BC PARKS LIVING LAB PROGRAM FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND CONSERVATION

Building Climate Resilient
Butterfly Habitat, Yr.2

Selkirk Innovates and the Kootenay Native Plant Society gratefully acknowledge the support of the
BC Parks Living Lab Program and Mitacs.
Lead Researcher: Brenda Beckwith
Co-Lead Investigator: Terri MacDonald
Additional Research Team: Janice Arndt (Lepidoptera), Valerie Huff (Restoration Botany),
Emma Lognon (student intern)
Cover Photo: Janice Arndt. Purplish Copper on choke cherry.

27 January 2023

Living Lab Program for Climate Change
and Conservation - Final Report
Building Climate Resilient Butterfly Habitat, Year 2
Lead Researcher:

Brenda R. Beckwith PhD

Co-Lead Investigator:

Terri MacDonald PhD

Additional Research Team:

Janice Arndt RPBio (Lepidoptera), Valerie Huff MSc (Restoration
Botany), Emma Lognon (student intern)

Building Climate Resilient Butterfly Habitat, Year 2 is part of the Pollination Pathway Climate
Adaptation Initiative, a signature program of the Kootenay Native Plant Society. This project
receives core funding from the Columbia Basin Trust Ecosystem Enhancement Program,
administrative support from Selkirk Innovates at Selkirk College, and summer student intern
guidance and funding from Mitacs and Selkirk Innovates.

Research Findings
The aim of this project is to determine the current extent of plant-butterfly associations and
establish butterfly meadow habitat in Beaver Creek and Syringa Provincial Parks, both located in the
West Kootenay Region of the BC Interior (Appendix 1). Although all butterflies are included in the
research, the restoration focus is on the enhancement of habitat with climate resilient native plants
that have nectar and host plant value and butterflies at risk and those species predicted to be
climate vulnerable.
In this report, the results from 2022 research are presented and compared with the results from the
first year of the study in 2021. The main avenue of investigation is how the weather over the two
years possibly affected our observations:
•
•

2021 - dry and hot, including a heat dome in late June/early July and drought conditions in
the summer.
2022 - cooler and wetter, with prolonged flooding into the summer.

Although these comparisons are exploratory and largely speculative at this point in the project, they
merit discussion as there could be insights that may shed light on future management practices.

Building Butterfly Habitat Yr. 2 Final Report

1

Butterflies
For the butterflies, the main findings include:
•
•
•

Butterflies delay adult flight time during a cool, wet spring.
Many species are quite adaptable to climate variation, but not all.
As the climate warms, some species may experience longer adult flight periods and have
time for a second brood; others don’t have that flexibility.

As in the first year of this project, surveys were completed at one large research site at Beaver Creek
Provincial Park (15 transects total) and three smaller research sites at Syringa Provincial Park (5
transects total) (Appendix 2). A modified survey was conducted at the Syringa Interpretive Site as
well. In 2022, 33 butterfly species were recorded Beaver Creek and 28 species at Syringa. The
numbers of species remain similar over the two years, including the total number of species
documented (Table 1). There were 48 total butterfly species recorded in both years. These numbers
include all species seen during formal surveys, checklist observations, and incidental sightings within
and outside of the research sites.
Table 1. Number of butterfly species observed in 2021 and 2022 in both parks.
Park

2021 # Species

2022 # Species

Total # Species

Beaver Creek

31

33

40

Syringa

29

28

38

Thirty percent of the total observed butterfly species were recorded in both parks in both years. Of
the rare species, the blue-listed Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) was recorded in both
parks in both years and the red-listed Edith’s Copper (Tharsalea editha) was recorded in Beaver
Creek in 2022.
It is difficult to interpret the phenology of butterflies as all species are unique and respond to
environmental cues differently. Some species are adaptable, and others are not. In general, adult
butterflies tend to emerge and fly when the weather conditions are warm and dry. Hence, many
species delayed flight times in the spring 2022. This pattern was noticeable with the swallowtails;
the Western Tiger Swallowtail (Pterourus rutulus), for example, delayed emergence by a month in
2022. Additionally, some species flew for a longer period, such as the Western Pine Elfin (Callophrys
eryphon) that was observed flying from mid-April to mid-May in 2021, and from late-April to lateJuly in 2022 (Appendix 3). Alternatively, there are some species that flew longer in 2021. For
instance, the Common Roadside Skipper (Amblyscirtes vialis) was observed flying from late-May to
late-July in 2022, but was observed, in 2021, flying from early-May to early-September. Janice
Arndt, who documented this information from project surveys, as well as during other local
Building Butterfly Habitat Yr. 2 Final Report

2

observations, suspects that the species could have experienced two broods in 2021, a phenomenon
only recorded for Common Roadside Skipper in southern latitudes.

Plants
After two years of following the phenology of insect-pollinated angiosperms, the main takeaways
are:
•
•
•

Plants alter maturation periods in response to seasonal weather.
Flowering shrubs are foundation butterfly plants in non-forested ecosystems.
As the climate changes, introduced invasive species, in particular weedy forbs, will likely
become an important management concern.

