TABLE OF CONTENTS

HELPFUL HINTS………………………………………………2

SWALLOWTAILS (Papilionidae)……………………………...3

WHITES and SULPHURS (Pieridae)…………………………..4

HAIRSTREAKS (Lycaenidae)………………………………….4

BLUES (Lycaenidae)……………………………………………5

HELICONIANS and FRITTILARIES (Nymphalidae)…………5

SNOUTS (Lycaenidae)………………………………………….6

COPPERS (Lycaenidae)………………………………………...6

TRUE BRUSH-FOOTS (Nymphalidae)……………………...6-7

ADMIRALS and RELATIVES (Nymphalidae)………………..8

MILKWEED BUTTERFLIES (Nymphalidae)…………………8

EMPERORS (Nymphalidae)……………………………………9

SATYRS (Nymphalidae)………………………………………..9

A Beginner’s Guide to

Butterfly Identification in Northern Virginia and

Washington, D.C.

Book sources used to compile this guide: A Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies, Opler, Paul A. and Vichai Malikul, Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, 1992. Butterflies through Binoculars: The East, Glassberg, Jeffrey, Oxford University Press, Inc.: New York, 1999.

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Inches

Helpful Hints:

Butterfly Anatomy and Size:

Forewing

Hindwing

Upperside

Underside

Useful Online Sources: http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/ http://www.virginia.edu/blandy/ClarkeCountyLandUseSurvey/ccmapping.htm http://www.carolinanature.com/butterflies/

Small (<2 in wingspan)

Medium (2-3 in wingspan)

Large (3-6 in wingspan)

2

Pipevine Swallowtail Color(s): Black

Key Features: One row large orange spots on iridescent blue on underside. Upperside black with iridescent dark green, very little white

Adult Habitat: Glades in woods; wooded clearings

WARNING! Similar in flight to Black, Spicebush, and dark female E. Tiger Swallowtails. Note one row of orange spots and blue on underside of hindwing.

SWALLOWTAILS

Zebra Swallowtail Color(s): White with black stripes

Key Features: Very long tails; zebra striped

Adult Habitat: Moist woods along rivers, woods swamps, pine flatwoods

Black Swallowtail Color(s): Black, yellow

Key Features: Very dark black; 2 rows of orange spots

Adult Habitat: Open areas—fields, gardens, waste areas, marshes, meadows

WARNING! Spicebush, Pipevine, and dark female E. Tiger Swallowtails look similar in flight. Note two rows of orange spots on hindwing and habitat.

Spicebush Swallowtail Color(s): Black, blue

Key Features: Spoon-shaped tails

Adult Habitat: Deciduous forests, second growth woods, edges, wooded swamps, pine barrens

WARNING! Black, Pipevine, and dark female E. Tiger Swallowtails look similar in flight. Note two rows of orange spots on hindwing and habitat.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Color(s): Yellow, black stripes; some females are black

Key Features: Tiger-striped

Adult Habitat: Deciduous broadleaf forests, edges, and river valleys

WARNING! Some females look similar to Pipevine, but without iridescent blue on underside of hindwing.

3

Red-Banded Hairstreak Color(s): Gray-brown; red/orange stripe

Key Features: Hair-like tails on wings; red stripe

Adult Habitat: Fields, coastal hammocks, edges

WHITES and SULPHURS Cabbage White Color(s): White

Key Features: Extremely common and wide-spread

Adult Habitat: Open, weedy areas in urban and rural settings: gardens, powerlines, marshes, road edges.

Clouded (Common) Sulfur Color(s): Yellow

Key Features: Males have dark margins on all wings

Adult Habitat: Open; fields, lawns, road edges, clover

WARNING! Similar to orange sulphur. Common sulphur does not have orange on forewing.

Orange (Alfalfa) Sulfur Color(s): Yellow, some orange

Key Features: Orange patches in center of forewing; Dark edges on males

Adult Habitat: Open; fields, lawns, road edges

WARNING! Similar to common sulphur. Orange sulphur does not have orange on forewing.

HAIRSTREAKS

© N American Butterfly Association © www.discoverlife.org

Gray Hairstreak Color(s): Gray-blue; large red spot near tail

Key Features: Hair-like tails; red spot on hindwing

Adult Habitat: Open sites; often disturbed, weedy areas

DC AREA ONLY!

4

Meadow Fritillary Color(s): Orange

Key Features: Dull orange with brown/black dashes; medium-sized

Adult Habitat: Low, moist grassy fields

BLUES Eastern Tailed Blue Color(s): Light blue; orange spots on underside

Key Features: Small tails and tiny orange spots on hindwing; dark outline around upperwings

Adult Habitat: Open, sunny, weedy fields and meadows

WARNING! Female upperwings are grey/brown with little blue. Common Blue is similar, but without orange spots and tiny tails. Note habitat difference.

