Hello butterfly fans,

Living on the west side of the Cascades, and with my continued attempts to lure butterflies to my garden with their favorite nectar plants, I only get a few species every year. However, this year, to my delight, I have seen four species, and it is still early in the season. The list so far: Painted Lady, Echo Azure, California Tortoiseshell, and Cabbage White (of course). I hope this is a sign that we are going to have an abundant butterfly year!

Thankfully, for us west-siders or more appropriately wet-siders, our WBA butterfly field season is underway, and we have some exciting trips available again this year! Check out the website for more details and updates as the TBD dates get finalized: 2026 WBA Field Trips.

Speaking of exciting trips! On August TBD, David James will lead a trip to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, for the inaugural release of radio-tagged Monarchs. Adopt a Monarch was wildly successful, and David will be busy tagging and releasing at least 167 of them. And he has invited us to witness this event!

In support of David’s research and this exciting new technology, the WBA Board voted to adopt seven Monarchs, two of which were adopted with generous donations from two of our Board members.

Our butterflies are named, and with the help of the Project Monarch App, you can track their journey.

• David’s Danaus: For David James, who has been studying Monarchs for 50 years.
• Lewisia: The wildflower named after Captain Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis & Clark expedition that passed through Idaho and Washington.
• Clarkia: The wildflower named after Second Lieutenant William Clark of the Lewis & Clark expedition that passed through Idaho and Washington.
• Snowbird: Monarchs, like so many people in WA and ID, wish they could head south for the winter.
• Idie: Named after one of the founders of the Washington Butterfly Association, Idie Ulsh.
• Palouse: Named after the Palouse Prairies of Idaho and Eastern Washington.
• Columbia: Named after the Mighty Columbia River of Eastern Washington.

Link to learn more about the project.

I am looking forward to some butterfly chasing and I hope to see you out there!

Liz Kuehn

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