Whistler basin off highway 20 in the north cascades is a meadow visited for WBA field trips in late July, early August. Taking a break from traveling gravel roads, I visited the meadow 19/Aug/2020 with an avid birder, photographer, hopefully new butterflier. Past its prime we photographed far fewer species than typical earlier in the season: mountain parnassians, field crescents, blue and mariposa coppers.

I then followed my friend to the WA Pass overlook to photograph a bird that had eluded her lens in 2020. We found the opportunistic jay in the parking lot and we parted ways. Driving out of the lot, I noticed a greater fritillary basking on the road. As I approached, it fluttered ahead and landed. The third stop encouraged me that I had a chance to look more closely. Perusing my field guides, it appeared to be a Coronis Fritillary female quite far afield. Upon release, I watched it fly further west presumably not quite ready to return to the shrub steppe.

Jonathan Pelham has one other Coronis Fritillary record in the area that he’d observed 15/Aug/1976 further west at Rainy Pass. For more information on the Coronis Fritillary here’s a link to Jonathan’s WBA presentation on the life cycle and altitudinal migration and the James and Pelham (2011) publication is listed below. Knowing of their migration, I’m still wondering how far west she traveled and to where she returned.

James, D.G. and J.P. Pelham. 2011. Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society 65(4):249-255.

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