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 hand you crank the handle with your right hand and then at the end of your cast switch back and put the rod in your right hand and start the process all over again, think about all of the time and movement that is wasted! I got tired just typing the process.

Saving time is not the only reason I fish this way! I feel that I get a better hook set with my right arm or even better if I can get both hands on the rod. I also like to fight the fish with my strong arm. I also believe that in certain situations a fish could be lost in the time it takes to move the rod from one hand to the other!

If you are Bass fishing and you are "Flippn and Pitchn" and you pitch to a likely spot the fish sometimes will strike as soon as the bait hits the water and if you are in the middle of switching the rod from one hand to the other you might miss that fish. One missed fish might not seem like a big deal but if you are competing in a tournament it might mean the difference in earning a check or if the bite is very tuff, getting skunked!

If you are fishing in heavy wood cover it is important to get the fishes head turned out of the cover on the hook set. A fish will swim as hard as it can once it realizes it is hooked! If you get it's head pointed out of the cover instead of into the cover most of the time they will swim right out and away from the wood. I feel that by casting, pitching or flipping and working the bait and setting the hook with my dominant arm I have an advantage!

Don't just practice out on the water either, spend some time casting out in your yard or go to a park and cast there, if there is a pond or lake near by go and fish from shore and practice you casting skills. Denny Brauer a Bassmasters Classic champion used to practice his pitching and flipping skills right in his living room, he would flip and pitch a jig to a spot under one of his wife's house plants, he said that she was not impressed because the jig would beat up the plant and the drywall behind it. But with Denny earning over $1000,000 in career tournament winnings I think she got over it.

Today there are many different manufactures that offer quality left hand crank bait casters and they are not just the "High End" models either, there are some very good reels available at a reasonable price. Check out one of the Sport shows that will be held this winter. Most of the reel manufactures will have a booth with all of their products for you to view or try and when you find what you are looking for there will also be retailers at these shows where you can purchase these reels. And of course don't forget to stop by the Lake-Link booth and say hello to the boys!

Rick Madeja

Rick Madeja is an advid Illinois angler, tourmament fisherman and family man (wife Rose and three children; Melissa, Amanda and Ricky). Rick is a pro staffer of G. Loomis and is a team leader for Turning Point Propellers. Rick writes independantly for Big Bucks Bass, The Pro Fish Club News and Lake-Link.com. You can also see him occasionally laboring at Ed Shirley's Sports in Morton Grove, IL.

Rick finished 2nd place in the April 28th Big Bucks Bass Buddie tournament held on the Fox-Chain.Finished 4th in the June 9th Northland Bass Buddie tounament held on the Fox-Chain.Fininshed 19th in the Northland Bass Northstar classic (Championship) Held June 17th-21st out of Winneconne Wisconsin.<|endoftext|>INTRODUCTION {#s1}
============

Cell cycle related genes and proteins are frequently deregulated in breast cancer leading to uncontrolled cell proliferation, a hallmark of cancer \[[@R1]\]. The retinoblastoma susceptibility gene product (Rb) is a key regulator of cell cycle progression \[[@R2]\]. Together with other Rb family members (such as p107 and p130) Rb is phosphorylated by CyclinD1-Cyclin Dependent Kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) and other cyclin-CDKs complexes inducing the release of transcriptional factors of the E2F family and the consequent transcription of genes required for S-phase entry \[[@R2]\]. This mechanism is tightly regulated and negatively modulated by proteins such as p16^ink4a^ \[[@R2]\]. In breast cancer, molecular alterations involving the CyclinD-CDK4/6-Rb pathway frequently occur \[[@R3]\] and strategies to target this pathway have recently been proven to be effective in patients with advanced breast cancer, particularly those with hormone receptor positive (HR+), HER2 negative (HER2neg) tumors \[[@R4]\].