The number of plant species surveyed increased at both sites in 2022. At Beaver Creek, 79 species
were observed at Beaver Creek, as compared to 68 species at Syringa. There were 116 total plant
species recorded in the two years. Of all the plants monitored 31% are common in both parks, 64%
are native species, and 17% are shrubs. Between the two parks the difference in number of species
did not vary noticeable, nor did the total number of species; approximately 10 more species were
tracked at Beaver Creek than at Syringa (Table 2).
Table 2. Number of plant species surveyed in 2021 and 2022 in both parks.
Park

2021 # Species

2022 # Species

Total # Species

Beaver Creek

67

79

81

Syringa

60

69

71

The difference in species number between the two parks can be attributed to the different plant
communities. The research site at Beaver Creek is characterized as brushlands on broad benches
spanning from the Columbia River to the Trail Regional Airport (Appendix 1). The upper portion of
this area is the uncommon Gb06 Snowbrush, Poverty Oatgrass plant community (MacKillop and
Ehman 2016), and the lower area is characterized as low bench flood (McKenzie and Machmer
2021). The Beaver Creek site is a popular dog walking spot along the Columbia River, hence includes
species that are common weeds found on low shoreline benches. The research sites at Syringa are
shallow-soiled and steep forest gaps characterized as a Gg11 Bluebunch Wheatgrass, Idaho Fescue
plant community (MacKillop and Ehman 2016). The Syringa sites are more remote and protected
and support a broad range of meadow and grassland species (Appendix 1).
Comparing plant phenology between the two years is best summarized by separating the plants into
three groups: native forbs, introduced forbs, and shrubs (all native). Native forbs appear to be well
adapted to hotter and drier conditions. In general, these species bloomed longer and earlier in 2021

Building Butterfly Habitat Yr. 2 Final Report

3

than in 2022. This pattern was most noticeable for some of the late-spring bloomers such as
spreading dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), and common
harebell (Campanula rotundifolia). On the other hand, it appears the introduced forbs took
advantage of the cooler, wetter conditions in 2022 as seen from longer and, in some cases, earlier
blooming times for these species. The favourable growing conditions in 2022 likely contributed to
the high cover of some weedy species including woolly vetch (Vicia villosa), sheep sorrel (Rumex
acetosella) and hare’s-foot clover (Trifolium arvense). Shrub phenology did not vary widely though
two early summer shrub species, mock-orange (Philadelphus lewisii) and snowberry (Symphoricarpos
albus) seemed to delay flowering in 2022. Native shrubs are important for butterflies not only
because these plants are long-lived, have abundant flowers for nectaring, and are often host plants,
but they are hardy and resilient species.

Restoration Areas
In fall 2022, restoration areas were established in each park (Table 3). The Beaver Creek area is
located on an upper bench and is partially protected by trees and shrubs (Appendix 4). On October
18, a group of eight people including members of the Rossland Society for Environmental Action
(RSEA) Board, established three monitoring plots, and planted (50 plants of 5 species) and seeded
(approx. 105,000 of 9 species) these plots, as well as within the general restoration area (Appendix
3).
At Syringa, the area is located on a steep, shallow-soil slope and is protected by trees and shrubs on
all sides (Appendix 4). This is a second-choice location as the first-choice area became overrun with
woolly vetch over the summer 2022. Taking advantage of the availability of the fantastic BC Invasive
Species Summer Crew, seven people established and prepped 12 monitoring plots on August 23
(Appendix 3). Eight of these plots were then seeded with approximately 68,000 seeds of 18 species
(see Methods Summary for treatment design). On October 20, five people completed the work,
planting 240 plants of 12 species in the remaining four plots, as well as within the general
restoration area.
Table 3. Number and examples of native plants and seeds included in restoration treatments in Fall 2022.
Site

Plants
Spp.

Seeds

No.

Spp.

No.

Beaver
Creek

5

50

9

105,000

Syringa

12

240

18

68,000

Building Butterfly Habitat Yr. 2 Final Report

Target Spp. Added (examples)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
common harebell (Campanula rotundifolia)
parsnip-flowered buckwheat (Eriogonum heracleoides)
golden-aster (Heterotheca villosa)
swale desert-parsley (Lomatium ambiguum)
yellow penstemon (Penstemon confertus)
showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)
4

•
•
•
•
•
•

dangling suncress (Boechera retrofracta)
showy aster (Eurybia conspicua)
brown-eyed Susan (Gaillardia aristata)
silky lupine (Lupinus sericeus)
silverleaf phacelia (Phacelia hastata)
spikelike goldenrod (Solidago simplex)

Butterfly Habitat Interpretive Garden (Interpretive Site)
The development of the interpretive site, called the Butterfly Habitat Interpretive Garden (BHIG),
located within the Bighorn Campground & Day-Use Area at Syringa Park moved forward largely in
fall 2022. On June 4, 10 people, including BC Parks staff and volunteers, helped prepare the site by
installing layers of organic materials (sheet mulching) onto the areas to be planted with shrubs and
spreading dogbane in the fall (Appendix 3). On October 22, 24 people, including BC Parks staff, KNPS
directors, and youth, helped plant the site (Appendix 3). To date, the site has 500 plants of 50
species, including 28 forb species, 18 shrub species, and 4 grass species. Most importantly, the
plants have been chosen, in part, because they are important potential host plants for many
butterflies, including species that are at risk and thought to be climate vulnerable (Table 4).
Table 4. Notable examples of planted forbs, shrubs, and grasses that could possibly be used by butterflies as
host plants. Note: butterflies in red and blue are provincially red-listed and blue-listed, respectively. The
asterisk denotes species that were recorded in BC Parks as part of our surveys in 2021 and 2022.
Host Plant

