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.
