Butterflies of Bandelier National Monument
and Valles Caldera National Preserve

Los Alamos and Sandoval Counties, New Mexico

Compiled by

Steve Cary, New Mexico Parks and Recreation
Stephen M. Fettig, Bandelier National Monument
Dorothy Hoard, Friends of Bandelier
Paula K. Kleintjes, Dept. of Biology, Univ. of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Survey area ranges from 6100-10,000’ and includes grassland/scrub, piyon-juniper woodlands, pondersona pine grasslands, mixed conifer forests, wet and dry montane meadows. Butterflies from Bandelier National Monument are indicated by the symbol BNM, while those from Valles Caldera National Preserve as indicated by the symbol VCNP.

Swallowtails (Family Papilionidae)

Swallowtails (Subfamily Papilioninae)

Black Swallowtail -- (Papilio polyxenes) — BNM, VCNP
Old World Swallowtail -- (Papilio machaon bairdii) — BNM, VCNP
Western Tiger Swallowtail -- (Papilio rutulus) — BNM, VCNP
Two-tailed Swallowtail -- (Papilio multicaudata) — BNM, VCNP
Pale Swallowtail -- (Papilio eurymedon) — BNM

Whites and Sulphurs (Family Pieridae)

Whites (Subfamily Pierinae)

Pine White -- (Neophasia menapia) — VCNP
Checkered White -- (Pontia protodice) — BNM, VCNP
Margined White -- (Pieris marginalis) — VCNP
Cabbage White -- (Pieris rapae) — BNM

Sulphurs (Subfamily Coliadinae)

Clouded Sulphur -- (Colias philodice) — BNM, VCNP
Orange Sulphur -- (Colias eurytheme) — BNM, VCNP
Queen Alexandra's Sulphur -- (Colias alexandra) — VCNP
Sleepy Orange -- (Eurema nicippe) — BNM
Dainty Sulphur -- (Nathalis iole) — BNM, VCNP

Gossamer-wing Butterflies (Family Lycaenidae)

Coppers (Subfamily Lycaeninae)

Tailed Copper -- (Lycaena [Tharsalea] arota) — BNM, VCNP
Purplish Copper -- (Lycaena helloides) — VCNP

Hairstreaks (Subfamily Theclinae)

Colorado Hairstreak -- (Hypaurotis crysalus) — VCNP
Behr's Hairstreak -- (Satyrium behrii) — BNM
Banded Hairstreak -- (Satyrium calanus) — BNM, VCNP
Western Green Hairstreak -- (Callophrys affinis) — BNM
Western Pine Elfin -- (Callophrys [Incisalia] eryphon) — BNM, VCNP
Juniper Hairstreak -- (Callophrys [Mitoura] gryneus siva) — BNM
Gray Hairstreak -- (Strymon melinus) — BNM, VCNP

Blues (Subfamily Polyommatinae)

Western Pygmy-Blue -- (Brephidium exile) — BNM
Marine Blue -- (Leptotes marina) — BNM, VCNP
Ceraunus Blue -- (Hemiargus ceraunus) — BNM
Reakirt's Blue -- (Hemiargus isola) — BNM, VCNP
Western Tailed-Blue -- (Everes amyntula) — BNM, VCNP
Spring Azure -- (Celastrina "ladon") — BNM, VCNP
Western Square-dotted Blue -- (Euphilotes battoides centralis) — BNM
Spalding's Dotted-Blue -- (Euphilotes spaldingi) — BNM
Silvery Blue -- (Glaucopsyche lygdamus) — BNM, VCNP
Melissa Blue -- (Lycaeides melissa) — BNM
Greenish Blue -- (Plebeius saepiolus) — BNM, VCNP
Boisduval's Blue -- (Plebeius [Icaricia] icarioides) — BNM, VCNP
Lupine Blue -- (Plebeius [Icaricia] lupini) — BNM, VCNP
Arctic Blue -- (Agriades glandon) — BNM, VCNP

Metalmarks (Family Riodinidae)

Nais Metalmark -- (Apodemia nais) — BNM

Brush-footed Butterflies (Family Nymphalidae)

Heliconians and Fritillaries (Subfamily Heliconiinae)

Variegated Fritillary -- (Euptoieta claudia) — BNM, VCNP
Great Spangled Fritillary -- (Speyeria cybele) — BNM, VCNP
Northwestern Fritillary -- (Speyeria hesperis) — BNM, VCNP
Mormon Fritillary -- (Speyeria mormonia) — BNM, VCNP

True Brush-foots (Subfamily Nymphalinae)