Butterfly Spp. Possibly Supported (examples)

FORBS
• Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)

• Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

• Can. Milk-vetch (Astragalus canadensis)

• Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)*
Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice)*

• Wild Licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota)

• Silver-Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)*

• Silky Lupine (Lupinus sericeus)

• Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)*
Boisduval's Blue (Plebejus icarioides)*

SHRUBS
• Saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia)

• Lorquin's Admiral (Limenitis lorquini)*
• California Hairstreak (Satyrium californicum)

• Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)

• Brown Elfin (Callophrys augustinus)*
• Hoary Elfin (Callophrys polia)*

• Parsnip-flowered Buckwheat (Eriogonum
heracleoides)

• Immaculate Green Hairstreak (Callophrys affinis)
• Acmon Blue (Icaricia lupini)*
• Edith's Copper (Tharsalea editha)*
• Purplish Copper (Tharsalea helloides)*

• Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor)

• Pale Tiger Swallowtail (Pterourus eurymedon)*

• Choke Cherry (Prunus virginiana)

• Western Tiger Swallowtail (Pterourus rutulus)*
• Coral Hairsreak (Satyrium titus)*

GRASSES

Building Butterfly Habitat Yr. 2 Final Report

• Common Roadside Skipper (Amblyscirtes vialis)*
• Dark Wood Nymph (Cercyonis oetus)*
5

• Common Alpine (Erebia epipsodea)*
• Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides)*

Methods Summary
Surveys of plant and butterfly presence, abundance, and phenology, as in Year 1, were conducted
along established transects in Beaver Creek and Syringa Provincial Parks from April to August 2022
(Appendix 2). As previously introduced, also this year a restoration area within each research site for
each park was established. These areas have been seeded and planted with locally collected and
grown native plants that meet the requirements of our target plant list. At both sites, monitoring
plots were installed to track plant establishment over time, though more plants and seeds were
added into the restoration areas at each location.
There was a different ecological restoration approach at each park (Appendix 4). A more
conservative approach was adopted at Beaver Creek where fewer species were introduced and
three 1 m2 permanent plots were created to monitor plant establishment. As there were few weedy
species occurring on this open, flat site, no pre-planting preparation was required. Because of the
large cover of hare’s-foot clover at the Syringa restoration site, a more intensive and broader
approach was adopted. Twelve 3 m2 x 2 m2 permanent plots were installed at this site. Each
monitoring subplot is 2 m2 x 1 m2 with a 0.5 m buffer around the perimeter. Preparation and
planting treatments were randomly assigned to these plots as a pilot experiment to determine how
best to establish native forbs in an area of high weedy plant cover and density (Table 5).
Table 5. Preparation and planting treatments for restoration plots at Syringa Provincial Park.
No. Plots

Preparation

Planting

4

all aboveground biomass cleared and plot scalped

seeded

4

all aboveground biomass cut and plot raked

seeded

4

all aboveground biomass cut and plot raked

planted

In addition to the research sites, the development of a unique interpretive space continues as well.
The installation of the Butterfly Habitat Interpretive Garden (BHIG) began in Year 1 and is proposed
to be completed in 2023, if funding is available.

Key Outcomes for BC Parks
After two years of this research, we are gaining a better understanding of plant and butterfly
interactions and phenology. Weather information from the Warfield Weather Station (Govt. of
Canada 2022) was used to provide annual temperature and precipitation data to compare with
butterfly and plant species numbers. The butterfly data include formal transect data, as well as

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6

species recorded as part of the checklist and incidental observations. Separate comparisons were
made for each park (Appendix 5).
At both Beaver Creek and Syringa research sites, the changes in species numbers over the course of
the field season showed similar trends regardless of year. In general, the number of species – for
both plants and butterflies - rises in the spring (April-May) and declines in late spring/early summer
(late June-early July). It is impossible to determine if the heat dome that occurred in late June 2021
affected the slope of the declines in butterfly or plant species diversity (Appendix 5).
From these analyses, three main points of discussion are presented.
1. In 2021 at Beaver Creek, we observed how important the lower bench along the Columbia
River is for butterflies in the mid-summer. This riparian zone becomes a colourful and
diverse flowering meadow after the flooding caused by freshet recedes. Because of the
large snowpack from winter 2021-22 and the long cool, wet spring in 2022, flooding along
the Columbia River was widespread and prolonged well into August affecting both the
timing and abundance of flowering plants. The delay and subsequent reduction in the
number of flowering plants no doubt impacted the ability of butterflies to access floral
resources at Beaver Creek at a time when many other plants at the park are post-flowering
(Appendix 5, #1).
2. A decrease in flowering plants in Syringa in 2022 was likely due to the dominance of invasive
plants, namely woolly vetch. This species - doubling the duration of its blooming time in
2022 - grew broadly over two of the three research sites and smothered other flowering
plants, thereby making them unavailable for monitoring and for adult butterfly use. This
species, as well as other weedy plants, likely set down an extensive seedbank in this year as
well, thus potentially increasing the persistence for these species in these sites (Appendix 5,
#2).
3. A spike in butterfly numbers in Syringa in the summer 2022 was largely due to many
observations of Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides). This little butterfly was recorded,
as part of the nonformal surveys, near the research sites. Additionally, Woodland Skippers
were taking advantage of the dense swath of flowering pink fairies (Clarkia pulchella) seeded
in the interpretive site in fall 2021. These latter observations demonstrate how important
native annual species can be in ecological restoration (Appendix 5, #3).

