We waited for two years, but a recent butterfly field trip to Okanogan County was well worth the wait. At our last WBA annual conference in 2019 Dale Swedberg, former manager of the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, donated his time to raise money for WBA, offering a guided tour at the silent auction. Melanie spearheaded a group bid, and we were finally able to make the trip, after all participants were confirmed as fully vaccinated. Participants were Melanie Weiss, Regina Johnson, Reg Reisenbichler, Kim Kendall, Cheryl Bellin, Jim Rauh, Kiva (the dog) Bellin-Rauh and I. Since many of us were making a long drive, we decided to make the most of the trip and took several days (9-11 July) in the area. Much of the trip was in areas in which Dave Nunallee had led a Study Weekend trip several years ago, so Kim and Melanie remembered some of the stops and butterflies seen on that trip, and Regina had some familiarity with the roads.

Our first day was spent at three locations in Moses Meadows, located about 15 miles east of Omak. As you might guess from the name, the area is flat, with undulating topography and an elevation over 3400 feet. During the 2015 trip led by Dave Nunallee, Kim netted the Tawny Skipper, a first record for the Sinlahekin. This year, at our first stop, she netted the uncommon Meadow Fritillary, Boloria bellona. Way to go Kim! Some of the other species we found throughout Moses Meadows included the Pink-edged Sulfur (Colias interior), Northwestern Fritillary (Speyeria hesperis), Anicia Checkerspot (Euphydryas anicia), Arrowhead Blue (Glaucopsyche piasus), and Northern Blue (Plebejus idas). The last of these was called out after consultation with Jonathan Pelham. In this area, Plebejus idas, melissa, and anna may not be readily distinguished in the field, but the location and elevation of the sightings suggest Plebejus idas.

The next day, during the short wait at our Sinlahekin roadside meeting spot with Dale, we found 10 species, including a Purplish Copper, Lycaena helloides. The Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, located in the eponymous valley, is a narrow strip of land stretching north from Conconully Lake for ~15 miles and is managed by the state Department of Fish & Wildlife. The 14,000 acre area is a wonderland of riparian areas, grassland, shrub-steppe, and pine forest, punctuated with cliffs, streams and lakes. Our stops ranged in elevation from 1730′ to 2430′ and included a potholes area, a higher elevation site, and a meadow site. At the higher elevation site we were fortunate enough to find the Great Spangled Fritillary, Speyeria cybele. Although we had already seen the large brilliantly colored and silver-spotted male at other sites, here we also found the female with her deep brown velvet coloring edged with yellow and spotted darkly in a  lacy pattern. The sexual dimorphism is extraordinary and it was a wonderful experience to see them both. The temperature at our final site, a low elevation meadow, was well over a hundred degrees F, but we found more Great Spangled Fritillaries in dappled shade, as well as the Oregon Swallowtail and a very large caterpillar, possibly the moth Acronicta perdita.

Our final day involved a very long drive over very rough roads from Long Swamp to Salmon Meadows, with nine stops through the day. The elevation varied from 3460′ to a high point of 6859′. We started the day at North Fork Nine Mile Camp where we found multiple fritillary species (S. cybele, hesperis, hydaspe, zerence and callippe) as well as a handful of other species.

Long Swamp was infested with biting flies, but also blues, fritillaries, swallowtails, sulphurs, and alpine species. The highest spot of the day was Corral Butte where some of us trekked to the top of the butte (6859′), and found Mountain Parnassian (Parnassius smintheus), Western Branded Skipper (Hesperia colorado), and Persius Duskywing (Erynnis persius). This site was the location where I personally gave up on blue species identification altogether. One of a mating pair was clearly Anna’s Blue, Plebejus anna. But the other looked entirely different, smaller, with more background coloration and faint spotting. Could they be an example of the fabled cross-species hybridization that the experts tell us may be occurring? A wonderful picture by Melanie, and advice from one of those experts, Jon Pelham, merely revealed the large intra-species variation of P. anna, a humbling experience. A bonus stop was next, at a roadside seep where hundreds of blues were mudding, along with a few fritillaries (S. mormonia and B. chariclea) a Field Crescent, Lorquin’s Admiral, Chryxus Arctic and Persius Duskywing. We descended to Thirtymile Meadows at 6150′, also infested with biting flies, and found both Vidler’s and possibly Butler’s Alpines (Erebia vidleri and epipsodea). Cheryl, Jim and Kiva left us in the afternoon to return home, but the rest of us drove to Lone Frank Pass, stopping for the view as well as late afternoon glimpses of California Tortoiseshell, Nymphalis californica, and Arctic Fritillary, Boloria chariclea. A long final day, but a rewarding one.

Over the three days, our species total was 53, with two additional ‘probables’ (Butler’s Alpine) and Tawny-edged Skipper (Polites themistocles). One of the most common butterflies seen over the three days of our trip was the Mariposa Copper, Lycaena mariposa, seen in large numbers and at many locations.

Cheryl and Jim made a Herculean effort to find the Freija Fritillary, Boloria freija, but the timing wasn’t quite right.

In addition to the wonderful experiences with butterflies, we had an uplifting human experience when a tire blew out on Kim and Reg’s vehicle in Sinlahekin. The road was quite gnarly and lightly trafficked, but just as we were figuring out how to lower the spare tire, a young man in an enormous yellow truck appeared and insisted on helping. While his family waited, he took charge and quickly had the spare tire on, waving cheerfully as he roared away, and as we appreciated the marvel of unsolicited human kindness.

We were also fortunate in the timing of our trip. We observed the pall of smoke from nearby wildfires and within days of our return, the state Department of Natural Resources, as well as the Umatilla National Forest and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, closed all of their lands in eastern Washington. And as we go to press, the Okanogan National Forest has closed FR 39, the road we took from Long Swamp to Lone Frank. Thanks again to Dale for guiding us in the Sinlahekin, to Dave Nunnallee for assistance in preparing for this trip, based on the WBA conference trip that he led in 2015, and also to Cheryl and Jim, who had scouted a number of the areas in advance. We also owe great thanks to Caitlin for all the historical information and work that she has done to document the species found in the Sinlahekin.

If You Go: FR 38, from Salmon Meadow over Lone Frank Pass to FR 39, is very rough, though not quite a jeep road. You will need, at minimum, all-wheel drive and moderate clearance. No Priuses or Mini Coopers.

G’num2021Vol22No3