Edith's checkerspot

Description:

These are beautiful butterflies with black, orange and white markings. The higher-altitude populations are smaller and darker.

Habitat:

Spotted at Mount Rainier National Park along the Alta Vista trail. Above 6000 ft elev. Habitats are mountains, typically on ridgetops, from coastal chaparral and transition zone open woodland to alpine tundra. Edith's checkerspot butterflies prefer grasslands and rocky outcrops found in the mountains. They can be frequently found in areas of nutrient-poor, serpentinitic soils which sustain the native grasslands that they prefer.

Notes:

Edith's checkerspot caterpillars will use various species of paintbrush (Castilleja), beardtongues (Penstemon), lousewort (Pedicularis), owl's clover (Orthocarpus), Chinese houses (Collinsia), and plantain (Plantago) as host plants. Many populations of the butterfly are monophagous and preference for the different plant types are based mainly on location. Many behaviors, such as egg laying habits and movements are locally adapted, so the survival of the butterflies relies heavily on the growing season of these host plants.(Wikipedia). The Edith's checkerspot is found in North America, where it ranges from southern British Columbia and Alberta south to Baja California, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado.[5] The species can be found in locations of the San Bernardino Mountains, Sierra Nevada, higher Cascade Mountains of Oregon to Washington, and in areas of the Great Basin, including central Oregon and the Rocky Mountains.