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1962
Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
67
COLLECTING IS STILL GOOD IN THE NORTHWEST by E. J. Newcomer
The increasing use of insecticides and herbicides in the West, the construction of dams and super highways, the occurrence of forest fires, all are reducing the good collecting areas for the lepidopterist. But many very rewarding areas remain, and will continue to exist for many years.
Instinctively the butterfly collector looks for open places — natural meadows, gravel-storage areas, railroad rights-of-way, abandoned highways, skiing slopes. For the combination of sunlight and the numerous flowering plants that grow in such areas are very attractive to butterflies. It is my purpose here to describe three such places that I have found to be very productive.
1. Skookum Meadow. Looking at a road map of Oregon, I became curious about the Walker Rim, a mountainous area in the Fremont National Forest just east of U. S. Highway 97 and about 50 miles south of Bend. A "rim" is the same as an escarpment, a steep slope caused by an ancient upthrust of the land. So I went up there. On top, the land levelled off toward the east, the soil was mostly pumice, making driving easy, but covered with a thick growth of Lodge-pole Pine, under which practically nothing grows. A worse place for butterflies can hardly be imagined.
But the Forest Service map had shown some meadows. So I pushed on. Suddenly, the trees opened up and here was a gem of a meadow, a half mile long and a couple of hundred yards wide, covered with flowers, and literally swarming with butterflies. I could hardly believe it.
Collecting in this meadow for less than three hours, I found I had 100 specimens, after discarding the poor ones, and they added up to 33 species. Commonest was Phyciodes campestris and it was a pest, at times being mistaken for something else. Then came Euphydryas editha and then Cercyonis oztus. Next to these in abundance I would put the Speyeria, and Paul Grey has identified six species for me: coronis ssp., zerene near conchyliatus, callippe ssp., egleis unnamed ssp., hydaspe, and mormonia, the latter perhaps erinna. There were nine species of lycaenids, the most interesting one being Plebejus shasta. Scarcest was Danaus plexippus, a single specimen of which was being
68 Newcomer: Collecting in Northwest Vol.16: no.l
hustled and harried all over the meadow by a frantic and frazzled fritillary, which Paul tells me is S. callippe.
There were a few clouds in the sky and when the sun got behind one of them the Speyeria disappeared. I soon found where they were, spread out flat on a barren sandbank facing the sun, soaking up as much heat as they could. As soon as the sun came out, back they went to the blossoms.
There was a very noticeable number of dwarfed specimens in this meadow — Boloria, Euphydryas, Cercyonis, Phyciodes and some of the lycaenids. Could this be the result of not enough food or perhaps of inbreeding in this isolated place?
This meadow is not shown on the forest map, — it is too small. But I have named it Skookum Meadow, because it is just south of Skookum Butte, which is on the map, and because in the Chinook Indian language "skookum" means "mighty good." The elevation is 5200 feet. I collected here late in July and am curious to see what it will yield a month earlier.
2. Satus Ski Area. This is near Highway 97 also, but in Washington between Toppenish and Goldendale. It is part of the Brooks Memorial State Park. The latter is a few miles south of Satus Pass, but to get to the ski slope you must turn off the highway right at the pass and go west for a couple of miles.
A considerable area has been cleared and is now growing up to flowers, grass and low shrubs. The top of the slope is perhaps 500 feet higher than the bottom and the average elevation is about 3700 feet. Because range cattle sometimes graze the slope, it is not always good. But an area of seepage at the bottom is worth looking at, and Speyeria may be found in season on a patch of dogbane (Apocynum) just above the lodge.
Because time is important as well as place, this area does not yield much in June. But here, on a July day in 1960, I collected 30 species. Altho not as numerous as at Skookum Meadow, many were plentiful. Notable were five species of Speyeria, the same basic ones as at Skookum Meadow, except for egleis, but the subspecies were different; also Euphydryas colon and editha, Chlosyne palla (whitneyi and sterope). and hoffmanni manchada, all past their prime; nine species of lycaenids; and QLneis nevadensis. Dan Carney took CEn. chryxus here a few days earlier, but I did not find it.