Silvery Checkerspot -- (Chlosyne nycteis) — BNM, VCNP
Pearl Crescent -- (Phyciodes tharos) — BNM
Field Crescent -- (Phyciodes pratensis) — BNM
Mylitta Crescent -- (Phyciodes mylitta) — BNM
Satyr Comma -- (Polygonia satyrus) — BNM
Green Comma -- (Polygonia faunus) — BNM, VCNP
Hoary Comma -- (Polygonia gracilis) — BNM, VCNP
California Tortoiseshell -- (Nymphalis californica) — BNM, VCNP
Mourning Cloak -- (Nymphalis antiopa) — BNM, VCNP
Milbert's Tortoiseshell -- (Nymphalis [Aglais] milberti) — BNM, VCNP
American Lady -- (Vanessa virginiensis) — BNM, VCNP
Painted Lady -- (Vanessa cardui) — BNM, VCNP
Red Admiral -- (Vanessa atalanta) — BNM, VCNP
Common Buckeye -- (Junonia coenia) — BNM, VCNP

Admirals and Relatives (Subfamily Limenitidinae)

Weidemeyer's Admiral -- (Limenitis weidemeyerii) — BNM, VCNP
California Sister -- (Adelpha bredowii) — BNM, VCNP

Leafwings (Subfamily Charaxinae)

Goatweed Leafwing -- (Anaea andria) — BNM

Satyrs (Subfamily Satyrinae)

Common Ringlet -- (Coenonympha tullia ochracea) — BNM
Common Wood Nymph -- (Cercyonis pegala) — BNM
Small Wood Nymph -- (Cercyonis oetus) — BNM, VCNP
Chryxus Arctic -- (Oeneis chryxus) — BNM, VCNP

Monarchs (Subfamily Danainae)

Monarch -- (Danaus plexippus) — BNM, VCNP
Queen -- (Danaus gilippus) — BNM

Skippers (Family Hesperiidae)

Spread-wing Skippers (Subfamily Pyrginae)

Silver-spotted Skipper -- (Epargyreus clarus) — BNM, VCNP
Northern Cloudywing -- (Thorybes pylades) — BNM
Mexican Cloudywing -- (Thorybes mexicana) — BNM, VCNP
Rocky Mountain Duskywing -- (Erynnis telemachus) — BNM, VCNP
Pacuvius Duskywing -- (Erynnis pacuvius) — BNM, VCNP
Afranius Duskywing -- (Erynnis afranius) — BNM
Persius Duskywing -- (Erynnis persius) — BNM
Common Checkered-Skipper -- (Pyrgus communis) — BNM
Common Sootywing -- (Pholisora catullus) — BNM

Grass Skippers (Subfamily Hesperiinae)

Garita Skipperling -- (Oarisma garita) — BNM, VCNP
Edwards' Skipperling -- (Oarisma edwardsii) — BNM, VCNP
Draco Skipper -- (Polites draco) — BNM, VCNP
Tawny-edged Skipper -- (Polites themistocles) — BNM, VCNP
Snow's Skipper -- (Paratrytone snowi) — BNM, VCNP
Taxiles Skipper -- (Poanes taxiles) — BNM, VCNP
Dun Skipper -- (Euphyes vestris) — BNM, VCNP
Dusted Skipper -- (Atrytonopsis hianna) — BNM
Viereck's Skipper -- (Atrytonopsis vierecki) — BNM
Orange-headed Roadside-Skipper -- (Amblyscirtes phylace) — BNM

Acknowledgments

We thank Bandelier National Monument, the Valles Caldera National Preserve Board, and Craig Allen, U.S. Geological Survey Jemez Mountain Field Station for permission to survey and collect voucher specimens. We thank University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire students Rory Hayden, Chris Kulhanek, Lindsay Pawluk, Chris Raebel, and Jennifer Schenk for field assistance as well as July 4th Butterfly count volunteers for field assistance. We thank Paul Opler, Department of Biological Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, for identifications of voucher specimens. This work has been supported by Southwest Parks and National Monuments Association, Friends of Bandelier, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Projects, Bandelier National Monument, and the Valles Caldera National Preserve.

References

Glassberg, J. 2001. Butterflies through Binoculars-the West. Oxford University 
     Press, New York.

Holland, R. and S.J. Cary. 1996. Butterflies of the Jemez Mountains of northern 
     New Mexico. Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society 50: 61-79.
     
Kleintjes, P.K.  2000. Butterfly research summary 1999-2000. Unpublished report 
     submitted to Bandelier National Monument. Department of Biology, University 
     of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
     
Kleintjes, P.K.  2000. Butterflies of the Valles Caldera National Preserve 2001. 
     Unpublished report to USGS Jemez Mountain Research Station.  Department of 
     Biology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
     
Opler, P.A. 1999. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies. Houghton Mifflin Co., 
     Boston, 540 pages.

Scott, J.A. 1986. The Butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press. 
     Stanford, Calif., 583 pages.

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Butterflies of Bandelier National Monument and Valles Caldera National Preserve