Ann Potter (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife) and David James (professor of Entomology, WSU) have done a wonderful job of kicking off a multi-year program this year to train WBA volunteers and other naturalists to survey five species of Eastern Washington’s rarest butterflies, “Species of Greatest Conservation Need”: The Juniper Hairstreak, Columbia Basin segregate; The Monarch; the Yuma Skipper; the Silver Bordered Fritillary; and the Meadow Fritillary. In three group outings so far for the 2017 season, we had the opportunity to learn about 3 of 5 of these focal species, the Juniper Hairstreak, the Monarch and the Yuma Skipper. Each group session included a treasure hunt to a known habitat for one or more of these species. Our program began in Spokane in May, with a day’s worth of class time on the biology, habitat, and distribution of each species, a review of historical records, and discussion of the need to collect current information to assess their conservation status. The group then travelled to the Juniper Dunes Wilderness for an introduction to the Juniper Hairstreak, Callophrys gryneus, Columbia Basin segregate, which our group was not able to locate despite David James’ pinpoint accuracy in the field: he recalled best habitats to the nearest juniper tree!

More than a dozen additional pairs of eyes were not still enough. On our second training day, June 22nd, Candace Fallon of the Xerces Society, and Ann Potter conducted a classroom training on Monarch butterflies near Vantage Washington, with follow up field time at the Lower Crab Creek Wildlife Area milkweed site where Washington’s Monarchs make regular annual appearances. Though migrant Monarchs this year arrived in Washington a little later than usual, the group was very enthusiastic and able to see milkweed in all phenological states, milkweed beetles, and a few adult Monarchs.

I attended this year’s final field training on a trip to Sun Lakes State Park on July 22nd, where WBA members and other naturalists from across Washington converged to the heart of state’s picturesque Grand Coulee on a 90-degree morning. Despite withering heat, we persevered long enough to survey three locations in the park for the rare Yuma skipper, Ochlodes yuma. Again serving as our guide, Professor David James was very pleased that we found more than 20 of the skippers, mostly taking nectar near their unique larval host, the native Phragmites Common Reed. By David’s report, this indicated a significant increase in the population from his last visit in 2014, when he had found only ten adults.

Adding very much to our enthusiasm was the fact that we found a total of 15 butterfly species at home in this harsh landscape, including Old World Swallowtails and Viceroys. Some thirty or so Viceroys were seen. Last but not by any means least, group members saw a total of six Monarchs. David retained two fresh gravid females, whose hundreds of progeny will be raised to adulthood, tagged and released as part of David’s ongoing study of northwest Monarch migrations.

Please stay tuned for further information on plans for the 2018 season, when Ann Potter will work with us to sponsor another training on the Meadow Fritillary and the Silver Bordered Fritillary, two small Boloria butterflies whose populations also need careful monitoring. We will also continue looking for new populations of the three species we began surveying this season. Your help in this statewide series of treasure hunts will be very much appreciated!

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