Three different CDK4/6 inhibitors (palbociclib, abemaciclib and ribociclib) are in clinical development for the treatment of patients with HR+/HER2neg breast cancer, mostly in combination with endocrine therapy \[[@R5]\]. Palbociclib, a CDK4/6 inhibitor, has received accelerated approval in the U.S by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first line treatment of HR+/HER2neg advanced breast cancer in combination with the hormonal treatment letrozole \[[@R6]\] and, more recently, for the treatment of endocrine pre-treated patients in combination with the anti-estrogen fulvestrant, given the results of three pivotal randomized clinical trials, the PALOMA-1, PALOMA-2 and PALOMA-3 \[[@R7]-[@R10]\]. PALOMA-1 and PALOMA-2 are phase II and phase III randomized trials, respectively, of palbociclib in combination with letrozole versus letrozole alone for previously untreated patients in the metastatic setting \[[@R8], [@R10]\]; PALOMA-3 is a phase III randomized trial of palbociclib and fulvestrant versus placebo and fulvestrant for the treatment of patients relapsed on or progressed to a previous line of hormonal therapy \[[@R7], [@R9]\]. These trials clearly demonstrated the superiority of the combination over hormonal treatment alone in both hormone therapy-untreated and -pretreated populations \[[@R7]-[@R10]\]. Abemaciclib, another CDK4/6 inhibitor, has recently been granted FDA breakthrough therapy designation for patients with refractory HR+ metastatic breast cancer based on encouraging results from a phase I study in which single-agent abemaciclib demonstrated a clinical benefit rate of 61.1% in patients with heavily pre-treated metastatic breast cancer \[[@R11]\]. Whilst CDK4/6 inhibitors are well tolerated, they are not devoid of side-effects \[[@R7], [@R8], [@R11]\]; additionally, the financial costs of treatment are relevant. Clearly, understanding which subgroup of patients is not likely to benefit from CDK4/6 inhibitors is of critical importance.

Preclinical studies demonstrated that alterations in the CyclinD-CDK4/6-Rb pathway may have a role in primary resistance to palbociclib \[[@R12]-[@R15]\]. In particular, genetic loss of RB1 has been linked to resistance while high levels of Rb and CCND1 (cyclin D1) and low levels of CDKN2A (p16) have been associated to sensitivity to this compound \[[@R12], [@R13], [@R15]\]. However not all tumors that retain Rb are sensitive to CDK4/6 inhibitors and screening tumors for Rb or p16 expression and CCND1 amplification in phase II trials with palbociclib has not proven to be a successful strategy in discriminating responsive versus non-responsive tumors \[[@R8], [@R16]\]. More complex alterations of the pathway are likely to be implicated in resistance to palbociclib and these alterations may not be captured by single biomarkers. Gene-expression studies allow the simultaneous evaluation of the whole transcriptome permitting to derive information about specific pathways and cellular functions of interest. Gene-expression signatures such as the Oncotype DX®, Mammaprint® and others have already established as clinically valuable "biomarkers" in breast cancer. Gene-expression signatures focusing on inactivation of the Rb pathway have been developed and characterized in breast cancer patients datasets \[[@R17]-[@R23]\]. However, the correlation of such signatures with response to CDK4/6 inhibitors has never been explored. We hypothesized that a gene expression signature of functional loss of Rb might be explored as a potential novel biomarker of response to CDK4/6 inhibitors.

In this study, using a novel approach, we derived a new signature of Rb loss-of-function (RBsig) with the specific aim of testing whether this might help in discriminating between palbociclib resistant versus sensitive breast cancer cell lines. We also explored the prognostic role of our RBsig in well annotated datasets of patients with early breast cancer.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION {#s2}
======================

RBsig: Creation of the signature, functional analysis and correlation with RB1 mutational status and molecular subtypes {#s2_1}
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To test our hypothesis that a signature of functional Rb loss would be predictive of palbociclib resistance in breast cancer cell lines, we first developed a signature (RBsig) from the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset \[[@R3]\]. One of the main functions of Rb on cell cycle is repression of E2F1- and E2F2- mediated transcription; therefore the RBsig was developed by analyzing genes that correlated with E2F1 and E2F2 expression. The signature included a final set of 87 genes (Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"})


