• Dun Skipper (Euphyes vestris)
• Common Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes vialis)

Common Day Flying Moths and Caterpillars

• Cinnabar Moth (Tyria jacobeae)
• Bluebell Tiger (Gnophaela sp.)
• Issabela Moth/Wooly Bear (Pyrrharctica isabella)
• Forest Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria)
• Red-shouldered Ctenucha (Ctenucha rubroscapus)
• Riding's Forester (Alypia ridingsi)
• Sphynx moth (Smerinthus sp.)

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