Butterflies on San Bruno Mountain

The Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) is a common swallowtail butterfly of western North America, frequently seen in urban parks and gardens as well as in rural woodlands and riparian areas. It is a member of the Papilio genus, of which Papilio appalachiensis and Papilio xuthus are also members. It is a large, brightly colored and active butterfly, rarely seen at rest; its wingspan is 7 to 10 cm (~2.75 to 4 in), and its wings are yellow... less ↑

The common buckeye or simply, buckeye, (Junonia coenia) is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in southern Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia and all parts of the United States except the northwest, and is especially common in the south, the California coast, and throughout Central America and Colombia. The sub-species Junonia coenia bergi is endemic to the island of Bermuda. less ↑

The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Since the 19th century, it has been found in New Zealand, and in Australia since 1871, where it is called the wanderer. It is resident in the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira, and is found as an occasional migrant in Western Europe and a rare migrant in the United... less ↑

The Pipevine Swallowtail or Blue Swallowtail (Battus philenor) is a swallowtail butterfly found in North America and Central America. The butterflies are black with iridescent blue hind wings. They are found in many different habitats, but are most commonly found in forests. The black or red caterpillars feed on Aristolochia species, making them poisonous as both larvae and adults, while the adults feed on the nectar of a variety of flowers. less ↑

The West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella) is one of three North American species of brush-footed butterflies known colloquially as the "painted ladies". V. annabella occurs throughout much of the western US and south western Canada. The other two species are the cosmopolitan Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady) and the eastern Vanessa virginiensis (American Painted Lady). This species has also been considered a subspecies of the South American Vanessa carye, and is frequently misspelled as anabella. less ↑

The Variable Checkerspot or Chalcedon Checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona) is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in western North America, where its range stretches from Alaska in the north to Baja California in the south and extends east through the Rocky Mountains into Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming. The butterfly is usually brown or black with extensive white and yellow checkering and some red coloration on the dorsal wing. Adult wingspan is 3.2 cm–5.7 cm... less ↑

The Anise Swallowtail, Papilio zelicaon, is a common swallowtail butterfly of western North America. Both the upper and lower sides of its wings are black, but the upper wing has a broad yellow stripe across it, which gives the butterfly an overall yellow appearance. There are striking blue spots on the rear edge of the rear wing, and the characteristic tails of the swallowtails. Its wingspan is 7–9 cm. Its body is somewhat shorter than the rather... less ↑

The Pale Swallowtail or Pallid Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon) is a relatively common swallowtail butterfly found throughout much of the western United States. It is found on the Pacific coast from northern Baja California to southernmost British Columbia and inland to New Mexico and the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is present from the coast to western Montana and Wyoming to northern New Mexico. It is absent from most of Nevada and western Utah. It prefers... less ↑

The Acmon Blue (Plebejus acmon) is a North American butterfly. It ranges mainly in California but can be seen north to Oregon and south through Baja California. The tops of the wings are blue with dark edges in males and brown in females. Its underside is white with black spots for both sexes with a red-orange band on the hindwing. Adults feed on nectar while caterpillars can feed on buckwheats, lupines, trefoils, and milkvetches. less ↑

The Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme), also known as the Alfalfa Butterfly and in its larval stage as Alfalfa Caterpillar, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae, where it belongs to the lowland group of "clouded yellows and sulphurs" subfamily Coliadinae. It is found throughout North America from southern Canada to Mexico, but is absent from the central and southeastern USA. less ↑

The Eastern Tailed-blue or Eastern Tailed Blue (Cupido comyntas), also known as Everes comyntas, is a common butterfly of eastern North America. Males are generally blue on the upperside of their wings while females are lighter blue to brown or charcoal in coloring, but there are also varieties of purple and pink found in both sexes. The underside coloration ranges from bluish-white to tan. There are two or three (outermost one often faint) black to orange... less ↑

Edith’s Checkerspot, also known as Euphydryas editha, is a species of butterfly in the Nymphalidae family. It’s a resident species of western North America and among the subspecies, entomologists have long been intrigued by their many phenotypic variations in coloration, wing length, and overall body size. Most populations are monophagous and rely on plants including Plantago erecto and Orthocarpus densiflorus as its host species in developing from eggs through to larvae, pupae, and mature butterflies. Males... less ↑

The Large Heath or Common Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia) is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It flies in a variety of grassy habitats, including roadsides, woodland edges and clearings, prairies, bogs, and arctic and alpine taiga and tundra. It is a poor flyer, but can sometimes be found along ditches seeking new grounds. It is a holarctic species found in northern Europe and Asia and across North America. less ↑

Battus philenor hirsuta, the California pipevine swallowtail, or hairy pipevine swallowtail, is a subspecies of the pipevine swallowtail that is endemic to Northern California. Populations are found throughout the Sacramento Valley and outside of the valley in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. The butterfly is black with hind wings that have iridescent green-blue coloring above and a row of red spots below; the caterpillars are black with fleshy protrusions and red spots. The subspecies' butteflies are... less ↑