dataset_name: pile

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 portugāļiem. Tādēļ premjerministri vienmēr ir devuši prioritāti saistībām Eiropas darbībai un Eiropas darba kārtībai, jo mēs labi apzināmies, ka Eiropas lietās mēs aizstāvam savas intereses ar Eiropas projekta starpniecību
Zināt ko? Es arī piederu partijai, un, laimīgā kārtā, valstij, kurā mēs pieturamies pie Čerčila principa: mēs nekad nekritizējam savu valdību ārzemēs. Mēs pagaidām, kamēr nokļūstam mājās; tad mēs atgūstam nokavēto, kad valdība var aizstāvēties. Tas ir lojālāk; tā mēs rīkojamies Portugālē; tas ir cieņas pilns veids, kā izpaužas Portugāles tradīcijas un Portugāles politiskā kultūra, kad Portugālei ir Eiropas prezidentūra.
Tagad es gribētu uzsvērt vienu svarīgu iemeslu, kādēļ es domāju, ka mēs esam guvuši panākumus pagājušajā gadā. Mēs esam panākuši progresu, ja mēs paskatāmies uz Eiropu gada sākumā un šā gada beigās, mēs redzam, ka ir panākts progress, un mēs esam panākuši progresu arī attiecībā uz programmu, ko kopīgi noteica trīs prezidentūras, un tas ir palīdzējis. Šī koordinācija starp trim prezidentūrām pienācīgā saistībā ar Komisijas programmu ir palīdzējusi Eiropai, un es domāju, ka mans pienākums ir nodot jums manu pieredzi; es domāju, ka tas ir ļoti palīdzējis man un palīdzējis koordinēt darbu ar iepriekšējo prezidentūru. Es vienmēr esmu sacījis, ka par Lisabonas līgumu mēs esam daudz pateicības parādā iepriekšējai prezidentūrai, Angela Merkel prezidentūrai un viņas vadībai, lai iegūtu mandātu, bez kura mums nebūtu šā līguma.
Daži ir jautājuši: "Kādēļ Brazīlija?” Tas ir viegls jautājums. Tā paša iemesla dēļ, kādēļ mums ir stratēģiska partnerība ar Ķīnu, Indiju un Krieviju, tās neesamība ar Brazīliju bija kļūda, jo neko nevar sasniegt pasaulē - es tikai paziņoju politiski acīmredzamo - neko pasaulē nevar sasniegt ne vides jomā, ne tirdzniecībā bez Brazīlijas. Brazīlija tagad ir jauns starptautiskais partneris ar lielu un būtisku nozīmi, tādēļ es spriežu, ka ES ārpolitika ir labāka, saskanīgāka un vispusīgāka, ja tajā ir partnerība ar Brazīliju.
Tālāk, neatlaidība ar Āfrikas augstākā līmeņa sanāksmi; kā daži ir teikuši, neatlaidība. Mēs tiešām bijām neatlaidīgi. Es labi atceros, kā pirms pusotra gada, kad mēs sākām runāt par Āfrikas augstākā līmeņa sanāksmi, neviens īsti neticēja, ka to var paveikt. Visi norādīja uz grūtībām un šķēršļiem, bet mēs bijām neatlaidīgi, jo bijām pārliecināti par savu uzskatu pareizību, ka būtu kļūda to nedarīt, un mēs vienmēr sajutām, ka abām pusēm bija vēlēšanās to darīt, un mums bija taisnība. Tas ir vēl viens iemesls, kāpēc sanāksme bija panākums.
Visbeidzot, šī prezidentūra ir virzījusi Eiropu uz priekšu, tieši to es gribu sacīt. Tomēr mēs tikai virzījāmies uz priekšu; tās vēl nav stāsta beigas. Nē, mēs esam tālu no stāsta beigām. Tikai mazs solis; es labi apzinos šā soļa lielumu; es labi apzinos, ka politika ir nepārtraukta darbība, un tikko ir izpildīts viens uzdevums, ir jāķeras pie nākamā. Es apzinos arī, ka par migrāciju mums jāpanāk progress ar "zilo karti”; es labi apzinos, ka mums jāiet tālāk ar elastības un drošības ziņā; es labi apzinos, ka vēl ir daudz jāizdara, bet mēs virzījāmies uz priekšu visās šajās jomās. Mēs nevirzījāmies atpakaļ, mēs nestāvējām uz vietas, mēs gājām uz priekšu. Galu galā viss Eiropas projekts pēdējos 50 gadus ir sastāvējis no maziem, bet noteiktiem soļiem uz priekšu. Tādēļ es jums to saku, jo esmu stingri pārliecināts, ka ar Portugāles prezidentūru mēs virzījāmies uz priekšu un panācām progresu un ka tas bija par labu Eiropas projektam; nekam citam, Eiropas projektam, kā es teicu, jo mūs vienmēr vadīja mūsu pašu valsts intereses, ko arī aizsargā Eiropas projekts. Valsts, kura vēlas dalīties suverenitātē ar citām valstīm un piedalīties šajā neparastajā piedzīvojumā, kurā 27 valstis dalās suverenitātē tādās jomās, ko pirms 20 gadiem uzskatīja par nacionālās drošības jomām. Dalīšanās šajā suverenitātē sniedz pasaulei paraugu, kā sadarboties miera un attīstības labā, un šis ir tas Eiropas piedzīvojums. Es patiešām jūtos pagodināts, ka esmu devis nelielu ieguldījumu tajā, un es gribētu, lai arī jūs izjustu šo lepnumu, ko portugāļi jūt par to. Mana valsts vienmēr ir bijusi proeiropeiska. Portugāļi ir ļoti proeiropeiski; viņi tic Eiropai un tāpat kā es un daudzi no jums arī bija neapmierināti ar to, ka Eiropa nīkuļoja trīs gadus. Viņi v


