Utah Lepidopterists' Society
Founded 6 Nov 1976
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Utah Lepidopterists' Society Founded 6 Nov 1976 |
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Utah Habitats for Butterflies and Moths
Basin and Range Province
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6. Basin and Range Province 8. Montane 9. Utah's Dixie |
Utah and Salt Lake Valley are quite unique in that they provide a buffer zone between two vastly different mountain ranges--The Wasatch Range to the east and the Oquirrh Mountains to the west. The Wasatch Range represents the westernmost extension of the Rocky Mountains whereas the Oquirrh Mountains and Lake Mountains represent the eastern extension of the Great Basin or Basin and Range Province. (The Lake Mountains and the Wasatch Front literally are within 14 miles of each other--speaking of the aerial distance [13.2 miles] of Israel Canyon to the mouth of American Fork Canyon.)
Because these two mountain ranges come from different geological eras, their flora and fauna can be quite diverse as well.
Whereas canyons of the Wasatch Front are filled with trees and shrubs such as Box Elder, Willow, Scrub Oak, Maple, and Choke Cherry, contrastingly, canyons of the Basin and Range Province are more densely populated with Pinyon, Juniper, Sagebrush, and, less commonly, Indian Paintbrush and Cliffrose.
Just as the floral distribution between these two mountain ranges is diverse, so is the faunal distribution of several butterflies--especially on the subspecific level.
This is evident in many butterfly families including the family Pieridae (Whites, Sulphurs, and Orangetips.) For example, Spring Whites and Orange-tips fly in both the Wasatch Front and in the Basin and Range Province. However, on a spring day around April 20, if you take the time to collect Utah Stella Orangetips (Anthocharis stella browningi) and Spring Whites (Pieris sisymbri sisymbri) at Rock Canyon in the Wasatch say in the morning; and then, in the afternoon, venture only 25 miles away to Spring Creek west of Cedar Fort, you will find the Orangetips (Anthocharis sara thoosa) and the Dark-Veined Spring Whites (Pieris sisymbri nigravenosa) to look quite a bit different than their Wasatch Front counterparts.
The same story holds true in the family Nymphalidae (Brush-footed butterflies) with Variable Checkerspots. The Wasatch Front variety is Euphydryas anicia maria whereas the Basin and Range subspecies is Euphydryas anicia wheeleri. For a complete list of butterfly examples of this subspecific (and in some cases specific) divergence between these two mountain ranges, please see table below:
| Wasatch Front | Basin and Range Province |
| Indra Swallowtail (Papilio indra indra) | West Desert Indra Swallowtail (Papilio indra "bonnevillensis")** |
| Two-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata pusillus) | Two-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata multicaudata) |
| Queen Alexandra's Sulphur (Colias alexandra alexandra) | Queen Alexandra's Sulphur (Colias alexandra edwardsi) |
| Juniper Hairstreak (Mitoura siva siva) | Juniper Hairstreak (Mitoura siva siva/chalcosiva blend zone) |
| Great Basin Fritillary (Speyeria egleis utahensis) | Great Basin Fritillary (Speyeria egleis linda) |
| Mormon Fritillary (Speyeria mormonia eurynome) | Mormon Fritillary (Speyeria mormonia mormonia) |
| Variable Checkerspot (Euphydryas anicia maria) | Variable Checkerspot (Euphydryas anicia wheeleri) |
| Spring White (Pieris sisymbri sisymbri) | Dark-Veined Spring White (Pieris sisymbri nigravenosa) |
| Utah Stella Orangetip (Anthocharis stella browningi) | Southwestern Orangetip (Anthocharis sara thoosa) |
**Papilio indra indra also flies in the Basin and Range Province such as the Oquirrh and Stansbury Ranges. Papilio indra "bonnevillensis" flies further west in the West Desert Ranges--i.e, Dugway Range, Thomas Range, House Range, etc.
Specific Habitat Locations:
Butterfly Species For This Habitat:
Swallowtails (Family Papilionidae)
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Brush-footed Butterflies (Family Nymphalidae)
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Gossamer-wing Butterflies (Family Lycaenidae)
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Milkweed Butterflies (Family Danaidae)Monarch (Danaus plexippus) Satyrs (Family Satyridae)
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Skippers (Family Hesperiidae)
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Whites and Sulphurs (Family Pieridae)
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All images of Limenitis weidemeyeri on the ULS Info Bar courtesy Jay Cossey
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