Range:
This species is restricted to a small range which includes southwestern Alberta,
western Montana and Wyoming, and portions of north, central and eastern Idaho.
Habitat:
It can be found in open, moist areas such as meadows, valleys,
and open forests.
Diet:
Caterpillar:
Caterpillars feed on the leaves and leaf buds of several species of plants,
including twinberry honeysuckle (Lonicera involucrata), snowberry (Symphoricarpos
albus), and Indian paintbrush (Castilleja spp.).
Adult:
Butterflies drink flower nectar.
Ecology:
Young caterpillars live and feed together in nests made from leaves and silk. There is one new generation
of caterpillars each summer. At low elevations, the older caterpillars overwinter
in a physiological state called diapause. At high elevations, however,
young caterpillars feed for several weeks, then overwinter; in spring, they
emerge, feed and molt
through the growing season, then overwinter a second time before emerging to
pupate. Adults generally fly
from late June to mid-August. Butterflies exhibit a slow flight, and tend to
stay close to host plants.
They roost in the tops of coniferous trees at night, and females may seek shelter
there if approached.
Reproduction:
Males patrol
for receptive females, often in treetops. Females lay eggs in clusters on the
undersides of leaves. Investigation revealed that eggs are typically placed
on leaves which receive the morning sun because the warmth promotes faster development.
Conservation:
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Global Rank: | G3; vulnerable to population decline and extinction. |
Opler, P. A., H. Pavulaan, and R. E. Stanford. 1995. Butterflies of North America. Jamestown, North Dakota, USA: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/bflyusa.htm (Version 05Nov98).
Opler, P. A. and A. B.Wright. 1999. A Field Guide to the Western Butterflies. Second Edition. Peterson Field Guide Series. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, New York, USA, 540 pp.
Pyle, R. M. 1981. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, New York, USA, 924 pp.
Scott, J. A. 1986. The Butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, USA, 583 pp.
Stanford, R. E. and P. A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western U.S.A. Butterflies (Including Adjacent Parts of Canada and Mexico). Published by authors, Denver, Colorado, USA, 275 pp.