The Highest Butterfly in North America Recorded

Perched in the alpine zone of Mount Whitney, the highest peak in California, is a population of Chryxus Arctic subspecies known as the Ivallda Arctic (Oeneis chryxus ivallda). Thanks to Zachary MacDonald and his colleagues who found it, its also known as the highest butterfly in North America. The team published their findings recently and it is now shared with e-Butterfly.

From Canada to Mexico: Anthony Battah’s Epic Ultramarathon for Monarch Butterflies

Today, November 1st, the Day of the Dead, Anthony Battah (@ultra-trail Monarque) is completing his ultra-marathon journey to the overwintering sites of the Monarch butterfly in the state of Michoacan, Mexico. 4500km (!!!!!) later, after setting out from the #Insectarium on his journey on July 29th last year. Anthony chose to recreate the Monarch butterfly’s […]

Butterflies and Drought in South-east Arizona

By Peter Hall, eButterfly advisor A long-term drought has gripped many parts of the western U.S. on and off for years. South-east Arizona has been prone to these dry spells, sometimes with serious effects for vegetation and wildlife. Andrew Hogan, in an earlier posting to eButterfly, showed the results of butterflies of the droughts at […]

Rare Butterflies in Upstate New York

Among the most unique and at-risk habitats in eastern North America are the sand plains of central New York state. The localized, rolling dunes in this area are covered in pitch pines with a low ground cover that has been dominated by sundial lupines. This combination also makes them one of the last strongholds for a number of butterflies that are also at risk.

After Two Decades of Searching a Rare Butterfly is Discovered during the Vermont Butterfly Atlas

A rare and elusive butterfly has been discovered for the first time in Vermont, flying this spring at one of the state’s protected natural areas. Bog Elfin, patterned in brown and rust, and no bigger than a penny, had eluded detection in the state until one flew past a Vermont field biologist who had been searching for it for two decades.

Ten Steps to Better Butterfly Photography (new camera optional)

The butterflies are out and many of us are eager go butterflying with our cameras and bring images home to share. While I don’t fancy myself as an expert photographer, I sure love to photograph butterflies and other insects. I realized over time that many tricks I took for granted to approach butterflies were foreign to many naturalists especially those new to it. After sharing some tips on how to approach butterflies and better photograph them with friends and colleagues and seeing them come back with much improved results and more species than they use to find, I thought this might be helpful to share.