The great popularity of skiing has opened up slopes like this one in many places and collectors would do well to examine them. No skiers will crash into you while you are doing it.
1962
Journal of the Lepidopterists Society
m
3. Bear Canyon. West of Yakima, in Washington, the Tieton River comes down from Rimrock Lake and combines with the Naches River, both carrying the precious stored-up melted snow that makes the Yakima Valley so rich agriculturally. Collecting is not especially good along either river. But go 8 or 10 miles up the Tieton and if you look sharply, you will see a narrow forest road going into the hills to the right. This is an old logging road going up Bear Canyon, and maintained for access in case of fire. There is a small stream coming down the canyon, but the Forest Service refers to this as a canyon rather than a creek, probably because there are already two other Bear Creeks in Yakima County.
And this is a canyon, narrow, with steep sides, — in many places there is just room for the creek and the road. The sun shines down into it much of the day, there are a few small side ravines, and everywhere there are flowers,—asters, spiraea, pentstemon, Eriogonum, yarrow, Erigeron, mallow, Mimulus, Senecio, Erysimum, Arnica, lupines, and the little Woolly Sunflower (Eriophyllum) which is especially attractive to butterflies. Here, in a stretch of about three miles, with an average elevation of 2500 feet, is a butterfly paradise. Collecting is good from May to August. And here on a July day, Dr. A. I. Cood, of Ohio, and I took what is so far a record for me — 36 species. They are worth listing:
Papilio eurymedon Nymphalis antiopa
P. rutulus N. californica
P. multicaudatus Limenitis lorquini
Colias occidentalis Satyrium behrii
Pieris rapse S. ssppium
P. protodice S. californica
P. beckeri Strymon melinm
Coznonympha tullia Lycaena heteronea
Cercyonis pegala L. nivalis
C. sthenele L. helloides
Speyeria cybele leto Plebejus acmon
S. callippe semivirida P. icarioides
S. coronis simsetha Heliopetes ericetorum
S. hydaspe sakuntala Pholisora catullus
Chlosyne palla Erynnis persius
Phyciodes mylitta E. icelus
P. campestris Hesperia juba
Polygonia satyrus Ochlodes sylvanoides
70 Newcomer: Collecting in Northwest Vol.16: no.l
In addition to these, 26 other species have been taken at other times in Bear Canyon. They are:
Famassius smintheus Callophrys eryphon
Papilio indra C. fotis
P. zelicaon C. augustinus (iroides)
Colias eurytheme C. spinetorum
Anthocaris sara Plebejus melissa
Euchloe ausonides Glaucopsyche lygdamus
Neophasia menapia Everes amyntula
CEneis nevadensis Celastrina argiolus
Chlosyne hoffmanni Apodemia mormo
Euphydryas colon Pyrgus communis
E. editha Erynnis propertius
Nymphalis cardui Thorybes pylades
Polygonia zephyrus Amblyscirtes vialis
Thus a total of at least 62 species occur in this small area, of the 100 so far found in Yakima County. Two species were especially abundant in June 1961. These were Chlosyne hoffmanni and Lycsena nivalis. Heliopetes ericetorum was numerous in 1960, the caterpillars feeding in the bush mallow, but scarce in 1961. Papilio indra and multicaudata are always scarce, and Neophasia menapia and Apodemia mormo were taken there for the first time in August 1961, altho I have been collecting in this canyon for four seasons.
There are many other good collecting places in the Northwest: — in Oregon, the Ochoco and Maury Mountains in Crook Country, Tombstone and Lost Prairies in Linn County, the resort area around Bachelor Butte in Deschutes County, Diamond Lake in Douglas County, and Summit Prairie east of Lakeview; in Washington, Mt. Spokane, O'Brien Creek near Republic, the Blue Mountains, some of the forest lookouts in Yakima County, many places in Okanogan County, and some western Washington places; in northern Idaho, the higher elevations in the Priest River Experiment Station in Bonner County, and of course many others. But the three described above have been the best. Forest Service people are always happy to help with suggestions, with advice about roads, and with maps of their forests.
1509 Summitview, Yakima, Wash., U. S. A.