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Butterflies of North America Butterflies have been revered by mankind since before the dawn of recorded history. They are among the most fascinating and beautiful animals; even people who care not for insects in general usually have an affection for these winged wonders. Live adult and larval butterflies photographed at various North American locations as noted. Geopositioning data available for each photograph and species. -Table of contents- |
 Common Wood Nymph Cercyonis pegala |
 Little Wood Satyr Megisto cymela |
 Eastern Comma Polygonia comma |
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 Northern Pearly Eye Butterfly Enodia anthedon |
 Painted Lady Butterfly Vanessa cardui |
 American Painted Lady Butterfly Vanessa virginiensis |
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 American Snout Libytheana carinenta |
 Gray Comma Polygonia progne |
 Buckeye Butterfly Junonia coenia |
| Family Nymphalidae - Brushfoots or brush-footed butterflies encompass approximately 3,000 species worldwide, of which 160 or so live in or visit North America. This is a very diverse family of true butterflies, and they occur everywhere except the polar ice caps. Their unifying characteristic is the reduced fore legs of both males and females. These vestigial fore legs are useless for walking and give rise to the family's common name. Brush-footed butterflies also have large prominent knobs at the tips of their antennae, and furry palpi. This family incorporates the admirals, fritillaries, checkerspots, crescentspots, anglewings, leafwings, painted ladies, tortoiseshells and longwings. |
 Black Swallowtail Papilio polyxenes |
 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Papilio glaucus |
 Tiger Swallowtail - black female Papilio glaucus |
 Pipevine Swallowtail Battus philenor |
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Family Papilionidae --
Swallowtail and Parnassian Butterflies entail more than 600
species worldwide; fewer than 30 of these live in North America.
The true swallowtails, the most typical North American members
of this family, are large, brightly colored butterflies with
tailed hind wings. All North American swallowtails have somewhat
spherical eggs. Most of the caterpillars have prominent
eyespots. Swallowtail chrysalises resemble bits of leaf or wood;
they hang upright through the winter. |
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 Cabbage White Pieris rapae |
 Clouded Sulphur, Lyside Sulphur Colias philodice / Kricogonia lyside |
 Orange Sulphur Colias eurytheme |
 Dwarf Yellow aka Dainty Sulphur Nathalis iole |
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Family Pieridae - Whites and Sulphurs
include about 1,000 species worldwide, with 60 species in North America. Most of
these butterflies are shades of yellow, white, or pale green. There is often
dramatic color variation between the sexes, seasonal, and even members of the
same species. For all intents and purposes, the clouded and orange sulphurs, for
instance, are generally spoken of as on species in the field, they being
virtually impossible to tell apart. A few species compete with humans for
vegetable and fiber crops. |
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 Monarch Butterfly Danaus plexippus |
 Soldier Butterfly Danaus eresimus |
 Viceroy Butterfly Limenitis archippus |
 Queen Butterfly Danaus gilippus* |
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Family Danaidae - The
Milkweed Butterflies consist of 400 species, only four of
which reside in North America. The monarch is the most famous of
this family, known for its soaring flight and yearly migration.
Most species' caterpillars feed on the toxic milkweed plant,
imparting a bitter flavor to the adult butterfly which is
distasteful to birds. The viceroy butterfly is not a member of
this family, but mimics the monarch.
*Queen Butterfly
Photo: © Carol Freeman
used with permission |
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 Eastern Tailed Blue Everes comyntas |
 Coral Hairstreak Satyrium titus |
 Red-banded Hairstreak Calycopis cecrops |
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 Gray Hairstreak |
Family Lycaenidae (gossamer
wings) includes four groups: blues, coppers, hairstreaks and
harvesters. There are only about 100 species in North America. These
small butterflies hold their wings over their back when at rest. In most
species, the males have greatly reduced forelegs not unlike the
brushfoots, but the females have all six legs well-developed.
Caterpillars of many hairstreaks and blues possess honeydew glands. Ants
milk these caterpillars and in return, protect them from predators. The
compact chrysalises are usually found in ground litter. Both eggs and
chrysalis may overwinter, but the caterpillar, rarely. Gossamer wing coloring comes from two different types of scales: gray, brown and orange scales are pigmented, while blue, green, purple and copper colors derive from the selective light-refracting properties of the scales. The two blues pictured here are very common butterflies here in DuPage County near Chicago; the hairstreaks are fairly rare. |
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 Our Skipper Butterfly Pages |
 Hobomok Skipper |
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 White-striped Longtail Skipper |
 Least Skipper - Ancyloxypha numitor |
 Ocola Skipper - Panoquina ocola |
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Family Hesperiidae: Skipper
Butterflies comprise nearly 3,000 species worldwide, 250 of which
call North America home. Skippers are named for their rapid, erratic
flight. Skippers differ from the true butterflies in their
proportionately larger bodies, smaller wings, and hooked antennae, among
many other structural differences. The skipper family is further divided
into subfamilies: Grass, intermediate, giant, spread-wing, and firetip
skippers.
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 Byssus Skipper |
 Checkered Skipper |
 Sandhill Skipper - Polites sabuleti |
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| Butterflies from around the world: The specimens below were photographed at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago, IL., and identified by Doug Taron, Curator of Biology, and founder of the Northern Illinois Butterfly Monitor Network. You can find the complete collection at: Butterflies of the World |
 Checkered Swallowtail Papilio demoleus |
 Tiger Longwing Heliconius hecale |
 Paper Kite aka Tree Nymph Idea leuconoe |
 Sara Longwing Heliconius sara |
 Common Sailor Butterfly Neptis hylas |
 Cruiser Vindula erota |
 Eleuchia Longwing Heliconius eleuchia |
 Common Morpho Morpho peleides |
 Great Eggfly Hypolimnas Bolina |
 Great Mormon Swallowtail Papilio memnon |
 Common Rose Butterfly Pachliopta aristolochiae asteris |
 Shoemaker Butterfly Catonephele antinoe |
 Postman Butterfly - Mated Pair Heliconius erato |
 Owl Butterfly Caligo spp. |
 Great Orangetip Hebomoia glaucippe |
 Cydno Longwing Heliconius cydno |
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Butterfly Gardening Made Easy |