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 the remedy was devised and would invite adroit schemes by some employers and employees to avoid the immediate burdens at the expense of the benefits sought by the legislation". The court then followed the reasoning it had advanced in National Labor Relations Board v. Hearst Publications, 322 U.S. 111, 64 S.Ct. 851, 88 L.Ed. 1170 (which decisions foreshadowed the interpretation in the Silk case, supra) to the effect that the word "employee" was not a word of art, and that it was to be construed "in the light of the mischief to be corrected and the end to be attained", and that in the light of the purposes of the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 151 et seq., "employees" included workers who were such as a matter of economic reality. Then the court in the Silk case used the following language, heralded by the Treasury Department as supporting, and indeed, necessitating the proposed new regulations under the Revenue Acts, supra:
"Probably it is quite impossible to extract from the statute a rule of thumb to define the limits of the employer-employee relationship. The Social Security Agency and the courts will find that degrees of control, opportunities for profit or loss, investment in facilities, permanency of relation and skill required in the claimed independent operation are important for decision. No one is controlling nor is the list complete."
See, also: Bartels et al. v. Birmingham, 332 U.S. 126, 67 S.Ct. 1547, 91 L.Ed. 1947, 172 A.L.R. 317, for a reassertion of the so-called "economic reality" test for determining who are employees.
As a result of the language used in the Silk and Bartels cases the Treasury Department decided to revamp its regulations, and published its new proposals in Federal Register, Volume 12, Number 232, page 7966. The following excerpt taken from Proposed Regulations #402.204 contains *24 the proposed new test, and follows very closely the language quoted above:
"b Factors to be considered. * * * Whether the Services performed by an individual constitute him an employee as a matter of economic reality or an independent contractor as a matter of economic reality is determined in the light of a number of factors, including the following (although their listing is neither complete nor in order of importance):
"(1) Degree of control over the individual.
"(2) Permanency of relation.
"(3) Integration of the individual's work in the business to which he renders service.
"(4) Skill required of the individual.
"(5) Investment by the individual in facilities for work.
"(6) Opportunities of the individual for profit or loss."
These proposed regulations gave rise to considerable criticism from members of the Congress, which criticism culminated in the passage of H.J.Res. 296, June 14, 1948, 62 Stat. 438, intended "to maintain the status quo in respect of certain employment taxes and social-security benefits pending action by Congress on extended social-security coverage".
H.J.Res. 296 made the following changes in the acts of Congress. Section 1426(d) and section 1607 (i) of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C.A. Int.Rev.Code, §§ 1426(d), 1607(i), were amended to read as follows:
"The term `employee' includes an officer of a corporation, but such term does not include (1) any individual who, under the usual common-law rules applicable in determining the employer-employee relationship, has the status of an independent contractor or (2) any individual (except an officer of a corporation) who is not an employee under such common-law rules." (Italics added.)
Section 1101 (a) (6) of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C.A. § 1301(a) (6), was amended to read as follows:
"The term `employee' includes an officer of a corporation, but such term does not include (1) any individual who, under the usual common-law rules applicable in determining the employer-employee relationship, has the status of an independent contractor or (2) any individual (except an officer of a corporation) who is not an employee under such common-law rules." (Italics added.)
By the passage of H.J.Res. 296 the Congress exercised its prerogative to define, at least negatively, who shall be covered by its Social Security Legislation, and undoubtedly properly so, because the power to extend or limit the coverage of the Legislation lies exclusively with the Congress.
The immediate effect of H.J.Res. 296 is to prevent the adoption by the Treasury Department of the proposed new regulations and to compel the retention of the existing regulations. The latter have the approval of the Congress, as is evidenced by the following statements from Senate Report No. 1255, Committee on Finance, 80th Congress, 2d Session. In paragraph one the report states:
