osifer_dan's Favorites

Link to Western Wallflower (Erysimum capitatum) host plant observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/208642233

Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades) A.k.a Cecropterus pylades. It is a small, dark brown butterfly in the Skippers (Hesperiidae) family with a wingspan of 1.25-1.5 inches. It has one flight per year, March-July. It is found on hilltops in the Santa Lucia mountain range, riparian canyons, and in pine-oak woodlands. Favorite adult nectar plants include Mints, Vetches, Thistles, Brodiaea, and California Buckeye. Larval food plants are in the Pea family: Acmispon, Lotus, and Vetches.

Link to confirmed observation nearby: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/221428756

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney and photograher Jan Austin, August 2023, 160-161.
(calls it by genus name Cecropterus, as of 4/22/24)

Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions, pp. 222-223, plate 26.

eButterfly (lists 6 subspecies; calls it by genus name Cecropterus, as of 4/22/24)
https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/species/profile/5

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BUTTERFLY and CATERPILLAR (Annotated References):

In California, there are about 240 species of butterflies. There are more than 3,000 species of MOTHS, which represent 4 suborders in about 50 families. Butterflies have clubbed antennae, moths do not. Many moths are nocturnal, but not all.

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020 (Lepidoptera, pp. 347-426)

Butterflies of Monterey County: A comprehensive guide to finding and identifying 91 species of butterflies in Monterey County, by Chris Tenney and photograher Jan Austin, August 2023 and companion website: https://www.montereybutterflies.online/

Glossary of Butterfly (and Moth) Terminology: https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/resources/glossary

Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions: A Field Guide, Arthur M. Shapiro and Timothy D. Manolis, 2007

Law's Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada, John Muir Laws, California Academy of Sciences, 2007

eButterfly: (2115+ species) https://www.e-butterfly.org/ebapp/en/observations/explore

BugGuide: Butterflies and Moths (U.S. and Canada) clickable categories or use search bar: https://bugguide.net/node/view/57

Butterfly Wing Areas and Body Parts (diagram)
Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001, p. 40.

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West: a field guide to the butterflies of western North America, by Jeffrey Glassberg, 2001

Butterflies and Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species_search

Butterflies of Central and Northern California, a laminated pamphlet (guide to common and notable species) by Jim Brock, 2023

Caterpillar Anatomy diagram and Butterfly Basics: https://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/activities/printouts/caterpillarprintout.shtml Life Cycle of a Butterfly: Egg --> Larva (the caterpillar) --> Pupa (the chrysalis or cocoon) --> Adult.

Caterpillars: INaturalist Project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-caterpillars