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Relevance to BC Parks Management
The research sites at Beaver Creek and Syringa are important plant communities that hold vital
resources for butterflies. At Beaver Creek, taking a slower approach in our restoration initiatives is
warranted as the research site is within the uncommon and at-risk Snowbrush – Poverty oatgrass
brushland (ICHxwa/Gb06) plant community (McKenzie and Machmer 2021), includes habitat for
listed reptiles (Machmer and Dulisse 2021), and is a known archaeological site (A. Weber-Roy, pers.
comm., Sept. 26, 2022). The research site receives groundwater from a large bedrock aquifer
extending from Fruitvale to the Columbia River (BC Gov’t 2022); the groundwater in the soil of the
lower benches also gets recharged by annual flooding of the Columbia River. Hence, these largely
open benchlands support high botanical and ecological diversity and could represent vital habitat for
native shrubs and herbs, as well as at-risk and climate vulnerable butterflies, in the future.
At Syringa, the research sites are naturally occurring forest gap plant communities. Although
shallow-soiled and often steep, these sites are partially shaded by trees at the margins and support a
high diversity of native herbs and shrubs. This perimeter protection buffers the effects of summer
heat and exposure at these sites. The rapid growth and coverage of weedy plants in these plant
communities in the summer 2022 is worrying. Although the seeds of the annual woolly vetch may
not be long-lived, periodic cool and wet springs could give this species punctuated leaps forward in
terms of site dominance in the future. Efforts should be made to control woolly vetch, and other
invasive species, and prevent them from flowering.
New information from Columbia Basin Climate Source shows an increase in mean annual
temperature of + 2.73°C and in the length of the growing season of + 30.10 days for the region
(CRCSC 2021). These climate changes could have neutral to positive effects on native plants and
butterflies in the future. Native plants tended to fair better in 2021 than in 2022 and many species
of butterfly prefer to emerge and fly when the weather is warm, dry, and sunny. This database also
projects an increase in total annual precipitation of + 31.90 mm although a decrease in total summer
precipitation of -14.13 mm (CRCSC 2021). Increases in precipitation especially in the spring may
positively influence the growth of weedy plants and deter the emergence of some butterfly species.
If increased precipitation results in longer than normal freshet flooding, the persistence of valuable
floral resources for butterflies along riverways could be negatively affected. Finally, if the local
climate becomes warmer and moister, annually, the plant communities in the lower elevations of
both parks will likely change to grassland/steppe (CRCSC 2021; Appendix 6), emphasizing the urgent
need to manage for and increase the diversity and abundance of native herbs and shrubs and
control the spread of invasive and weedy plants.

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Project’s Challenges & Opportunities
The main challenge this year was an inability to fully track the phenology of the plants for the entire
field season. Even though more species of plants were included in the surveys this year, these plants
were largely identified in the spring and early summer when they were observable. At Beaver Creek,
one of the four transects could not be accessed for plant phenology monitoring for most of the
summer due to flooding. Butterfly surveys were conducted along the edge of the river for this
transect. At Syringa, many of the plants in two of the three research sites were smothered by dense
woolly vetch in the summer, rendering them unnoticeable. This species also made walking through
the sites difficult as it was a tripping hazard. On the hand, it was discovered that the flowers of
woolly vetch are a favourite of the blue-listed western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis).
The very different weather patterns over the two years of the project have provided opportunities
for insightful speculation and pondering, as discussed in this report. This work, to date, provides us
with a solid baseline from which to guide restoration treatments and maintenance activities as well.
Finally, seeding of a small portion of the interpretive site, BHIG, in the fall of 2021 resulted in an
explosion of fuchsia-coloured pink fairies flowers (see below). Only a few species were seeded at
this time to give the site some growing plants in 2022, while most of the site was prepped, and
funding was raised, to plant the garden more fully in the fall 2022. Woodland Skippers took full
advantage of this pilot project, showing us the conservation value of seeding with annual species.
The Butterfly Habitat Interpretive Garden is a tremendous opportunity to discover new plantbutterfly interactions and to create a space that can showcase the importance of native plant
landscaping and the learning we’re gaining from this project.

