Watching Washington Butterflies with Bob Pyle: Number Forty

John Hopfinger’s Lepidoptera of North Central Washington, 1956. Part 1

AUTHOR’S NOTE: John Hopfinger was one of our great pioneer Washington lepidopterists. He lived in Brewster, Douglas County, where he was an orchardist. He often hunted butterflies with his friend Andy Anderson from Pateros, across the Columbia River. Hopfinger and Anderson accounted for many county and a few state records, such as the first Astarte Fritillaries and Melissa Arctics, both of which they found at Cooney Lake in the Sawtooth Range in the 1930s. What follows is a significant historical document which is still useful today: Hopfinger’s “Lepidoptera of North Central Washington,” prepared for Charles L. Remington of Yale University in 1956, and never published until now. We correct that here, with the first of two parts. His comments concerning conservation are interesting, implicating sheep grazing and insecticides. Oddly, Hopfinger didn’t report Mormon Metalmarks or Cabbage Whites, and omitted any notes on skippers, but a few moths are mentioned. I have edited only very lightly, adding common names and con- temporary equivalents for species and a few subspecies names. It is intriguing to see how he coped with nomenclature in those days, and to read the names of a number of major lepidopterists with whom he communicated, two of whom described patronyms in his honor. As a teen in Colorado I corresponded with John Hopfinger, and consider him an important early influence on my own studies. We should remember him as a major figure in the history, field work, and knowledge of Washington butterflies. He was the true amateur: one who does what he does out of sheer love.

Papilio daunus [= multicaudata, two-tailed tiger swallowtail]: Resident of the Upper Son- oran. Feeds on chokecherry. Never common, winters in the chrysalis.

P. eurymedon [pale tiger awallowtail]: Flies in the higher valleys, when Don Eff was here in ’43 we saw a flock of an estimated 500 on Gold Creek. Not too plentiful since.

P. rutulus [western tiger swallowtail]: About the same as P. eurymedon, seems to go high- er than the latter. One aberration like P. turneri “fletcheri“, above Gilbert.

P. zelicaon [anise swallowtail]: Occurs from river level, 900 feet, to the top of the Cascades. Flies in early April in the lower country.

P. oregonia [= machaon oregonia, Oregon Old World swallowtail]: Has the same range

as P. daunus. Two broods a year, feeds on Artemisia dracunculus. Spring form usually much darker than the summer brood, never any too plentiful.

P. indra [short-tailed black swallowtail]: Rare in the river valleys, good many around 4-5000 feet like Camp Gilbert. Have taken this up to 7000 feet. Last year I saw two specimens come down a steep rocky valley above the Twisp River, sailing straight down the valley, without moving a wing, as far as I could see them. Have taken three specimens in August along the Columbia, indicating a partial second brood.

Parnassius smintheus [Mountain Parnassian]: At high elevations in the Cascades, 7000 feet up, on top of the highest peaks occurs a small altitude form.

P. clodius [Clodius Parnassian]: Flies lower than P. smintheus, from 2500 to 5000 feet, not too common any time. Seems to feed on Sedum. [Note: we now know that the host plant in that part of the Cascades is Dicentra uniflora, Steer’s Head, very difficult to find once it has gone over.]

Pieris beckerii [Becker’s White]: Lower valleys, spring form small and dark, second brood much brighter and larger.

P. sisymbrii [Spring White]: Early spring in the same localities as P. beckerii, have never seen a second brood.

P. occidentalis [Western White]: From river valley to the top of Cooney Mountain. The widest range of any pierid we have here. Two broods in the low country.

Euchloe creusa [=E. lotta, Desert Marble]: Occurs early in April, one of the wariest butterflies on the wing. Seems to hang around Sisymbrium in low country.

E. ausonides [Large Marble]: This species flies higher than E. creusa [=lotta], have taken it at Salmon Meadows, a week later along the Columbia than E. creusa.

Anthocharis sara [=A. julia, Julia’s Orange-tip]. Has about the same range as E. ausonides. Camp Gilbert in July, smaller than along the river. Rare the last few years.

Colias interior [Pink-edged Sulphur]: From 3-5000 feet. More plentiful to the east of the Methow River, July. Boulder Creek.

C. eriphyle [Western Clouded Sulphur]. Beautiful large specimens at 4-6000 feet. Tiffany Lake, Salmon Meadows in July, smaller specimens along the river in spring.

C. edwardsi [=C. christina, Christina’s Sulphur]: Okanogan Highlands, rather than the Cascades region. Seems to be spreading to the south. One specimen taken near home [Brewster] last year. Usually around 3-4000 feet, above Conconully, east of Omak.

