Help with Colias IDs

[Ernest Williams]

Jerry (et al.),

B1. You haven't given an indication of size, but your description sounds to
me like pelidne, which occurs in moderate numbers on Clay Butte.

B3. The wetlands around Swamp Lake do have gigantea, and your description
sounds like it.  Could the oviposition have been on willow?

B4. Yes, an occasional meadii from this area, about 1 in 10 adults, does
have a satellite spot.

If you aren't already consulting it, Ferris & Brown (1980) is helpful for
these.

Ernest Williams


>Hi all,
>
>I was wondering if someone could help me with some Colias identifications.  I
>spent five weeks in Montana and Washington this summer photographing birds
>and butterflies.  This was my first trip to the west to search for
>butterflies, so I am not familiar with many of the tougher groups.  I was
>fairly successful at finding many of my target species, thanks to all who
>responded to my early requests as to where to find them, but I am in a bit of
>a dilema with some of the butterflies I photographed.  I was wondering if
>anyone familiar with particular sites could help me determine what I have.
>Later I may need some help identifying some Chlosyne and Speyeria.
>
>Butterfly 1.  On July 14 I photographed a yellow Colias that I think is
>either C. gigantea or C. occidentalis on Clay Butte, Park Co., Wyoming.  I
>photographed this butterfly near the lookout tower on the tundra.  I have
>researched at least five different references, including Scott's Butterflies
>of North America and Opler's Western Butterflies, but I am still confused.
>It seems the Colias group still needs much work.
>
>Since I did not collect I am hoping those who have collected at this site can
>help me.  I have excellent ventral photos of a male that has a bright yellow
>ground color moderately dusted on both hindwing and forewing with black
>scales.  The wings are narrowly bordered with pink.  The hindwing cell spot
>is relatively large and white distinctly rimmed with brown not pink.  There
>is also a brownish smudge, not quite developed as a satellite spot, directly
>above the hindwing cell spot.    The discal cell spot is elongated and
>indistinct showing only thin black outline.  The upperside black borders can
>be seen on both hindwing and forewing through the wings.  The black borders
>are of relatively moderate width.  In flight, except for the black borders,
>the upperside appeared entirely yellow.
>
>Butterfly 2.  Along the Inner North Fork Road at Glacier National Park,
>Montana on July 23 I photographed several Colias almost identical to the
>above butterfly, but the habitat was quite different.  They were along the
>dirt road visiting flowers in open areas in pines and in meadows.  The
>upperside of the females were pale to medium yellow with an incomplete black
>border on the forewing thickest in the apex.  The upperside of the hindwing
>was unmarked except for a pale yellowish orange dical spot.  The underside
>ground color on the hindwing was yellow with a hint of green and the forewing
>was yellow.  Both wings had some light black dusting with a single
>silvery-white, brown rimmed, cell spot and were narrowly edged with pink.
>The forewing discal spot was rather well developed, prominently black-rimmed
>with a pale yellow center.  I also photographed a male that was same as above
>except that it had complete black borders on upperside of forewings and
>hindwings.  Identification  seems to fit C. occidentalis.  Scott says C.
>occidentalis is not found east of Washington.
>
>Butterfly 3.  In a large bog along Rt. 296 near Swamp Lake in Park Co.,
>Wyoming I photographed a couple of female Colias ovipositing.  I did not
>identify the plant that they were laying eggs on, but they flew down low in
>the grass and crawled down near the bases of the grass making it difficult to
>get photos.  I managed to get a photo of one in flight showing the upperside.
> It was nearly all creamy-white except for a faint band of yellow along the
>inner margin of the forewing.  There was a very small dark discal spot on the
>forewing.  The upper hindwing discal spot was pale yellow-orange.  The
>underside of the hindwing was creamy white with a single reddish-brown rimmed
>white cell spot.  The underside of the forewing was white except at the apex
>which was pale yellow.  The forewing discal cell was well marked looking
>triangular shaped.
>Was this C. gigantea.
>
>Butterfly 4.  I photographed a male C. meadii on Clay Butte, Wyoming that had
>a well defined pink rimmed satellite cell spot on the under hindwing like C.
>johanseni.  Do C. meadii occasionally show a satellite spot?
>
>Can someone help me these?  Thanks
>
>
>