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Butterflies of North America

Butterflies of Colorado

Magdalena Alpine (Erebia magdalena)
JPG -- species photo

Magdalena Alpine (Erebia magdalena Strecker)

Wing span: 1 3/4 - 2 inches (4.5 - 5.1 cm).

Identification: Wings are black above and below. Subspecies erinnyn has an orange tinge on the forewings.

Life history: To find females, males patrol over rockslides all day. Eggs are laid near rockslides, on grasses and sedges, and on the side of rocks near rushes. Caterpillars hibernate.

Flight: One brood from late June-July.

Caterpillar hosts: Probably grasses, sedges, and/or rushes.

Adult food: Flower nectar.

Habitat: Rockslides near vegetation, at or above treeline.

Range: Alaska's Brooks Range; high mountains of Colorado, western Wyoming, and northeast Utah.

Conservation: Not usually required.

The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.

Management needs: None reported.

References:


Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, 

     Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.



Tilden, J. W. 1986. A field guide to western butterflies. Houghton-Mifflin Co., 

     Boston, Mass. 370 pages, 23 color plates.

Author: Jane M. Struttmann

State and Regional References:


Brown, F.M., Eff, J.D., and B. Rotger. 1957. Colorado Butterflies. Denver 

     Museum of Natural History, Denver.



Ferris, C.D. and F.M. Brown. 1980. Butterflies of the Rocky Mountain States. 

     University of Oklahoma Press. Norman.



Layberry, R.A., Hall, P.W. & Lafontaine, D.J., 1998.  The Butterflies of 

     Canada.  University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON.  280 pp. 



Opler, Paul A. 1999. Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies, revised 

     edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.



Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western USA Butterflies. 

     Privately published, Denver, Colo.



Tilden, J.W. and A.C. Smith. 1986. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies. 

     Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.

Magdalena Alpine (Erebia magdalena)
distribution map
map legend

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