Entomology Commons^™

Host Plant Phenology And Dispersal By A Montane Butterfly: Causes And Consequences Of Uphill Movement, Merrill A. Peterson

Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

In the Wenatchee Mountains of central Washington State, populations of the lycaenid butterfly Euphilotes enoptes occur patchily with their sole host plant, Eriogonum compositum (Polygonaceae). Nearly all courtship and adult feeding occur on the inflorescences of this long-lived perennial. Furthermore, because females oviposit on inflorescences and larvae feed only on flowers and developing seeds, the window of opportunity for exploiting this resource is narrow. I demonstrated that inflorescence phenology varied according to the aspect and elevation of plant patches, and butterflies were most likely to occur in patches nearing full bloom. A mark–release–recapture study revealed that individual butterflies can disperse …