The Cascade Butterfly Project is a long term citizen science project monitoring butterflies at Mt. Rainier National Park and the North Cascades National Park. We had an interesting summer this year given the early hot weather. As a result, the snow melted out in many areas in June, and the plants flowered several weeks ahead of the normal time frame. WBA is participating by monitoring the 1,000 meter transect on the Naches Loop trail. We had 8 enthusiastic WBA members volunteer this past summer. Volunteers monitor butterflies and plant phenology along the transect. We generally stop for lunch at a stunning overlook of Dewey Lake. Then we finish the 4 mile loop. This year some of the species we detected were: Clodius Parnassian, Lupine Blue, Anna’s Blue, Hydaspe Fritillary, Arctic Fritillary, Mormon Fritillary, Colon Checkerspot, Ediths Checkerspot, Painted Lady, Hoary Comma, and Woodland Skipper. Due to the heat and resulting dryness, the plants went to seed early. As a result, the butterfly season ended earlier than in the past few years at this location. If you would like more information on the project or would like to participate next year, contact Melanie Weiss. Thanks to all those who volunteered their time this past season.
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Melanie Weiss
WBA Board Member, Field Trip Coordinator and Butterfly Photographer extraordinaire.