The creeks and rivers running off the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range had carried and deposited tons of gold along their banks. The discovery of these easy pickings at Sutter’s Mill near Colomar, California resulted in the 1848 Gold Rush and brought over 300,000 people to California in a short period of time.
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Colias eurydice -The California dogface butterfly, also known as the flying pansy, is endemic to California. It is found in oak or coniferous woodlands from the central part of the state to Baja California. The outer section of the male’s forewing features the silhouette of a dog’s head. The female’s coloration is a pale yellow with one black spot on each forewing and lacks the dog head design. During the larvae stage, the insect will feed exclusively on the false indigo plant; adults sustain themselves from the nectar of any available flower.
