Utah Habitats for Butterflies and Moths

Wasatch Hilltops--Bountiful Peak

 

1. Wasatch Canyons 2. Wasatch Valley Riparian 3. Wasatch Valley Meadows 4. Wasatch Hilltops 5. Arctic Alpine 6. Basin & Range Province 7. Canyon Country 8. Montane 9. Utah's Dixie

At an elevation of 9,259 feet, Bountiful Peak is located along Skyline Drive in Davis County approximately 6.1 miles north northeast from Bountiful City and 3.8 miles east southeast of Farmington City.  The drive to Bountiful Peak from Bountiful City takes about 12 miles up a dirt road  (Skyline Drive .)  

The trickiest part to accessing Skyline Drive to Bountiful Peak occurs right in Bountiful City itself.  The two maps below show the route from Bountiful to Bountiful Peak as well as walks you through the streets of Bountiful to make sure you make it to Skyline Drive.  (See maps below.)  The key to remember is that if you find yourself on a dirt road heading east away from the new homes and ATV dirt pit, and you locate the block 'B' to your right (north), then you are headed in the right direction.

During the summer months, Bountiful Peak is an outstanding location to find several species of butterflies as well as several species of dayflying moths including Hemileuca spp.  The butterflies that you can find hilltopping on the peak as well as nearby summits include several species of Speyeria, blues, hairstreaks, Parnassius smintheus sayii (rocky mountain parnassian), Cercyonis oetus charon (small wood nymph,) Erynnis persius fredericki (persius duskywing,) Coenonympha tullia brenda (common ringlet,) and Papilio indra indra (indra swallowtail.) 

Males of Nymphalis milberti furcillata (milbert's tortoiseshell) as well as Pieris occidentalis (western white) are also notable hilltoppers at Bountiful Peak.

Directions to getting started to Bountiful Peak:  From Salt Lake City, Travel north on I-15 to Exit 321 (400 North in Bountiful.)  From Ogden, travel south on I-15 to Exit 321.  Proceed east and follow map directions.  The key is to get through Bountiful City and started up the right dirt road that is Skyline Drive.  See Map Above.

Once you proceed up Skyline Drive, follow map directions to Bountiful Peak.

Utah Bug Club member Paul Laemmlen (left) and Lepidopterists' Society member (as well as TILS member) Mark Walker (right) standing near the ridge top approximately 0.3 miles West of Bountiful Peak.  This is a location where one can find several species of Speyeria males hilltopping.   Also, with a heavy concentration of flowers of Lupines spp. and Eriogonum spp., one can find several species of blues including Plebejus acmon lutzi (lupine blue,) Glaucopsyche lygdamus oro (silvery blue,) Glaucopsyche piasus daunia (arrowhead blue), Euphilotes enoptes ancilla (rocky mountain dotted-blue,) and Plebejus icarioides ardea (boisduval's blue.)

If you travel south down the ridgetop away from the peak, you will find rocky outcroppings strewned with paintbrush, stonecrop, as well as Papilio indra indra hostplant Lomatium graveolens.  Males of the indra swallowtail like to repeatedly patrol and perch near the top of the ridge close to where Paul Laemmlen is standing.  For a closeup of this picture, click here.

Butterfly Species Checklist For this Habitat:

All images of Limenitis weidemeyeri on the ULS Info Bar courtesy Jay Cossey

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