Conclusions & Next Steps
Now that the restoration and interpretive sites have been established, these areas will be monitored
for plant establishment and butterfly-plant interactions in 2023 and 2024. In 2025, the aim is to
repeat the initial surveys of plant and butterfly presence, abundance, and phenology, as conducted
in 2021 and 2022. The research sites, especially at Syringa, will be maintained over these years to
control the introduced invasive species. Restoration and interpretive sites will be augmented with
additional plants and seed from our target plant list in the fall based on findings from these surveys.
The interpretive site, BHIG, will receive a universally accessible walkway and a bench in the spring
2023, thanks to additional BC Parks funding. Funding from Parks Enhancement Fund (PEF) and the
License Plate Program will be sought to create and install permanent educational signs at the site
and to provide interpretation and outreach for staff and park visitors. With 2022 PEF funding and
continued support from Columbia Basin Trust, a rare and climate vulnerable butterfly brochure will

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9

be produced and made available at a public open house event for BHIG scheduled for summer 2023,
and for park visitors at Syringa, generally.

Flowering pink fairies (Clarkia pulchella) in the Butterfly Habitat Interpretive Garden.

References & Links
BC Government. 2022. Aquifer #486. Groundwater Wells and Aquifers website. URL:
https://apps.nrs.gov.bc.ca/gwells/aquifers/486
CRCSC (Climatic Resources Consulting, and Selkirk College). 2021. “Basin Climate Source: Climate
Data.” URL: https://basinclimatesource.ca/about-data.
Gov’t of Canada. 2022. Historical Weather Data for Warfield RCS. URL:
https://climate.weather.gc.ca/historical_data/search_historic_data_e.html
Kootenay Native Plant Society. 2022. Kootenay Native Plant Society launches fall planting season to
support monarch butterflies. Castlegar News, October 31, 2022. Available online:
https://www.castlegarnews.com/news/kootenay-native-plant-society-launches-fall-plantingseason-to-support-monarch-butterflies/
Machmer, M. and J. Dulisse. 2021. Beaver Creek Provincial Park Reptile at Risk Inventory and
Research Project, 2020 Final Report, March 31, 2021.
MacKillop, D.J. and A.J. Ehman. 2016. Grassland group: brushland and grassland ecosystems. In: A
field guide to site classification and identification for southeast British Columbia: the south-central
Columbia Mountains. Prov. B.C., Victoria, B.C. Land Manag. Handb. 70, pgs. 385-396.
McKenzie, E. and M. Machmer. 2021. Beaver Creek Provincial Park Rare Plant Species and
Community Inventory Research Project, 2020 Final Report, March 31, 2021.

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List of Appendices
Appendix 1. Location of research and interpretive sites at Beaver Creek and Syringa Provincial Parks.
Appendix 2. Research sites showing locations of survey transects at Beaver Creek Provincial Park
(top) and Syringa Provincial Park (bottom).
Appendix 3. Photo Plates.
Appendix 4. Restoration areas showing monitoring plots at Syringa and Beaver Creek Provincial
Parks.
Appendix 5. Comparison between years of plant species number, butterfly species number, and
weather for Beaver Creek and Syringa Provincial Parks. Bars show the timing and duration of the
heat dome (red) in 2021 and prolonged flooding (blue) in 2022. The number correspond to
discussion points in the text (see page 7).
Appendix 6. Screenshots from Columbia Basin Climate Source showing changes in bioclimates with a
warm-moist increase in the future (CRCSC 2021).
Appendix 7. Summary of butterfly species recorded during formal surveys, checklist observations,
and incidental sightings within and outside of research and interpretive sites, 2021 and 2022 (J.
Arndt Field Data). SAR in bold.
Appendix 8. Summary of butterfly nectaring observations recorded at research sites, 2021 and 2022
(J. Arndt Field Data). Plants with single nectar records have been omitted. Orange = estimates
(tallies).
Appendix 9. Summary of host plant observations recorded at research sites, 2021 and 2022 (J. Arndt
Field Data). 2021 data represent oviposition behaviour observed from all surveys. 2022 data
represent host plant use by caterpillars.
Appendix 10. Summary of plant species recorded during phenology surveys at research sites, 2021
and 2022 (B. Beckwith Field Data).

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Appendix 1. Location of research and interpretive sites at Beaver Creek and Syringa
Provincial Parks.

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Appendix 2. Research sites showing locations of survey transects at Beaver Creek
Provincial Park (top) and Syringa Provincial Park (bottom).

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Appendix 3. Photo Plates.

Western Tiger Swallowtail on choke cherry (J. Arndt
photo).

Western Pine Elfin on yarrow (J. Arndt photo).

Prepping monitoring plots at Syringa restoration
area, August 23 (B. Beckwith photo).

Planting crew at Beaver Creek restoration area,
October 18 (B. Beckwith photo).

Volunteers and BC Parks staff preparing materials
for sheet mulching the future planting areas at
interpretive site, June 4 (B. Beckwith photo).

Volunteers and BC Parks staff planting interpretive
site, October 22 (B. Beckwith photo).

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Appendix 4. Restoration areas showing monitoring plots at Syringa and Beaver Creek
Provincial Parks.

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Appendix 5. Comparison between years of plant species number, butterfly species
number, and weather for Beaver Creek and Syringa Provincial Parks. Bars show the
timing and duration of the heat dome (red) in 2021 and prolonged flooding (blue) in 2022.
The numbers correspond to discussion points in the text (see page 7).

Prolonged
Flooding

Heat
Dome

Beaver Creek 2021

Beaver Creek 2022

Heat
Dome

Syringa 2021

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Syringa 2022

16

Appendix 6. Screenshots from Columbia Basin Climate Source showing changes in
bioclimates with a warm-moist increase in the future (CRCSC 2021).