"The joint resolution would reaffirm the unbroken intent of Congress that the usual common-law rules, realistically applied, shall continue to be used to determine whether a person is an `employee' for purposes of applying the Social Security Act." (Italics added.)
Paragraph six reads:
"The pending resolution would not disturb the existing Treasury regulation which construes the term `employee' in the Social Security Act harmoniously with the usual common-law rules."
Concerning "employees" the existing regulations, Title 26 Code of Federal Regulations, Cumulative Supplement, Chapter 1, No. 403.204 and 402.204, read in part as follows:
"Who are employees.  Every individual is an employee if the relationship between him and person for whom he performs services is the legal relationship of employer and employee.
"Generally such relationship exists when the person for whom services are performed has the right to control and direct the individual who performs the services, not only as to the result to be accomplished by the work but also as to the details and *25 means by which that result is accomplished. That is, an employee is subject to the will and control of the employer not only as to what shall be done but how it shall be done. In this connection, it is not necessary that the employer actually direct or control the manner in which the services are performed; it is sufficient if he has the right to do so. The right to discharge is also an important factor indicating that the person possessing that right is an employer. Other factors characteristic of an employer, but not necessarily present in every case, are the furnishing of tools and the furnishing of a place to work, to the individual who performs the services. In general, if an individual is subject to the control or direction of another merely as to the result to be accomplished by the work and not as to the means and methods for accomplishing the result, he is an independent contractor. An individual performing service as an independent contractor is not as to such services an employee."
By the language "usual common-law rules", employed in H.J.Res. 296, the Congress did not intend that the "common-law rules" of the several states should govern, as we are dealing with a federal act covering a federal problem, and to apply the varying interpretations placed by the several States upon the "employer-employee" relationship would be inconsistent with the ends to be achieved and the purposes to be accomplished by Social Security Legislation. Of course, the existence of the relationship is a question of fact, and the difference in the facts of various cases probably accounts to a large extent for the "varying interpretations" of the several States, but in any event, by its approval of the existing regulations on the subject and with the amendment of the Social Security Legislation by H. J. Res. 296, Congress has established a standard, to be realistically applied, for the guidance of federal courts in reaching a conclusion on the problem, irrespective of the "common-law rules" of the various States.
The common law should never be entirely stationary, but should be molded by construction, analogy and custom so as to embrace new relations, and to enable the courts in applying the common law to keep abreast of the exigencies of current problems and necessities. In this fashion only can substantial justice be administered and realistic results accomplished.
Therefore, this court will look to the provisions of the existing regulations on "employees" for the "usual common-law rules" to be used and applied by the court in determining whether these contractors and their employees were in fact and within the meaning of the Social Security Act employees of the plaintiff, but will apply those "rules" realistically, and ascertain as a matter of actual reality whether the plaintiff controlled or had the right to control the means of performing the services rendered as well as the result accomplished. This construction is consistent with the principle of the Silk and Bartels cases, that of giving the interpretation to the language of Congress that will effectuate the purposes of the Act under consideration, and those considerations advanced by the Supreme Court, opportunities for profit or loss, investment in facilities, permanency of relation and skill required, should still be considered in arriving at the final determination of whether as a matter of actual reality there exists such control or right of control as required by the common law. This is only a common sense approach to the problem and is what this court conceives to be the intent of Congress in passing H. J. Res. 296. Certainly, in a proper case an employer should be required to pay social security taxes, and any other than a realistic approach to the problem would defeat the purposes of the legislation and "invite adroit schemes by some employers and employees to avoid the immediate burdens at the expense


