Western Pine Elfin
Encyclopedia
The Western Pine Elfin is a North America
n butterfly
that ranges from British Columbia
east to Maine
and south to southern California
, Arizona
, and New Mexico
. Males are brown and females are orange-brown, with both having bold patterned hind wings. The top of the wings have dark bars with a lighter chevron shaped margin. The body is 19–32 mm in length and has no tail.
This butterfly is found in natural pine
woods and evergreen forests in the territory (area of land) they inhabit. In the northwest USA they are found nesting in lodgepole pines and can be seen perched on shrubs and smaller trees while searching for food or looking for a mate. The Western Pine Elfin is seldom seen outside its natural habitat
. They feed on flower nectar including wild blueberries, milkweed, and clover
.
hibernation stage and have one flight cycle in early spring from March to June and the female lays eggs on the base of new pine needles. The adult pair produce only one brood. The mature larvae are 15 mm long. The head of the caterpillar is green and the fine hair covered body is velvet green with cream to yellow stripes.
It is a defoliating insect
that feeds on the young pine needles until it enters hibernation in late July or August.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
that ranges from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
east to Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and south to southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. Males are brown and females are orange-brown, with both having bold patterned hind wings. The top of the wings have dark bars with a lighter chevron shaped margin. The body is 19–32 mm in length and has no tail.
This butterfly is found in natural pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
woods and evergreen forests in the territory (area of land) they inhabit. In the northwest USA they are found nesting in lodgepole pines and can be seen perched on shrubs and smaller trees while searching for food or looking for a mate. The Western Pine Elfin is seldom seen outside its natural habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
. They feed on flower nectar including wild blueberries, milkweed, and clover
Clover
Clover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the leguminous pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes...
.
Reproduction
The adults emerge from the caterpillarCaterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
hibernation stage and have one flight cycle in early spring from March to June and the female lays eggs on the base of new pine needles. The adult pair produce only one brood. The mature larvae are 15 mm long. The head of the caterpillar is green and the fine hair covered body is velvet green with cream to yellow stripes.
It is a defoliating insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
that feeds on the young pine needles until it enters hibernation in late July or August.