Canyon Country

Utah Lepidopterists' Society

Founded 6 Nov 1976

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Utah Habitats for Butterflies and Moths

Canyon Country

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

Cedar Canyon ~4 miles ESE Cedar City along UT Hwy 14.

Utah's Canyon Country covers a broad area of the state which can be identified basically as the Colorado Plateau. Because of elevational consideration, Utah's Canyon Country does not include nearby habitat that has already been identified as "Montane."

Part of this physiogeographic region includes the area in and adjacent to many of Utah's National Parks such as Zion's National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Monument, Canyonlands National Park, and Arches National Park.

Other areas that fall under the umbrella of the Colorado Plateau that would be included in Utah's Canyon Country would include the San Rafael Reef, the San Rafael Swell, East Tavaputs Plateau, Castle Country, and similar habitats in and around the Uinta Basin.

In addition to the vast array of butterflies found in Utah's Canyon Country, any naturalist can be equally enthralled by its pristine beauty.

Buckhorn Wash near the San Rafael Swell where colonies of Papilio bairdi, Hesperopsis alpheus oricus, Hesperia pahaska martini, Hesperia uncas lasus, Precis coenia, and Zerene cesonia can be found.

Window Blind Peak (South of San Rafael River Bridge, Emery County.) This is a classic spot to find Hesperopsis libya lena, Hesperia uncas lasus, Euphydryas anicia alena, Chlosyne acastus ssp, Pieris beckeri, Euchloe (hyantis) lotta and Euphilotes battoides ellisi. (Colony numbers fluctuate due to drought.)

Specific Habitat Locations:

Buckhorn Wash

Swallowtails and Parnassians (Family Papilionidae)

Baird's Swallowtail (Papilio bairdi); Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon nitra)
Mesa Rim Cliff Swallowtail (Papilio indra minori): Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus rutulus)
Two-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata multicaudata): Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon)

Brush-footed Butterflies (Family Nymphalidae)

Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)
Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele charlotti): Nokomis Fritillary (Speyeria nokomis nokomis)
Nokomis Fritillary (Speyeria nokomis apacheana)
Northwestern Fritillary (Speyeria hesperis chitone): Dotted Checkerspot (Poladryas arachne minuta); Fulvia Checkerspot (Thessalia fulvia pariaensis); Leanira Checkerspot (Thessalia leanira alma); Sagebrush Checkerspot (Chlosyne acastus acastus); Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos riocolorado); Tawny Crescent (Phyciodes batesii anasazi); Field Crescent (Phyciodes pulchella camillus); Pale Crescent (Phyciodes pallida barnesi); Thistle Crescent (Phyciodes mylitta mylitta)
Variable Checkerspot (Euphydryas anicia alena): Variable Checkerspot (Euphydryas anicia carmentis); Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa); American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis virginiensis); Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui); West Coast Lady (Vanessa carye annabella); Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta rubria); Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia); Viceroy (Limenitis archippus archippus); Weidemeyer's Admiral (Limenitis weidemeyeri latifascia)
Weidemeyer's Admiral (Limenitis weidemeyeri angustifascia): Arizona Sister (Adelpha bredowi eulalia)

Gossamer-wing Butterflies (Family Lycaenidae)

Purplish Copper (Lycaena dorcas helloides); Great Purple Hairstreak (Atlides halesus estesi); Coral Hairstreak (Satyrium titus immaculosis); Behr's Hairstreak (Satyrium behri behri)
Western Green Hairstreak (Callophrys affinis apama): Desert Green Hairstreak (Callophrys comstocki comstocki); Desert Elfin (Incisalia fotis fotis); Western Pine Elfin (Incisalia eryphon eryphon); Thicket Hairstreak (Mitoura spinetorum)
Juniper Hairstreak (Mitoura siva siva): Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus franki)
: Western Pygmy-Blue (Brephidium exile); Marine Blue (Leptotes marina); Reakirt's Blue (Hemiargus isola alce); Western Tailed-Blue (Everes amyntula); Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon echo)
Ellis' Dotted-Blue (Euphilotes battoides ellisi): Pallid Dotted-Blue (Euphilotes pallescens emmeli); Spalding's Dotted-Blue (Euphilotes spaldingi); Silvery Blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus oro); Melissa Blue (Plebejus melissa melissa); Boisduval's Blue (Plebejus icarioides ardea); Lupine Blue (Plebejus acmon lutzi)

Metalmarks (Family Riodinidae)

Mormon Metalmark (Apodemia mormo mormo)

Milkweed Butterflies (Family Danaidae)

Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Satyrs (Family Satyridae)

Canyonland Satyr (Cyllopsis pertepida dorothea)
Common Wood Nymph (Cercyonis pegala paludum): Mead's Wood Nymph (Cercyonis meadi meadi); Great Basin Wood Nymph (Cercyonis sthenele masoni); Small Wood Nymph (Cercyonis oetus charon); Common Alpine (Erebia epipsodea); Ridings' Satyr (Neominois ridingsi stretchi)
Ridings' Satyr (Neominois ridingsi dionysius): Chryxus Arctic (Oeneis chryxus chryxus)

Skippers (Family Hesperiidae)

Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades pylades); Mexican Cloudywing (Thorybes mexicana); Sleepy Duskywing (Erynnis brizo burgessi); Rocky Mountain Duskywing (Erynnis telemachus); Mountain Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus xanthus); Common Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus communis); Northern White-Skipper (Heliopetes ericetorum); Common Sootywing (Pholisora catullus)
Mesa-Rim Sootywing (Hesperopsis libya confertiblanca): Saltbush Sootywing (Hesperopsis alpheus oricus)
: Garita Skipperling (Oarisma garita); Orange Skipperling (Copaeodes aurantiacus); Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus phyleus); Uncas Skipper (Hesperia uncas lasus); Juba Skipper (Hesperia juba); Western Branded Skipper (Hesperia colorado harpalus); Pahaska Skipper (Hesperia pahaska nr. martini); Green Skipper (Hesperia viridis); Nevada Skipper (Hesperia nevada nevada); Sandhill Skipper (Polites sabuleti sabuleti); Draco Skipper (Polites draco); Sonora Skipper (Polites sonora utahensis)
Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides omnigena): Taxiles Skipper (Poanes taxiles); Dun Skipper (Euphyes vestris metacomet); Bronze Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes aenus); Brazilian Skipper (Calpodes ethlius)
: Yucca Giant-Skipper (Megathymus yuccae coloradensis); Strecker's Giant-Skipper (Megathymus streckeri)

Whites, Orange-Tips and Sulphurs (Family Pieridae)

Pine White (Neophasia menapia menapia); Becker's White (Pieris beckeri); Spring White (Pieris sisymbri sisymbri); Checkered White (Pieris protodice); Western White (Pieris occidentalis); Utah All White (Pieris marginalis pallidisima); Cabbage White (Pieris rapae)
: Large Marble (Euchloe ausonides coloradensis); Desert Marble (Euchloe hyantis lotta); Southwestern Orangetip (Anthocharis thoosa)
: Yellow Sulphur (Colias philodice eriphyle); Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme); Southern Dogface (Zerene cesonia); Sleepy Orange (Eurema nicippe); Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole)

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

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