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Butterflies of San Franscisco Bay Area
Western Tiger Swallowtail - Papilio rutulus (Mt. Diablo State Park) |
Anise Swallowtail - Papilio zelicaon (Las Trampas Wildnerness) |
Sara Orangetip - Anthocharius sara (Sunol Regional Park) |
Acmon Blue - Plebejus acmon (Pleasanton) |
Variable Checkerspot - Euphydryas chalcedona (Mt. Diablo State Park) |
Painted Lady - Vanessa cardui (Pleasanton) |
Common Buckeye - Junonia coenia (Sunol Regional Park) |
Monarch Butterfly - Danaus plexippus |
Common Ringlet - Coenonympha tullia (Sunol Regional Park) |
Fiery Skipper - Hylephila phyleus (Pleasanton) |
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The San Francisco Bay Area is home to around 144 species of butterflies. You can find them in all types of habitats including urban areas. The Bay Area has the highest density of endangered butterfly species in the nation. They are listed below in the "Notable Species" section.
Butterflies of the Bay Area
Some Common Butterfly Species:
- Western Tiger Swallowtail - Papilio rutulus
- Pale Swallowtail - Papilio eurymedon
- Anise Swallowtail - Papilio zelicaon
- Cabbage White - Pieris rapae
- Sara Orangetip - Anthocharius sara
- Clouded Sulphur - Colias philodice
- Acmon Blue - Plebejus acmon
- Lupine Blue Butterfly - Plebejus lupini ...photo
- Callippe Fritillary - Speyeria callippe
- Mylitta Crescent - Phyciodes mylitta
- Variable Checkerspot - Euphydryas chalcedona
- Mourning Cloak - Nymphalis antiopa
- Red Admiral - Vanessa atalanta
- Painted Lady - Vanessa cardui
- Common Buckeye - Junonia coenia
- California Sister - Adelphia bredowii
- Monarch Butterfly - Danaus plexippus (very special butterfly which over-winters in large numbers at some Bay Area locations.
- Common Ringlet - Coenonympha tullia
- Fiery Skipper - Hylephila phyleus
Other Notable Butterfly Species:
Myrtle's Silverspot (Speyeria zerene puntareyes)
- San Bruno Elfin - Callophrys mossii bayensis
Endemic to the Bay Area.
- Bay Checkerspot - Euphydryas editha bayensis
Endemic to the Bay Area and an endangered species.
- Callippe Silverspot Butterfly - Speyeria callippe callippe
Endemic to the Bay Area and an endangered species.
- Myrtle's Silverspot Butterfly - Speyeria zerene myrtleae
Endangered. Found in western Marin and southwestern Sonoma counties, including the Point Reyes National Seashore.
- Lange's Metalmark - Apodemia mormo langei
Endangered. Lange's Metalmark is known almost exclusively from the Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge was the first piece of land set aside (1980) in the history of the United States for the distinct protection of an insect
- Mission Blue Butterfly - Icaricia icarioides missionensis
Endangered. Now found at only a few sites in the bay area. San Bruno mountain is one of the major sites.
- Smith's Blue Butterfly - Euphilotes enoptes smithi
Endangered. Found along the central California coast in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Mateo counties. Several sites along Monterey Bay are now being managed for preservation, including a preserve established by the U.S. Army at Fort Ord.
- Western Pygmy Blue - Brephidium exilis
The smallest butterfly in the United States.
- California Dogface - Zerene (Colias) eurydice
California's state insect.
Checklists
The following links lead to comprehensive checklists generated on the Butterflies and Moths of North America website (www.butterfliesandmoths.org), maintained by the Mountain Prairie Information Node in Bozeman, MT. These lists include links to detailed pages for each species, including photographs.
Some more informal lists:
- Common Butterflies of the East Bay Regional Parks - a PDF brochure with photographs.
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- Butterflies of San Francisco by Liam O’Brien, illustrator, lepidopterist & conservationist - an extensive site with notes based on years of study.
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- Butterflies of Ulistac Natural Area (in Santa Clara) - a list of 20 species, with photos.
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- Butterflies of the S.F. Peninsula, a list, with good photos, by Adam Winer, as of 2003.
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- Butterflies of San Francisco, a list, with good photos, by Adam Winer, as of 2006.
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- Watching Butterflies on Mount Diablo by: Kevin Hintsa, Mountain News, 1993.
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- Butterflies of Suisun Marsh, by Prof. Art Shapiro of UC Davis.
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- Butterflies of Hastings Biological Field Station of the University of California, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and UC Natural Reserve System.
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Media
- A selection of useful reference books can be found here - Butterfly Books ...more
- A nice laminated fold-out, with 22 common local species, is produced by Local Birds (despite its name :-)). It includes favorite larval food and nectar plants. They also have similar guides for Marin County and the Monterey Bay Area.
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- Sharp, nice photographs of local butterflies posted by members of our Flickr group
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Butterflies and Moths Articles and Links
California Dogface - Zerene eurydice
- Blog posts about local butterflies, including ones raised from caterpillars along with some wonderful photos by Lisa.
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- Humorous description of raising Anise Swallowtails in Berkeley.
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- The Green Hairstreak Project seeks to connect two disjunctive butterfly populations in San Francisco's Sunset District with street level plantings of host and nectar sources.
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- Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay Area (a very incomplete list) - a list of 10 common butterflies with pictures.
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- Imperiled Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay Area. An article with photographs and descriptions of the Bay Checkerspot, Mission Blue, San Bruno Elfin, and Callippe, Myrtle’s and Behren’s Silverspot Butterflies.
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- A new species of moth - Bucculatrix dominatrix - was discovered in the Bay Area in 1983.
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Butterfly Gardening
- List of Butterflies and the plants they feed on - specific to the Bay area. The Native Here Nusery also sells these plants in Berkeley.
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- Butterfly gardening notes for the Bay area, from the NABA.
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- Some common California Butterflies and Moths and their food plants - photographs and details about native plants used by adults and larva.
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Resources
- Butterflies of America - a great website with thousands of photos of different species, organized by family and species.
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- The Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA) project site with details about each species and maps showing sight reports.
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