HOME





Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve
Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve is a state-protected Natural Area in the southwest corner of Thurston County, on the outwash plain of the Vashon Glacier. It was established in 1976 to protect examples of mima mounds. The site comprises of Garry oak woodland, oak savanna, and prairie grasslands. There are approximately 8-10 mounds per acre, measuring 1-7 feet in height and having a diameter of 8-40 feet. History The mounds were documented by Charles Wilkes on May 20, 1841, who speculated they were burial sites. In 1966, the mounds were designated a National Natural Landmark. Recreation A short, ADA-accessible 0.5 mile paved trail leads to a small interpretive shelter and observation deck with view of the prairie. A longer, unpaved gravel 1.5 mile loop trail to the south explores the mounds with possible views of Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens. Butterflies The preserve is host to wildflowers and many species of butterfly (some endangered), with activity betwe ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Thurston County, Washington
Thurston County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 294,793. The county seat is Olympia, Washington, Olympia, the state Capital (political), capital. Thurston County was created out of Lewis County, Washington, Lewis County by the government of Oregon Territory on January 12, 1852. At that time, it covered all of the Puget Sound region and the Olympic Peninsula. On December 22 of the same year, Pierce County, Washington, Pierce, King County, Washington, King, Island County, Washington, Island, and Jefferson County, Washington, Jefferson counties were split off from Thurston County. It is named after Samuel Thurston, Samuel R. Thurston, the Oregon Territory's first delegate to United States Congress, Congress. Today, the county includes the southernmost part of the South Puget Sound and areas south along the Interstate 5, I-5 corridor. Thurston County ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Coenonympha Tullia
''Coenonympha tullia'', the large heath or common ringlet, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It flies in a variety of grassy habitats, including roadsides, woodland edges and clearings, prairies, bogs, and arctic and alpine taiga and tundra. It is a poor flyer, but can sometimes be found along ditches seeking new grounds. It is a holarctic species found in northern Europe, east across the Palearctic and across North America. The species was first described by Otto Friedrich Müller in 1764.ow ''Coenonympha rhodopensis'' Elwes, 1900 a form from the Danubian countries, closely allied to ''isis'', but yellowish brown on the upperside and rarely darker in the male.Of the ocelli on the underside only the pupil of the apical one and sometimes of one of the eyes on the hindwing shines through above. But on the underside of the hindwing this form mostly exhibits a complete row of ocelli, while in an otherwise closely related form, ''occupata'' Reb., they are entirely absent; the ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Anthocharis Sara
''Anthocharis sara'', the Sara orangetip, is one of three species in the Sara orangetip complex. It has a population extending from Baja California into extreme southwest Oregon and another extending from the east slope of the Sierra Nevada into far western Nevada. The common name Pacific orangetip is obsolete since it implies a distribution that includes two separate species. Taxonomy ''Anthocharis sara'' is part of the ''Anthocharis sara'' complex, along with the southwestern orangetip ('' Anthocharis thoosa'') and Julia orangetip ('' Anthocharis julia'').. Some have been spotted in the Grand Tetons Nation Park in June 2025. ''A. sara'' contains four recognized subspecies: * ''A. s. gunderi'' (Ingham, 1933), the Santa Catalina Island orangetip: Santa Catalina and Santa Cruz islands * ''A. s. pseudothoosa'' (Austin, 1998): east slope of the Sierra Nevada and adjacent regions * ''A. s. sara'' (Lucas, 1852): widespread west of the Sierra Nevada from the west coast of central ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Papilio Rutulus
''Papilio rutulus'', the western tiger swallowtail, is a swallowtail butterfly belonging to the ''Papilionidae'' family. The species was first described by Hippolyte Lucas in 1852. Like the other tiger swallowtails, the western tiger swallowtail was formerly classified in genus ''Pterourus'', but modern classifications all agree in placing them within ''Papilio''. Distribution The western tiger swallowtail butterfly is an abundant species native to a large portion of North America’s northernmost and southernmost west coast. These butterflies are frequently observed from northwestern regions of Canada down to the southern tip of Baja California and extends eastward through states like the Dakotas, Colorado, and New Mexico. Although they primarily inhabit the west coast, it is not unusual for this species to be observed as far east as central Nebraska, even Oklahoma. These occurrences are typically rare strays outside of its usual habitat. Habitat These butterflies are f ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Papilio Eurymedon
''Papilio eurymedon'', the pale swallowtail or pallid swallowtail, is a relatively common swallowtail butterfly found throughout much of the western North America. The species was first described by Hippolyte Lucas in 1852. It is found on the Pacific coast from northern Baja California to southernmost British Columbia, and inland to New Mexico and the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is present from the coast to western Montana, and from Wyoming to northern New Mexico. It is absent from most of Nevada and western Utah. It prefers open woodlands and forest clearings, especially near permanent bodies of water such as ponds, but also urban parks and is occasionally seen in suburban areas. Though not as common as the western tiger swallowtail, the pale swallowtail can be seen in large numbers at puddling parties where up to a dozen or more males may be gathered. There they join other species to sip water from damp soil to obtain nutrients for mating. Their appearance is quite simila ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




