Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, July 1-4

This past weekend I had the pleasure of staying at the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area (SWA) in northern Okanogan County, west of Tonasket.  The purpose of my trip was primarily to photograph as many butterfly species and survey as many locations as possible, for a project I'm working on for the manager.  I have many photographs to sort through, so in the meantime here is the list of species I found, and a few photos of the landscape.

Skippers (6)
Thorybes pylades - northern cloudywing (located colony, eggs and hostplant, only one individual was ever found on the SWA before)
Erynnis icelus - dreamy duskywing
Erynnis persius - persius duskywing
Pholisora catullus - common sootywing
Hesperia colorado - western branded skipper
Amblyscirtes vialis - common roadside skipper
Swallowtails (4)
Papilio zelicaon - anise swallowtail
Papilio rutulus - western tiger swallowtail
Papilio multicaudatus - two-tailed tiger swallowtail
Papilio eurymedon - pale tiger swallowtail
Whites and Sulphurs (5-6)
Pontia occidentalis - western white
Pieris rapae - cabbage white
Euchloe ausonides - large marble
Anthocaris sara - Sara orangetip
Colias philodice - clouded sulphur
Colias sp., possibly Queen Alexandra's sulphur
Coppers and Blues (11)
Lycaena heteronea - blue copper
Lycaena helloides - purplish copper
Lycaena nivalis - lilac-bordered copper
Cupido amyntula - western tailed blue
Celastrina echo - echo blue (larva on ceanothus flowers)
Euphilotes on heracleoides - unnamed blue
Glaucopsyche piasus - arrowhead blue
Glaucopsyche lygdamus - silvery blue
Plebejus melissa/idas - Melissa or northern blue (undetermined)
Plebejus icarioides - Boisduval's blue
Plebejus lupini - lupine blue
Brush-footed butterflies (~11)
Speyeria sp. - unidentified flying fritillaries (UFFs!)
Speyeria hydaspe - hydaspe fritillary
Phyciodes pulchella - field crescent
Phyciodes pallida - pale crescent (new record for the SWA!)
Euphydryas anicia - anicia checkerspot
Polygonia satyrus - satyr anglewing
Nymphalis antiopa - mourning cloak
Limenitis lorquini - Lorquin's admiral
Coenonympha tullia - ochre ringlet
Cercyonis pegala - common wood nymph
Erebia epipsodea - Butler's alpine

Total = at least 37 species

View of the valley looking north

Conners Lake, looking southeast

Hooded merganser and company!

Bitterroot

showy milkweed

pale crescent, Phyciodes pallida

northern cloudywing