Timberline's Painted Ladies
While hiking from Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood last weekend, my son and I encountered a few orange butterflies feeding on the profuse wildflowers on the rocky slope. It soon became apparent that more and more were appearing, and that we were experiencing a major migration event. At any one time hundreds of these butterflies were visible, either flying or perching on rocks, flowers, or muddy stream banks.
A little research identified these as Painted Ladies, one of the most widely-distributed butterflies in North America, and in fact, in the world. Their massive migration flights are well documented. Linny Adamson, a long-term employee at Timberline, confirmed that this event occurs for 1 – 2 days every year, and is regarded as the beginning of the mountain summer by Timberline staff. My son and I were lucky enough to encounter the very beginning of this wonderful annual event. In the image, the butterflies are in the foreground, and require a little study to find. Here is a closer look.