Papilio Zelicaon
''Papilio zelicaon'', the anise swallowtail, is a common swallowtail butterfly of western North America. Both the upper and lower sides of its wings are black, but the upper wing has a broad yellow stripe across it, giving the butterfly an overall yellow appearance. There are striking blue spots on the rear edge of the rear wing, and the characteristic tails of the swallowtails. Its wingspan is . Its body is somewhat shorter than the rather similar western tiger swallowtail, with which its range overlaps; it also lacks the black stripes, converging toward the tail, of the latter. There is a somewhat darker subspecies, ''P. z. nitra'', which is rare throughout the range, though somewhat more often found at lower elevations. Description The anise swallowtail has a wingspan ranging from . Wings are mostly yellow, with black bands along the edges of both the forewings and hindwings. They are distinguished from tiger swallowtail butterflies by being smaller in size and lacking the v ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Ochlodes Sylvanoides
''Ochlodes sylvanoides'', the woodland skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in North America from British Columbia south to southern California, east to Montana, Colorado and Arizona. Description Uppersides of wings are orange with dark borders. Males have black androconia on their forewings, while females have two dark markings on their forewings. The undersides of the wings are variable, but generally light brown with lighter spots. The wingspan is Habitat and behavior The woodland skipper is found in a wide range of habitats, including woodlands, gardens, and other areas with grasses. The larvae feed on various Poaceae species, including ''Cynodon dactylon'', ''Phalaris'', '' Elymus'' and ''Agropyron ''Agropyron'' is a genus of Eurasian plants in the grass family), native to Europe and Asia but widely naturalized in North America. Species in the genus are commonly referred to as wheatgrass. ; Species * '' Agropyron badamense'' - Tajikista ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Polites Sonora
''Polites sonora'', the Sonoran skipper or western long dash,
funet.fi
is a in the family . It is found along the Pacific coast of the U.S., reaching Canada only in the extreme southern interior of British Columbia. The
wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777– ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Polites Mardon
''Polites mardon'', the Mardon skipper, is a butterfly native to the United States northwest coast. Description The Mardon skipper is a small butterfly, less than one inch (25 mm), that belongs to the family Hesperiidae. Its habitat extends from the northwestern coast of Washington, through southern Oregon and northern California. In Washington, the Mardon skipper can be found in the Puget prairies and the South Cascades. Some distinguishing characteristics of this species are a hairy orange body with dark orange accents on the upper surface and a light orange lower surface with white-yellowish rectangular spots. Males are known to be darker than females and smaller. Other species with very similar attributes include the Sonora skipper (''Polites sonora'') and the woodland skipper (''Ochlodes sylvanoides''). This butterfly species, native to the northwest, is most commonly found on prairies populated by native grasses such as Roemer's fescue (''Festuca roemeri'') and red ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




Euphydryas Editha Taylori
''Euphydryas editha taylori'', the Whulge checkerspot or Taylor's checkerspot, is a butterfly native to an area of the northwestern United States and Vancouver Island. Description Taylor's checkerspot is the darkest subspecies of the genus ''Euphydryas''. It is a subspecies of Edith's checkerspot. This butterfly has a wingspan of less than . It gets its name from the checkered color pattern on its wings that consist of black, orange and white coloring. Taylor's checkerspot once ranged from the Willamette Valley in Oregon to Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Chemical ecology Taylor's checkerspot larvae rely on complex multitrophic interactions for survival. The larvae feed upon certain plant species in the native ''Castilleja'' and exotic ''Plantago'' genera that produce defensive compounds called iridoid glycosides. Over time, the Taylor's checkerspot has developed a tolerance for these compounds, such that the larvae are able to consume the foliage of these plants and s ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Speyeria Zerene
''Speyeria zerene'', the zerene fritillary, is a butterfly found in the western portions of the United States and Canada. The species was first described by William Swainson in 1827. Description ''Speyeria zerene'' is a medium-sized butterfly whose length ranges from 25 to 28 mm, and the wingspan is about 55 mm. The body of the butterfly is black with orange brown on the upperside of the wings. Also on the underside are black veins with black spots. The undersides of the wings have silver metallic spots. The wings and the body are both covered in fine hairs. Range The native range spread from Washington state to California. They are now found in Oregon and California. , they were found in numbers in Alpine County, California, at the 9,000 foot (2,700 m) level in the Sierra Nevada range. The best habitats for the butterflies are coastal salt spray meadows, montane meadows, and stabilized dunes. The grasslands provide larval host plants which are a very important c ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Boloria Epithore
''Boloria epithore'', the Pacific fritillary, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in western North America from California to British Columbia and Alberta. The wingspan is . The butterfly flies from June to July. The larvae feed on ''Viola ocellata''. Subspecies The following subspecies are recognised: *''B. e. chermocki'' E.M. Perkins & S.F. Perkins, 1966 (Oregon) *''B. e. epithore'' (W.H. Edwards, 1864) (California) *''B. e. sierra'' E.M. Perkins, 1973 (California) *''B. e. uslui'' Koçak, 1984 (British Columbia) References External links Pacific Fritillary
Butterflies and Moths of North America Boloria Butterflies of North America Taxa named by William Henry Edwards Butterflies described in 1864 Lepidoptera of the United States Lepidoptera of Canada {{Heliconiinae-stub ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]