May 20 – Yakima

A Monday WBA Field trip is not normal, but sometimes necessary to get good, sunny butterfly weather in our fickle eastern WA spring. Monday May 20 was sunny, but as we gathered in the Snow Mountain Ranch parking lot at 10am, the blustery and strong wind did not bode well. However, the wind did lessen during the morning and the sun continued to shine and ultimately a dozen butterfly people from western WA and Oregon enjoyed seeing a good number of butterflies in the gorgeous spring shrub-steppe of. We spent most of our time on the WDFW property adjacent to Snow Mountain Ranch, where the butterflies are invariably more diverse and abundant. We hiked a canyon with intermittent moisture along a creek bed which of course is where we found most butterflies.

We ended up seeing 16 species including two Checkerspot morphs that I’ve taken the liberty of calling two species, Desert and Northern Checkerspots. Now, these might well be distinct morphs of the same species, but they sure do look different. Resolution of this conundrum will entail a genomic/DNA investigation. Interestingly, because of genomic work the whole concept of Desert Checkerspots being a separate species from Northern Checkerspots, is under threat. We didn’t let this little taxonomic matter get in the way of just enjoying the butterflies that were flying. Newly eclosed Coronis Fritillaries drew everybody’s attention by zipping around and nectaring on Hyssop, while erstwhile Ochre Ringlets bobbed around in contrast.

Three of us decided to hike to a dam about 2 miles down the canyon and were rewarded by groups of Blues, Juba Skippers and Coronis mudding on the wet ground. On the way back, proving that I do indeed care for ‘The Lives of Butterflies’, I rescued a motionless Juba skipper floating in the creek. Happily, it accepted my life-saving finger and the transfer to a sunny twig and I’m sure once his wings dried, he resumed the life of being a skipper, christened with the knowledge that indeed there is a God. Five species of blues gained the attention of everybody as they congregated on damp mud. Melanie spotted a striking aberration of an Acmon Blue proven by her hastily composed blurred shot!

Unfortunately, it did not reappear for a more focused composition. Regardless of butterfly abundance, everybody should spend some time every spring in the aromatic and flowery shrub steppe. The butterflies are simply a bonus worth giving up any day for especially a Monday.

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