Subalpine
Guides
Apantesis elongata
Columbia Tiger Moth
Apantesis elongata is a tiger moth species in the family Erebidae, first described by Stretch in 1885. It was transferred from the genus Grammia to Apantesis in a taxonomic revision that consolidated several related genera. The species occupies montane meadows in western North America and has been documented feeding on Claytonia lanceolata as a larva.
Bombus appositus
White-shouldered Bumble Bee
Bombus appositus, the white-shouldered bumblebee, is a western North American bumble bee species found in open habitats from southwestern Canada through the Cascade Mountains and Sierra Nevada to central California. It nests underground or on the surface and has been documented feeding on diverse floral resources including giant hyssops, thistles, gentians, and clovers. The species is known to be a host for the cuckoo bumblebee Bombus insularis.
Calliopsis subalpina
Calliopsis subalpina is a species of mining bee in the family Andrenidae, first described by Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell in 1894. As a member of the genus Calliopsis, it belongs to a group of small to medium-sized solitary bees that nest in the ground. The species occurs in Central America and North America, with records spanning from middle to high elevations. Like other Andrenidae, females construct individual burrows in soil to provision with pollen and nectar for their offspring.
Chelis beanii
Bean's Tiger Moth
Chelis beanii, known as Bean's Tiger Moth, is a small tiger moth species in the family Erebidae. First described by Berthold Neumoegen in 1891, it occurs in montane regions of western North America. The species was transferred from the genus Neoarctia to Chelis based on phylogenetic revisions of tiger moth genera.
Clepsis moeschleriana
Clepsis moeschleriana is a small tortricid moth described by Maximilian Ferdinand Wocke in 1862. It occurs in alpine and subalpine environments across a disjunct distribution spanning Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and western North America from Alaska to Newfoundland. The species has a wingspan of 15–23 mm and is active during summer months, with flight periods varying by region. Larvae feed on Delphinium barbeyi, a larkspur species.
Colias occidentalis
western sulphur, golden sulphur
Colias occidentalis is a medium-sized butterfly in the family Pieridae, found in the Pacific Northwest of North America. Adults fly from late May to early July and are associated with open habitats from sea level to subalpine elevations. The larvae feed on flowers of several legume genera. The species was described by Scudder in 1862 and includes three recognized subspecies with somewhat distinct geographic ranges.
Colias pelidne
Pelidne Sulphur, Blueberry Sulphur
Colias pelidne is a small sulphur butterfly in the family Pieridae found in North America. It inhabits high-elevation tundra and mountain environments, with a flight period restricted to late June through early August. The species has a broad geographic range spanning from British Columbia across Canada to Newfoundland, with southern extensions into Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Both larval and adult stages have documented feeding associations with specific plant taxa.
Colias scudderii
Scudder's Sulphur, willow sulphur
Colias scudderii, commonly known as Scudder's Sulphur or the willow sulphur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It inhabits mountain meadows and willow bogs across a broad elevational range from Alaska through the Rocky Mountains to northern New Mexico. The species has a wingspan of 38–51 mm and is active during summer months. Larvae feed exclusively on willow species (Salix), with later instars overwintering.
Erebia vidleri
Vidler's Alpine, Northwest Alpine
Erebia vidleri is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae, subfamily Satyrinae, found in western North America. The species inhabits moist alpine and subalpine meadows in mountainous regions of Washington and British Columbia. It is characterized by dark wings with distinctive orange bands and eyespots. Larvae feed on grasses in the family Poaceae.
Formica podzolica
Podzol Ant
Formica podzolica is a species of mound-building ant in the subfamily Formicinae, described by Francoeur in 1973. The species is associated with podzolic soils and functions as an ecosystem engineer in subalpine and montane environments. Colonies modify soil moisture and nitrogen availability around their nests, creating distinct microhabitats that alter plant community composition and structure.
Grylloblatta campodeiformis
Northern Rock Crawler
Grylloblatta campodeiformis, the northern rock crawler, is a wingless, cold-adapted insect endemic to western North America. It was the first grylloblatid species described scientifically (Walker, 1914) and serves as the type species for both its genus and family. The species occupies a broader range of habitats than previously assumed, from high-altitude glacial margins to subalpine forests and even low-elevation dry zones. Four subspecies are currently recognized, distributed across the Canadian Rockies and adjacent mountain ranges in British Columbia, Alberta, Montana, and Washington.
