Native Insects and Spiders

I think these are two different species of butterflies, A Silvery Blue on the left and a Spring Azure on the right. They were photographed in Derby Canyon near Peshastin, Washington, where 20-30 of them were drinking at a muddy spot in the road, a behavior known as puddling. I suppose it looked like I was puddling, too, since I was flat on my belly in the road taking pictures.

These tiny moths were photographed on Saxifrage plants in Derby Canyon in eastern Washington. They are not native but are from Eurasia and were first found in British Columbia and Washington in the early 1980's and have now spread to northern Oregon as well. Their larva are a serious threat to Apple and Crab Apple trees and can completely defoliate the trees.

Monday we were at the coast and first at Pass Island, the steep-sided island that divides Deception Pass from Canoe Pass. We were there early looking for Grass Widows when we spotted this beauty warming itself in the bright sunshine. Though normally very active the cool morning gave us plenty of time to take photos.

This is another photo of the butterfly I posted some days ago (see inset). It's much more exciting with its wings open, but the underside of the wings is not without a beauty of its own. Sara's Orange Tip is Anthocaris sara, a butterfly that rarely rests. We were fortunate to find this one warming itself in the early morning sun and not yet active. The photo was taken on Pass Island in Deception Pass State Park.

The Woolly Bear Caterpillar is the larva of the Isabella Tiger Moth, Pyrrharctia isabella. I learned a lot about it when I looked it up on line. It emerges in the fall and freezes solid over the winter, unthawing in the spring and turning into a pupa. There is no evidence that its bands predict the harshness of the winter ahead, and its hairs are not poisonous, as many believe, though they can cause some skin irritation. This one was photographed at Slide Mountain in Whatcom County.

This is another photo of the Mountain Fritillary, Speyeria mormonia, we saw at Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park. He was quite tattered, but still beautiful.

Photographed along one of the trails at Paradine in Mount Rainier National Park, this is the Mountain Fritillary, Speyeria mormonia, a bit tattered but still very active in the sunshine.

This is the Slender Bog Orchis, Platanthera stricta, photographed by my wife, who managed to get an Ichneumon wasp in the photo as well. The wap I have not identified further. The photo was taken near Narada Falls on the road from Longmire to Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park, and shows the only orchid we found in park besides a lot of Hooded Ladies'-tresses.

I believe this is a Woodland Skipper. The photo was taken in the gardens of the Center for Urban Horticulture at the University of Washington.