Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

  Sighting 1155408

Magdalena Alpine
Erebia magdalena

Observation date: July 13, 2011
Submitted by: Martin Reid
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: Sitting in the shade among rocks above the abandoned mine beyond the end of Four Mile Creek Road on Horseshoe Mountain, south-southwest of Fairplay in Park county, Colorado
Status: Resident
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: April 20, 2018
Coordinator notes: Correct ID of this rarely seen alpine butterfly (though in this case it was in the upper subalpine), not because they are rare, but because of their black coloration, allowing for maximum heat absorption but also making them inconspicuous. In fact, they are quite abundant during their flight season as they patrol over short-grass tundra and bare talus slopes. This is an especially important sighting for BAMONA, as it is the first user-submitted sighting of the species (the others are historical records and coordinator-submitted sightings). You should consider suggesting your photo for the image gallery, as there is only 1 poor quality photo of the adult stage currently.
Checklist region(s): Park County, United States, Colorado