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 the oaks continue to diminish along with the western gray squirrels that likewise depend on them. Oaks alone are not enough, as the skippers require dead leaves and understory for hibernal sites. Although they are abundant in the Columbia Gorge, still common in the Willamette Valley, and present in the Puget Trough, I have been unable so far in many searches to find them in five oak-bearing counties in between: Columbia in Oregon, and Clark, Cowlitz, Wahkiakum, Grays Harbor, and Lewis in Washington. The reasons are a mystery to me. Propertius looks like a giant at mud among the other duskywings. Warren saw hundreds at wet rock faces along roadsides, and I've encountered scores on old lilacs in Klickitat Canyon. They are wonderfully cryptic among last year's oak leaves.

Female, dorsal

Male, dorsal

### **Pacuvius Duskywing** _Erynnis pacuvius_ **(LINTNER) 1878**

**New Mexico**
Aka Dyar's Duskywing, Buckthorn Duskywing

Male, dorsal

**RECOGNITION** < 1.5 in. A dark duskywing, mottled with black and gray on brown, with small hyaline spots in the dark bands. DHW and V lighter brown. **Males** distinguished from the often sympatric _E. persius_ by **absence of tibial tufts on the hindlegs** (or by genitalic dissection); **females by having gray scaling only outside the dark discal bands**, on both sides in _E. persius_. ****DFW** (when fresh) has mottled brown patches** in, below, and distal from cell, absent on _E. persius_ and _E. icelus_. **VARIATION** Farther S the wings become white-fringed and the dark markings less contrasty, but the dark-fringed NW population is relatively consistent across our region. **HOST PLANTS** Various _Ceanothus_ species. In WA, strongly associated with snowbrush ceanothus ( _C. velutinus_ ). Males hilltop and visit mud. **ON THE WING** L April to E August, peak in May-June. One brood, last-instar larvae overwinter. **HABITAT AND RANGE** Transition zone scrublands, chaparral, and ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir forest clearings dominated by _Ceanothus_ shrubs and thickets, in many W mtn ranges ringing the Great Basin, from S-C BC to Baja and Veracruz. BC-WA borders to Selkirks, Cascades, Blues, most OR ranges.

Because this species often flies with the Persius Duskywing, it is risky to record it without genitalic dissection, careful examination of the tibiae, or voucher specimens, unless fresh with stand-out brown patches. I have found the two together hilltopping in the Pend Oreille, looking very similar. Two related white-fringed species occur up to north-central California and should be sought along the Oregon border. The Mournful Duskywing ( _E. tristis_ ) has the ordinary isosceles-triangle shape of most duskywings, while the Funereal Duskywing ( _E. funeralis_ ) has long, narrow forewings. Ray Stanford reported an _E. tristis_ collected by Chuck Sekerman from Siskiyou Pass, Oregon, but the specimen has not been located and the record needs confirmation. The Afranius Duskywing ( _E. afranius_ ), browner and paler with more contrasting markings than _E. persius_ and lacking its pelt of long hair-scales but bearing tibial tufts, may barely occur in our region. Records in western Idaho and extreme southeastern British Columbia, where it is considered endangered, suggest it should be looked for in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington. Previous records in Washington and Oregon have been determined by Warren to refer to _E. persius_ after all.

