Great Arctic (Oeneis nevadensis [Felder & Felder])
Wing span: 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 inches (5.7 - 6.3 cm).
Identification: Upperside is yellowish-tan with brown borders; forewing has 1 or 2 eyespots, hindwing usually has 1 spot. Male forewing has a long patch of dark sex scales. Underside of forewing is similar to the upperside; hindwing is mottled gray and brown with an indistinct median band.
Life history: Males perch all day in valley glades and on hilltops to seek females. Eggs are laid on dry grasses. Caterpillars require 2 years to complete development; hibernating as young caterpillars the first winter, and as mature ones the second winter. Pupation takes place at roots of grasses or under rocks.
Flight: One brood from May-July.
Caterpillar hosts: Probably grasses.
Adult food: Not reported.
Habitat: Coniferous forest openings, rocky hills, and meadow edges in the mountains.
Range: Vancouver Island, British Columbia south in the Cascade Mountains and the Sierra Nevada to Tulare County, California; south along the coast to Sonoma County, California.
