Oregon State Insect

Oregon swallowtail Papilio oregonius Adopted: July 16, 1979

State insect: Oregon swallowtail
© Fred Ramsey

The Oregon swallowtail butterfly was adopted as the Oregon's official insect with the approval of Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 6 by the Oregon Legislature.

A true native of the Northwest, the Oregon Swallowtail is at home in the lower sagebrush canyons of the Columbia River and its tributaries, including the Snake River drainage. This strikingly beautiful butterfly, predominantly yellow, is a wary, strong flier not easily captured.

60TH OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--1979 Regular Session

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 6

WHEREAS, insects represent by far the largest group of living organisms; and

WHEREAS, the recognition of a state insect would further educate by promoting a greater interest and understanding of entomology; and

WHEREAS, insects have survived well in the face of exploding population and remain a major area of nature study left available to young and old alike; and

WHEREAS, the Oregon swallowtail butterfly (papilio Oregonius) is indigenous to the Oregon territory, contains the word "Oregon" in its common and scientific names, is of great aesthetic value and has no objectionable qualities; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OREGON:

That the Legislative Assembly adopt the Oregon swallowtail butterfly (papilio Oregonius) as Oregon's official insect to join the beaver, the chinook salmon, the Oregon grape, the Douglas fir, the western meadowlark and the thunderegg as unique symbols of Oregon's distincitve history and environment.

Filed in the Office of the Secretary of State July 17, 1979.

Oregon Law

The following information was excerpted from the Oregon Revised Statutes - 2009 Edition, Title 19, Chapter 186.

TITLE 19 MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS RELATED TO GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
186. State Emblems; State Boundary
CROSS-REFERENCES.

Swallowtail butterfly declared to be official insect, SCR 6 (1979)

Sources...

State of Oregon. Oregon Revised Statutes - 2009 Edition. Salem: State of Oregon, 2011. Web. 8 Apr 2011. <http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/home.htm>.
Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S. State Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols: A Historical Guide Third Edition, Revised and Expanded. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 3 Sub edition, 2001.

Additional Information

Oregon Swallowtail (Papilio oregonius): Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Fact Sheet.

Papilio machaon oregonia W. H. Edwards, 1876 ("Oregon" Swallowtail): Butterflies of America.

Papilio machaon oregonius - (Edwards, 1876), Oregon Swallowtail: A network connecting science with conservation - NatureServe Explorer: An Online Encyclopedia of Life.

Papilio machaon oregonius (W. H. Edwards, 1876): Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Here you will find authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.

State insects: Complete list of official state insects from NETSTATE.COM.

More symbols & emblems: Complete list of official Oregon state symbols from NETSTATE.COM.

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