Syringa Provincial Park

Beaver Creek
Provincial Park

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Appendix 7. Summary of butterfly species recorded during formal surveys, checklist
observations, and incidental sightings within and outside of research and interpretive
sites, 2021 and 2022 (J. Arndt Field Data). Bold = SAR.

PARK

BEAVER CREEK

SYRINGA

No.

Common Name

2021

1

Milbert’s Tortoiseshell

2

Common Roadside Skipper

o

3

Julia Orangetip

o

4

Great-spangled Fritillary

o

2022

2021

2022

o

Aglais milberti
o

o

Scientific Name

o

o

Amblyscirtes vialis
Anthocharis julia
Argynnis cybele

Fritillary sp

o

Argynnis sp

o

Callophrys augustinus

5

Brown Elfin

o

o

6

Western Pine Elfin

o

o

7

Hoary Elfin

o

o

8

Thicket Hairstreak

9

Asher Blue*

10

Echo Azure

11

Dark Wood Nymph

12

Common Wood Nymph

o

o

13

Ochre (Common) Ringlet

o

o

14

Orange Sulphur

15

Clouded Sulphur

o

o

16

Silver-spotted Skipper

o

o

17

Butler's (Common) Alpine

o

Erebia epipsodea

18

Dreamy Duskywing

o

Erynnis icelus

o

Callophrys polia

o
o

o

o

o

o

Duskywing sp

Callophrys eryphon

o

o

Callophrys spinetorum

o

Celastrina asheri

o

Celastrina echo

o

Cercyonis oetus

o

Cercyonis pegala
Coenonympha california

o
o

o

Colias eurytheme

o

Colias philodice

o

Epargyreus clarus

o

Erynnis sp

19

Silvery Blue

o

o

20

Branded Skipper

o

o

21

Acmon/Lupine Blue

o

22

Lorquin's Admiral

o

23

Pine White

24

Mourning Cloak

o

o

25

California Tortoiseshell

o

o

26

Compton Tortoiseshell

27

Garita Skipperling

o

28

Woodland Skipper

o

o

o

o

Ochlodes sylvanoides

29

Northern Crescent

o

o

o

o

Phyciodes cocyta

Building Butterfly Habitat Yr. 2 Final Report

o

o

Glaucopsyche lygdamus

o

Hesperia sp
Icaricia acmon/lupini

o

o

o

Limenitis lorquini

o

Neophasia menapia

o

o

Nymphalis antiopa

o

o

Nymphalis californica

o

Nymphalis l-album

o

Oarisma garita

18

30

Mylitta Crescent

o

31

Margined White

o

32

Cabbage White

o

33

Green Comma

34

Hoary Comma

35

Satyr Anglewing

36

Western White

37

Pale Tiger Swallowtail

38

Two-tailed Tiger Swallowtail

39

Western Tiger Swallowtail

40

Two-banded Checkered Skipper

41

Hedgerow Hairstreak

42

Sylvan Hairstreak

43

Coral Hairstreak

o

44

Grey Hairstreak

o

45

Edith’s Copper

46

Purplish Copper

47

Northern Cloudywing

48

European Skipperling

o

o

Total Number of Species per Year

31

33

Total Beaver Creek Species No.

o

o

Phyciodes mylitta

o

o

Pieris marginalis

o

o

o

Pieris rapae

o

o

Polygonia faunus

o

o

Polygonia gracilis

o

o

Polygonia satyrus

o
o
o

Pontia occidentalis

o

o

o

Pterourus eurymedon

o

o

o

Pterourus multicaudata

o

o

o

Pterourus rutulus

o

Pyrgus ruralis

o

Satyrium saepium
o

Satyrium sylvinus
Satyrium titus

o

o

o

o
o

o

Tharsalea editha
o

o

o

40

Strymon melinus
Tharsalea helloides
Thorybes pylades
Thymelicus lineola

29

28
38

Total Syringa Species No.

* Asher Blue was split form Echo Azure in 2022. It was likely present at both sites in 2021.

Building Butterfly Habitat Yr. 2 Final Report

19

Appendix 8. Summary of butterfly nectaring observations recorded at research sites,
2021 and 2022 (J. Arndt Field Data). Plants with single nectar records have been omitted.
Bold = estimates (tallies).

Nectar plants - number of records from formal
surveys only

Nectar plants - number of records from
checklist surveys and incidental observations

No.

Common Name

2021

2022

2021

2022

Scientific Name

1

spotted knapweed

31

4

8

0

Centaurea stoebe

2

aster

21

61

89

>50

Symphyotrichum spp.

3

pink fairies

9

0

0

0

Clarkia pilchellla

4

wild chives

9

6

25

0

Allium schoenoprasum

5

vetch

8

1

1

2

Vicia sp.