Lasionycta conjugata
Lasionycta conjugata is a noctuid moth species described by Smith in 1899. It is restricted to high-elevation habitats in the Rocky Mountains, occurring from central Utah and Colorado northward to the Montana-Wyoming border. The species is nocturnal and active during mid-summer.
Lasionycta fergusoni
Lasionycta fergusoni is a nocturnal moth in the family Noctuidae, described by Crabo & Lafontaine in 2009. It inhabits subalpine forests across the Pacific Northwest and western Canada, from southern Washington through British Columbia and Alberta to southern Yukon. Adults are active from late June to mid-August. The species is part of a genus revision that described 17 new North American species.
Lasionycta perplexella
Lasionycta perplexella is a species of noctuid moth described by Crabo and Lafontaine in 2009. It inhabits subalpine coniferous forests in western North America, ranging from southern Yukon through Alberta to Washington State. Adults are active during mid-July through August. The species was one of 17 new species described in a comprehensive 2009 revision of the genus Lasionycta.
Lasionycta subfuscula
A noctuid moth of western North America, ranging from southwestern British Columbia and Alberta through the Rocky Mountains to southern Oregon, Colorado, and Utah. Adults fly from mid-June to early September in transition zone and subalpine forests. Two subspecies are recognized: L. s. subfuscula in the southern Rocky Mountains and L. s. livida in the Pacific Northwest.
Lasionycta uniformis
Lasionycta uniformis is a moth species in the family Noctuidae, first described by Smith in 1893. The species exhibits a disjunct distribution across montane regions of western North America, ranging from southern Yukon to northern California and Colorado, with an isolated eastern population in the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec. Five subspecies have been recognized, differentiated primarily by geographic range and subtle morphological variation. Adults are active during mid-summer.
Odontiinae
Odontiinae is a subfamily of moths in the family Crambidae, containing approximately 100 genera organized into three tribes: Hercynini, Eurrhypini, and Odontiini. The subfamily exhibits a distinctive biogeographic pattern with exceptional diversity in arid and semi-arid regions, particularly in southwestern North America and western/central Asia. North American species show strong southwestern eremic specialization, with 34 of 57 species restricted to arid habitats, contrasting with depauperate eastern faunas. The group includes both widespread temperate species and highly restricted endemics in alpine and desert environments.
Pseudostenophylax
northern caddisflies
Pseudostenophylax is a genus of northern caddisflies in the family Limnephilidae, containing at least 80 described species. The genus was established by Martynov in 1909 with Pseudostenophylax fumosus as the type species. Species are primarily distributed across northern regions of North America and Eurasia, with notable diversity in Japan and alpine regions. Research on Japanese species has revealed strong phylogeographic patterns linked to mountain formation and glacial history.
Scaphinotus johnsoni
Johnson's Snail-eating Beetle
Scaphinotus johnsoni is a large ground beetle in the subfamily Carabinae, commonly known as the snail-eating beetles. It is native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, where it inhabits coniferous forests in montane and subalpine zones. Adults are brachypterous (short-winged), flightless, and nocturnal, with gregarious tendencies. As a member of the genus Scaphinotus, it is presumed to be a molluscivore, using its elongated jaws to extract snails from their shells.
Speyeria hydaspe
Hydaspe fritillary
Speyeria hydaspe, the Hydaspe fritillary, is a small orange-brown butterfly of western North America. Adults are active from July through September and feed on flower nectar. The species is distinguished from similar fritillaries by its smooth, even postmedian spotband. A single brood occurs annually. Caterpillars feed on violets, particularly Viola glabella.
Syneta simplex
Syneta simplex is a leaf beetle species native to North America. The species comprises two recognized subspecies with distinct elevational and host plant preferences. The nominate subspecies S. s. simplex occurs at lower elevations and feeds on Garry oak (Quercus garryana), while S. s. subalpina inhabits subalpine zones near timberline in Washington and British Columbia and feeds on alpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa). The species belongs to the family Chrysomelidae, a diverse group of herbivorous beetles commonly known as leaf beetles.
Thricops diaphanus
Thricops diaphanus is a muscid fly species with a Palearctic distribution spanning Europe and Asia. Populations in central Japan exhibit a univoltine life cycle with seasonal changes in vertical microdistribution within subalpine coniferous forests, contrasting with multivoltine populations in Europe. The species has been interpreted as a glacial relict in Japanese highlands due to its lack of seasonal migration between elevations.