Peterson Prairie: A Butterfly Extavaganza in Skamania County

   Our dialogue with Caitlin LaBar, dealing mostly with the Great Spangled Frit in Western Washington concluded with me confessing  that she was dealing with a couple of geriatrics who don't hike long distances and wondering if she would recommend a good spot in the highlands of Skamania County.  To my surprise she responded with the following:

       For mormonia and zerene, get over to Peterson Prairie within the next two weeks for the most amazing display you'll ever see! 

Zerene Fritillary, Skamania Co.  August 2022

     She went on to provide precise instructions to the location, 7 miles west of Trout Lake, Washington.  We received this email around 8:30 in the morning and with little additional preparation ,we hopped into the car and drove willy nilly to Trout Lake.     Another fifteen minutes got us to the Peterson Prairie Campground.  

    The problem was, the campground was in a dense Lodgepole Pine forest, with no prairie to be seen.  Being totally befuddled, we sought out the campground host.  The nice lady stood on the porch of her  enormous trailer and told us that there had been a spectacular lightening storm the night before; it had only stopped raining a few hours earlier.   As the roadway was still wet, this wasn't a surprise, although we hadn't expected rain this far east. She then instructed us to drive another quarter mile west on the paved road to the meadows.   Once there things were just as Caitlin had described.  

A Zerene Fritillary frolics among the wildflowers.

    It was easy access from good roads into both meadows.  As the morning tuned into early afternoon, the numbers of butterflies increased.  Although the identification of fritillaries relies on heavily on the ventral hind wing, what we saw as we walked through the short grass and numerous wildflowers were the bright orange dorsal wings, which are similar in both species, Mormon and Zerene.  Luckily the Zerene is much larger than the Mormon.  Caitlin LaBar confirmed that the size difference is so great that in this instance it is a valid tool for identification.  We were able to net both species, but only brought one home.  We were having a heck of a time identifying the butterflies in the field.  Only after picture taking and further consultation were we comfortable naming our prize a Zerene Fritillary.

    There were zillions of Common Wood Nymphs, as well.  Far from being limited to the meadow, they fluttered around the car, parked on the side of the road by the pine forest.  We got a few good looks at the two eye spots on the ventral forewing with binoculars and we netted a few, taking one wood nymph home for photography.  

Mount Adams just before the rain.

    A boy that grows up in Portland knows when it is about to rain.  It had been cloudy all day, and by one o'clock the air was heavy, ready to unload.  Not wanting to get caught on a flooded road, we bid Peterson Prairie farewell.  On our way back to Trout Lake, we nabbed a few pictures of Mount Adams, as he poked his head above the trees and into the clouds.

   The next morning we removed our butterflies from the refrigerator.  We had picked a well lit fence post as our studio.  First up was the Common Wood Nymph.  Sandra placed him on the post, I fiddled with the camera for about five seconds and off he flew.  I still have the image in my mind's eye, of the dark butterfly ascending into the branches of  the pine tree.  Bummer.  In lieu of my picture (which doesn't exist)  I am showing you a picture lifted from Pyle and LaBar of the Dark Wood Nymph.  Although Caitlin is definite that these were common, they were mighty dark and I do not have a photo to dispute her.  At any rate, what we saw looked  something like this.  

Dark Wood Nymph, courtesy Pyle and LaBar

 The Zerene Butterfly was much more cooperative.  The thing to look for on this butterfly are the relatively large white spots.  There are several similar butterflies and if one intends to identify them in the field, he or she must really know what to look for.

     With luck, the next animals we have for identification will be easier.  Its unlikely that we will see them in as pretty as spot as Peterson Prairie. 

jeff