The Applegater

Applegater Spring 2022 13 Sternitzkyi! Our mountain butterfly BY LINDA KAPPEN If we hike a bit farther than where we found the Clodius Parnassian discussed in the winter Applegater, we reach our higher elevation mountains where our other Parnassian butterfly lives in subalpine rocky tops and meadows. e Mountain Parnassian (Parnassius smintheus ssp.) sternitzskyi of the great family of Papilionidae is our own endemic subspecies in the Klamath- Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon. This subspecies was named after the late Robert F. Sternitzsky, who was a lepidopterist and illustrator. These Parnassian fly later in spring through late summer. Locally we have seen them in early to mid-June or when roadway snow is melting. eir size can reach 2.5 inches. ey are white with less transparency than the Clodius Parnassian. e Sternitzsky's Parnassians are adorned with two kinds of spots: black-outlined red spots with pinkish centers and large ink-black spots softened by edges of light gray. e antennae are alternately ringed in black and white. e males fly before the females come out, giving the males time to search for food and for the freshly eclosed (just emerged from pupae) females. e sphragis is a small light-brown covering, forming a kind of chastity belt. Females lay single eggs in the habitat of their host plant, sedum, our native stonecrop. Caterpillars feed mainly on the leaves, and hibernation occurs at the egg stage. Adults nectar on flowers of stonecrop or the aster family. ey fly in rocky and steep habitats where the host plant grows and stop briefly in the meadows nearby. S t e r n i t z s k y ' s P a r n a s s i a n c a n b e found locally only in higher-elevation, rocky, subalpine areas of the K l a m a t h - S i s k i y o u mountains of southern Oregon and northern California and as far east as the Soda Mountain area. We are so sure of their appearance in steep, rocky habitats that one time during a Siskiyou Field Institute b u t t e r f l y c o u r s e , Dana Ross, MS, entomologist, the i n s t r u c t o r, l e d our small caravan t o a s a f e s t o p o n a m o u n t a i n r o a d . T h e r e h e invited the more strenuous hikers t o j o i n h i m o n a climb through large boulders with shadowed crevices t o s e a r c h f o r the Sternitzsky. I t s u r e looked fun and a d v e n t u r o u s , especially to about half the class who didn't hesitate at the opportunity! A s t h e c o - i n s t r u c t o r a n d host for the class, I stayed on the road with several folks, where we m a d e o u r o w n o b s e r v a t i o n s . P r e t t y s o o n everyone appeared out of the rocks. D a n a h a d t w o perfect specimens, a m a l e a n d a female, which we cooled down for a few minutes, then set on the rocks to observe and talk about. Everyone marveled at them, and the cameras were clicking to give us another moment in time. It was a real mountain moment to be so close to such a primitive species. A Sternitzsky's Parnassian caterpillar (not a common sight). A male Sternitzsky's Parnassian. A female Sternitzsky's Parnassian on Ranger's Buttons. L o o k f o r a b u t t e r f l y c o u r s e i n the future with Dana Ross and Siskiyou Field Institute. Linda Kappen humbugkapps@hotmail.com All photos by Linda Kappen.

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