Pacific Northwest Region

There are many simple butterfly species to raise from the Pacific Northwest.  Although butterfly species diversity is somewhat restricted in Western Washington, there are still opportunities to rear the cabbage white, milbert's tortoiseshell, red admiral, becker's white, painted lady, and other butterflies in that area. 

Caterpillars of the western tiger swallowtail can be found on seedling poplars growing along the Columbia River that borders Washington and Oregon from June through August.

It is not too difficult to locate caterpillars of the lorquin's admiral and western tiger swallowtail on isolated willows and poplars growing below 5000 feet along mountain highways such as the Bogus Basin Hwy north of Boise, Idaho.  Pale swallowtail and two-tailed swallowtail caterpillars also can be found in these areas on deerbrush (Ceanothus velutinus) and chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), respectively.

*Special thanks to David James for his advice on this page.

Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon)
Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus)
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae)
Becker's White (Pontia beckeri)
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta rubria)
Milbert's Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis milberti)
Lorquin's Admiral (Limenitis lorquini burrisoni)