Observation date: July 12, 2019
Submitted by: glennfine
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: A really stunning West Coast Lady nectaring on dogbane. Also, I'm starting over with Speyeria and any document/book/publication recommendations are much appreciated.
Status: Resident
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: January 29, 2020
Coordinator notes: The fritillary situation in your area id difficult. Get the book on Systematics of Western North American Butterflies from Bio Quip but the photos are poor black and white photos. Having actual specimens helps, photos don't convey size well and one can't see the whole butterfly. From about Donner Pass south fritillaries get a lot easier, except for callippe subspecies, which reasons are explained in the upcoming Sierra Nevada publication, which has no photos...there are in the 2007 Yosemite Color Plates for that region. Any California book written before 1998 is flawed because of all the names changes in the Systematics book. And I don't think anyone knows what coronis subspecies occur in the Sierra Nevada with surety, though leto and nokomis are well known, but most of us believe S. nokomis carsonensis is really a synonym of apacheana. I see 3 varieties of mormonia (not yet recognized) in the Sierra. Maybe only subspecies egleis remains in the Sierra as tehachapina is probably extinct. Zerene and Hydaspe were revised in 1998 and the names were redefined-Ken Davenport