Male, ventral

Male, dorsal

### **Persius Duskywing** _Erynnis persius_ **(SCUDDER) 1863**

**New England**
Aka Hairy Duskywing

Male, dorsal

**RECOGNITION** < 1.5 in. The usual duskywing pattern of alternating black and buff patches against the dark brown background. ****DFW** overlain by heavy gray hair-scaling on the basal half of males; females have patches of gray on both sides of the dark FW band**. Hyaline spots appear in the FW band, and **tibial tufts prominent on males' hindlegs**. **VARIATION** Individuals average progressively smaller and darker from inland mtns to the Coast Ranges, but can vary widely in size within a single population. **HOST PLANTS** Lupines ( _Lupinus latifolius_, _L. sericeus_ ) _fide_ Pelham, goldenbanner ( _Thermopsis_ ), _Astragalus_, and _Lotus_. In the E, rarer and thought to feed on willows and poplars. Nectars on yellow daisies, bleeding heart ( _Dicentra formosa_ ), and many other flowers. Males hilltop and visit mud. **ON THE WING** M April to M August, peak in June. **HABITAT AND RANGE** Various open, sunny places, such as meadows, glades, and mountaintops. Watch for it in moist forest clearings, but not in wet forest or desert. Montane and boreal W well into AK, almost to Mexico; NE and Great Lakes states. Occurs in all mtn ranges of Cascadia, E of the maritime edge in WA but W to the coast in Curry and Tillamook cos, OR.

By far the most common and widespread Northwest duskywing, it is the default identification for any duskywing encountered, until proven otherwise. Persius is a frequent sight at puddles and flowerfields across much of montane Cascadia throughout spring and into summer. In the Coast Ranges it favors south- and southwest-facing slopes where oaks, balsamroot, goldenbanner, and other drier-soil plants occur like western outliers of more easterly floras. Scudder named it after third-century Roman poet Persius, not Perseus, the son of Danae and Zeus, the slayer of Medusa, and the great-grandfather of Hercules, as is sometimes stated. Why Scudder attached such literary monikers to these subtle butterflies we may never know, since the etymologies were seldom explained by their authors in those days.

Male, ventral

Female, dorsal

## **Genus _Pyrgus_ : Checkered Skippers**

About 30 species of these black-and-white skippers occur in the world, mostly in the northern hemisphere with a few in the American tropics. In English-speaking Europe, they are known as grizzled skippers, and our Arctic Skipper is called the Chequered Skipper. American species of _Pyrgus_ have been called checkered skippers—for their obvious pattern—at least since W. J. Holland referred to them thus in the 1898 edition of his _Butterfly Book_.

### **Alpine Checkered Skipper** _Pyrgus centaureae_ **(RAMBUR) 1842**

**Dalarna, Sweden**
Aka Grizzled Skipper (NABA)

Female, ventral | Male, dorsal
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**RECOGNITION** < 1.25 in. Black-brown above crossed by bands of white spots, less distinct on HW. **Pair of small white spots nearest the body on **DFW** are adjacent and do not reach cell**. **No white spot at base of **DHW****. Beneath, white patch-band crosses an olive field. Fringe boldly checkered. **Strongly limited to alpine habitat**. **VARIATION** Our PNW _P. c. loki_ tends darker below than the trans-Canada _P. c. freija_. **HOST PLANTS** Elsewhere, a variety of rosaceous herbs incl. strawberries and cinquefoils. Reared in PNW by James and Nunnallee on _Fragaria virginiana_ and _Potentilla fruticosa_. **ON THE WING** E June to L August, peak in July, depending on snowmelt. Possibly biennial. One summer brood, grown larvae overwinter. **HABITAT AND RANGE** Occurs above timberline in moist alpine and subalpine heaths and swales. In Cascadia, it is known only from the N Cascades N of Lake Chelan, WA, and higher elevations in S BC. Occupies hard-to-reach arctic-alpine heights and appears only sparsely and sporadically. More records will be found when more backpackers watch for butterflies in the N Cascades and Okanogan Highlands.

Its common name situates this species both with its