6

alfalfa

7

0

5

2

Medicago sativa

7

purple loosestrife

5

1

5

0

Lythrum salicaria

8

choke cherry

4

0

9

0

Prunus virginiana

9

fireweed

3

0

0

0

Chamaenerion angustifolium

10

spreading dogbane

3

11

1

30

Apocynum androsaemifolium

11

Scouler’s woollyweed

2

0

0

0

Hieracium scouleri

12

dandelion

2

0

0

0

Taraxacum officinale

13

kinnikinnick

2

1

0

0

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

14

oxeye daisy

2

3

0

0

Leucanthemum vulgare

15

storks-bill

1

1

1

1

Erodium cicutarium

16

tall Oregon grape

1

6

1

7

Mahonia aquifolium

17

Himalayan blackberry

0

0

0

2

Rubus armeniacus

18

perennial sow thistle?

0

0

0

3

Sonchus arvensis

19

mock-orange

0

0

1

1

Philadelphus lewisii

20

willowherb

0

0

2

0

Epilobium sp

21

sulphur cinquefoil

0

0

2

0

Potentilla recta

22

goldenrod

0

0

3

0

Solidago spp.

23

common tansy

0

0

5

0

Tanacetum vulgare

24

chicory

0

0

19

6

Cichorium intybus

25

common St John’s wort

0

1

0

0

Hypericum perforatum

26

mustard family

0

1

1

0

Brassicaceae

27

small-flowered woodland-star

0

2

0

0

Lithophragma parviflorum

28

yarrow

0

2

0

1

Achillea millefolium

29

brown-eyed Susan

0

2

0

1

Gaillardia triloba

30

meadow arnica (poss.)

0

3

0

0

Arnica chamissonis

Building Butterfly Habitat Yr. 2 Final Report

20

31

blackcap

0

3

0

0

Rubus leucodermis

32

snowbrush

0

7

3

8

Ceanothus velutinus

Appendix 9. Summary of host plant observations recorded at research sites, 2021 and
2022 (J. Arndt Field Data). 2021 data represent oviposition behaviour observed from all
surveys. 2022 data represent host plant use by caterpillars. BEA = Beaver Creek; SYR =
Syringa

Plant Species
Common Name

Plant Species
Scientific Name

pine

2021

2022

No.

Date/Park

Pinus sp.

1

APR 16 - SYR

Western Pine Elfin

kinnikinnick

Arctostaphylos
uva-ursi

1

APR 26 - BEA

Hoary Elfin

vetch

Vicia sp.

1

MAY 10 - SYR

Silvery Blue

black
cottonwood

Populus
trichocarpa

1

JUN 18 - BEA

Western Tiger
Swallowtail

snowbrush

Ceanothus
velutinus

1

JUN 18 - BEA

Pale Tiger
Swallowtail

vetch

Vicia sp.

1

JUL 5 - SYR

Silvery Blue

willow

Salix sp.

35

AUG 3 - BEA

Mourning Cloak

sheep sorrel

Rumex
acetosella

2

dried
vegetation

Building Butterfly Habitat Yr. 2 Final Report

No.

Butterfly Species

Date/Park

AUG 30 - BEA

Purplish Copper
1

AUG 31 - SYR

Woodland Skipper

21

Appendix 10. Summary of plant species recorded during phenology surveys at research
sites, 2021 and 2022 (B. Beckwith Field Data).

Park

BEAVER CREEK

No.