C. occidentalis [Western Sulphur]: McDunnough told me once, to forget this on the east side of the

Cascades. Six miles up the Entiat River, north of Wenatchee, I took six specimens, some years back. I am going back there this spring.

C. eurytheme [Orange Sulphur]: In the lower valleys, summer and fall, never saw it in the mountains.

Coenonympha inornata columbia [=C. tullia ampelos, Ochre Ringlet]: 4-7000 feet, one brood, varies very much. Salm- on Meadows, Cooney Lake, Crater Lake, Tiffany, etc., dos Passos identification.

C. elko [C. tullia ampelos, Ochre Ringlet]: Along Columbia, Alta Lake, etc., all lower country. Can be found the year [=season?] around, from early spring until late September. (Gunder determination].

Erebia vidleri [Vidler’s Alpine]: 4500-7000 feet. Boggy meadows, never far from water of some sort; swamps, creeks, etc. Cooney, Crater, Tiffany lakes, Salmon Meadows, Harts Pass. Middle of July.

E. epipsodea hopfingeri [Butler’s Alpine]: Flies lower than E. vidleri. Black Canyon, Alta Lake, up to Salmon Meadows, where it is somewhat smaller than the lower form. From two-three weeks earlier than E. vidleri. [This subspecies was named for Hopfinger by Paul Ehrlich in 1954.] 

Minois baroni [=Cercyonis pegala, Large Wood Nymph]: From 1000-4500 feet. Most any clump of quaking aspen in the hills has its population of this, if there is a little damp spot, so much the better. In ’55 it came back in good supply after three years of near absence.

M. oetus [C. oetus, Dark Wood Nymph]: Flies higher than baroni, have never seen the two together; on Harts Pass lives the near black form, phocis (sic, = phocus). Generally distributed, along the Columbia is found what I called C. oetus charon (both now assigned to C. o. oetus).

M. sylvestris [=C. sthenele, Great Basin Wood Nymph]: General range of C. baroni [=pegala]. Scarce any time.

Oeneis nevadensis [Great Arctic]: From Alta Lake to Camp Gilbert, 1000-2700 feet. Flies every two years, possible to find an odd specimen in the off year.

Oe. chryxus [Chryxus Arctic]: This starts where Oe. nevadensis leaves off, and have taken it up to 8000 feet, on Cooney Mountain. On top of the ridges, it frequents open grassy places, at Salmon Meadows, it stays in the timber or in the roads. Does not seem to be biennial.

Oe. beani [=melissa beani, Melissa Arctic]: On top of the highest peaks. In 1930 I took eight specimens on Cooney Mountain, later years took a few on nearby Marten and Crater peaks. How far south it goes, would be interesting to know. J. F. Gates Clarke took it on Slate Peak, 7900 feet, 1955.

Boloria epithore [Western Meadow Fritillary]: From 2500 to 4500 feet. Camp Gilbert, Salmon Meadows, common wherever found. Mostly in grassy meadows.

B. titania rainieri [Arctic Fritillary]: Where B. epithore leaves off, this starts in. Up to 7000 feet, about the same surroundings as B. epithore, wet places a favorite.

B. astarte [Astarte Fritillary]: In July, 1936, Andy Anderson took a single specimen of this on top of Cooney Mountain, and we never saw another one. This should be some sort of U.S. record. [In fact it was the second record in the Lower 48 states. The first was taken in Glacier NP, MT, July, 1923 by Howard Notman (Bull. Brooklyn Ent. Soc. 19:197, fide Steve Kohler.)]

Speyeria leto [=S. cybele leto, Great Spangled Fritillary]: From river level to about 3000 feet. Never saw this in the mountains. July, Black Canyon, Gold Creek, etc. Female very scarce.

S. rhodope minor [=S. hydaspe, Hydaspe Fritillary]: From 3-7000 feet. Harts Pass, Camp Gilbert, Twisp Pass, etc. East of the Okanogan River, it is found much lower.

S. simaetha [=S. coronis simaetha, Coronis Fritillary]: So far, I have found this in Black Canyon, Gold Creek, and probably flies in similar country.

S. zerene picta, Zerene Fritillary]: Found nearly all over the district, specimens from higher alti- tudes seem to be larger and brighter than some from Black Canyon. July. (S. simaetha flies earlier.)

S. washingtonia [=S. mormonia washingtonia, Mormon Fritillary]: In isolated colonies from 4500 feet (Salmon Meadows) to 8000 feet. Mountain meadows, there is a colony on top of Cooney Mountain, which is never found outside a spot 100 yards across. Varies somewhat between colonies. Tiffany Lake, Harts Pass, Crater Lake, Cooney, etc.

S. atlantis [here, =S. hesperis, Northwestern Fritillary]: A single colony at Salmon Meadows, have never seen it at any other place. Paul Grey “simply gloated” over this.

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