Common Name

1

SYRINGA
2021

2022

2021

2022

yarrow

o

o

o

o

Achillea millefolium

2

nodding onion

o

o

o

o

Allium cernuum

3

wild chives

o

o

Allium schoenoprasum

4

desert alyssum

o

Alyssum desertorum

5

saskatoon

6

Howell's pussytoes

7

umber pussytoes

8

spreading dogbane

o

9

mouse-ear

10

o

o

Amelanchier alnifolia

o

Antennaria howellii

o

o

Antennaria umbrinella

o

o

o

Apocynum androsaemifolium

o

o

o

o

Arabidopsis thaliana

kinnikinnick

o

o

o

o

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

11

thyme-leaved sandwort

o

o

o

Arenaria serpyllifolia

12

meadow arnica

o

13

Columbia River mugwort

o

o

14

asparagus

o

o

15

balsamroot

16

hoary alyssum

17

dangling suncress

18

common camas

o

o

19

common harebell

o

o

20

o

o

o

Scientific Name

Arnica chamissonis
Artemisia lindleyana
o

o

Asparagus officinalis

o

o

Balsamorhiza sagittata

o

Berteroa incana
o

Boechera retrofracta
Camassia quamash

o

o

Campanula rotundiflora

harsh paintbrush

o

o

Castilleja hispida

21

red-stemmed ceanothus

o

o

Ceanothus sanguineus

22

snowbrush

o

o

23

spotted knapweed

o

o

24

common chickweed

o

Cerastium fontanum

25

sticky chickweed

o

Cerastium glomeratum

26

redstem springbeauty

o

o

Claytonia rubra

27

small-flowered blue-eyed Mary

o

o

Collinsia parviflora

28

horseweed

o

o

Conyza canadensis

29

golden tickseed

o

o

Coreopsis tinctoria

30

black hawthorn

o

o

Crataegus douglasii

31

slender hawksbeard

o

o

Crepis atribarba

32

upland larkspur

o

o

Delphinium nuttallianum

33

few-flowered shootingstar

o

34

draba

35

foliose willowherb

36

stork's-bill

Building Butterfly Habitat Yr. 2 Final Report

o
o

o
o

Ceanothus velutinus
o

o

Centaurea stoebe

Dodecatheon pulchellum

o

o

Draba verna

o

o

Epilobium foliosum

o

o

Erodium cicutarium

22

37

yellow glacier lily

o

o

38

showy aster

39

wild strawberry

40

brown-eyed Susan

41

small bedstraw

o

Galium trifidum

42

large-leaved avens

o

Geum macrophyllum

43

roundleaf alumroot

o

o

Heuchera cylindrica

44

Scouler's woollyweed

o

o

Hieracium scouleri

45

umbellate hawkweed

46

oceanspray

47

common St. John's wort

48

yellow iris

49

field pepper-grass

50

oxeye daisy

51

o

o
o

o

o

Erythronium grandiflorum

o

o

Eurybia conspicua

o

Fragaria virginiana

o

Gaillardia aristata

o

o
o

Hieracium umbellatum
o

o

Holodiscus discolor

o

o

Hypericum perforatum

o

Iris pseudacorus

o

Lepidium campestre

o

o

Leucanthemum vulgare

Columbia lily

o

o

Lilium columbianum

52

Dalmatian toadflax

o

o

Linaria genistifolia

53

small-flowered woodland star

o

o

Lithophragma parviflorum

54

field filago

o

o

Logfia arvensis

55

Geyer's desert-parsley

o

Lomatium geyeri

56

fern-leafed desert-parsley

o

Lomatium multifidum

57

Spanish clover/bird's-foot trefoil

o

o

Lotus unifoliolatus

58

European horehound

o

o

Lycopus europaeus

59

fringed loosestrife

o

o

Lysimachia ciliata

60

purple loosestrife

o

o

Lythrum salicaria

61

little tarweed

62

tall Oregon-grape

63

false Solomon's seal

64

star-flowered Solomon's-seal

65

cultivated apple

66

black medic

67

alfalfa

o

68

field mint

o

69

meadow saxifrage

70

small-flowered forget-me-not

o

o

71

evening primrose

o

o

72

falsebox

o

o

o

o

Paxistima myrsinites

73

mock-orange

o

o

o

o

Philadelphus lewisii

74

ribwort plantain

o

o

o

o

Plantago lanceolata

75

English plantain

o

o

76

woolly plantain

o

o

Plantago patagonica

77

Douglas' knotweed

o

o

Polygonum douglasii

78

sulphur cinquefoil

o

o

o

o

Potentilla recta

79

self-heal

o

o

Building Butterfly Habitat Yr. 2 Final Report

o

o

o

o

o

Madia exigua

o

Mahonia aquifolium

o

Maianthemum racemosum

o

o

Maianthemum stellatum

o

o

Malus pumila

o

o

o

Medicago lupulina
Medicago sativa

o

Mentha arvensis
o

o

Micranthes nidifica

o

Myosotis laxa
Oenothera sp.

Plantago major

Prunella vulgaris

23

80

pin cherry

81

choke cherry

82

meadow buttercup

o

Ranunculus acris

83

creeping buttercup

o

Ranunculus repens

84

cascara

o

Rhamnus purshiana

85

prickly rose

86

Nootka rose

o

o

Rosa nutkana (hybrid)

87

Wood's rose

o

o

Rosa woodsii

88

blackcap

89

common sorrel

o

o

90

sheep sorrel

o

o

91

annual knawel

92

stonecrop

93

sleepy catchfly

94

Menzie's campion

95

tall tumble-mustard

96

Western Canada goldenrod

97

spikeline goldenrod

98

mountain ash

99

white meadowsweet

100

snowberry

o

o

101

rush aster

o

o

102

smooth aster

o

o

103

Douglas aster

o

o

Symphyotrichum subspicatum

104

common tansy

o

o

Tanacetum vulgare

105

dandelion

o

o

o

o

Taraxacum officinale

106

poison ivy

o

o

o

o

Toxicodendron rydbergii

107

yellow salsify

o

o

o

o

Tragopogon dubius

108

hare’s-foot clover

o

o

o

o

Trifolium arvense

109

red clover

o

o

Trifolium pratense

110

white clover

o

Trifolium repens

111

large-flowered triteleia

o

o

112

great mullein

o

o

113

wall speedwell

o

o

114

American vetch

115

woolly vetch

116

meadow death-camas

Total Number of Species per Year
Total Beaver Creek Species No.

Building Butterfly Habitat Yr. 2 Final Report

o

o

o

o

o

Prunus pensylvanica

o

o

o

Prunus virginiana

o

o

o

o

o
o

o

o

o

o

Rumex acetosella

o

Scleranthus annuus

o

Sedum sp.

o

Silene antirrhina

o

Silene menziesii

o

Sisymbrium altissimum

o

Solidago lepida
o

o

o

o

o

67

79
81

Solidago simplex
Sorbus sp.

o

o

Spiraea lucida

o

o

Symphoricarpos albus
Symphyotrichum boreale

o

o

o

o

Symphyotrichum laeve

Triteleia grandiflora
Verbascum thapsus

o

o

o
o

Rubus leucodermis
Rumex acetosa

o

o

Rosa acicularis

Veronica arvensis
Vicia americana

o

o

Vicia villosa

o

o

Zygadenus venenosus

60

68
71

Total Syringa Species No.

24

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