Common Blue (Summer Azure) Color(s): Light blue; females have black outline

Key Features: Very small, moth-like, often very pale blue

Adult Habitat: Deciduous woods and wooded edges

WARNING! Eastern Tailed Blue is similar, but with orange spots and tiny tails. Note habitat difference.

HELICONIANS and FRITILLARIES

Great Spangled Fritillary Color(s): Orange

Key Features: Bright orange with silver spots; large

Adult Habitat: Moist; open fields, meadows, roadsides

© www.birdsofoklahoma.net

Variegated Fritillary Color(s): Orange

Key Features: Upper side orange with thick dark veins and markings; black spots near margin. Underside of hind-wing has mottled pattern, no silver spots. Adult Habitat: Open sunny areas such as fields, pastures, road edges, and landfills.

DC AREA ONLY!

5

Eastern Comma Color(s): Orange

Key Features: Wing edges deeply cut; looks tattered; Upper wings have dark margin

Adult Habitat: Damp forests, marshes, swamps, rivers

WARNING! Similar to Question Mark, but upper wing edges darker and appear more tattered.

TRUE BRUSH-FOOTS: Anglewings

© Samford University

SNOUTS

American Snout Color(s): Brown and orange

Key Features: Distinct protrusion from head (snout); angular wings with dark margins; orange near body

Adult Habitat: Forested rivers & marshes, fields, edges

Question Mark Color(s): Orange

Key Features: Upper hindwings dark; black speckles on forewings; frilly, angular wing margins

Adult Habitat: Woodlands and nearby open areas

WARNING! Similar to Eastern Comma, but upper wing edges lighter and appear less tattered.

COPPERS

American Copper Color(s): Orange

Key Features: Forewings orange with black spots; flies close to the ground; bright orange flash

Adult Habitat: Meadows, old fields, roadsides, landfills

6

Pearl Crescent Color(s): Orange

Key Features: Orange with dark markings; brown smudge on hindwing; low flight

Adult Habitat: Meadows and old fields

Mourning Cloak Color(s): Black

Key Features: Pale yellow/white margin on outside of upper wings

Adult Habitat: Streams, wooded clearings, urban parks, damp woods

© www.monctonnaturalistsclub.org

MORE TRUE BRUSH-FOOTS

American Lady Color(s): Orange

Key Features: Underside has cobweb-like pattern and pink patch on forewing. Two large eyespots on hind wings. Adult Habitat: Open spaces like fields and roadsides

DC AREA ONLY!

© www.wisconsinbutterflies.org

Painted Lady Color(s): Orange-pink

Key Features: Underside has cobweb-like pattern and pink patch on forewing. Four small eyespots on hind wings.

Adult Habitat: Open spaces of all kinds

DC AREA ONLY!

7

Monarch Color(s): Orange, black

Key Features: Bright orange, black veins

Adult Habitat: Meadows, weedy fields, moist areas

WARNING! Similar to Viceroy, but larger and does not have a black band crossing hindwings. Glides in a “V” shape, while Viceroy glides with flat wings.

ADMIRALS and RELATIVES

MILKWEED BUTTERFLIES

Red Spotted Purple Color(s): Greenish blue

Key Features: Hindwings with black stripe lining margin; Red spots at tip of upper forewing & edges of outer wings

Adult Habitat: Broadleaf deciduous forests

WARNING! Similar to Pipevine Swallowtail (p 3), but has red spots on forewings and no tails on hindwings.

Common Buckeye Color(s): Brown with brightly colored orange spots

Key Features: Eyespots on upper wings are large and brightly colored

Adult Habitat: Exposed areas: meadows, road edges

Viceroy Color(s): Orange, black

Key Features: Bright orange, black veins, and black band cutting across hindwings.

Adult Habitat: Open areas near water or marshes with willow

WARNING! Mimic of Monarch. Viceroy is smaller, has black band across hindwings, and glides with flat wings. Monarch glides in a “V” shape. Black band unique to viceroy

Red Admiral Color(s): Black, red, orange

Key Features: Reddish-orange bands on both forewings and hindwings; rapid flight

Adult Habitat: Open areas with flowers

© www.birdsofoklahoma.net

8

Northern Pearly Eye Color(s): Pale grey

Key Features: Pale color; row of dark spots on underside

Adult Habitat: Damp deciduous woods near streams or marshes

Common Wood Nymph Color(s): Brown

Key Features: Dark spots on underside and upperside wing margins

Adult Habitat: Prairies, fields, pine woods, bogs, meadows

SATYRS

EMPERORS Hackberry Emperor Color(s): Dark brown

Key Features: Upperside of forewing dark brown with white spots; very friendly, will land on you

Adult Habitat: Forested streams and clearings; edges

WARNING! Similar to Tawny Emperor, but usually less colorful.

Tawny Emperor Color(s): Brown with colorful hindwings

Key Features: Hindwings darker than forewings

Adult Habitat: Heavily wooded areas near rivers, dry woods, cities

WARNING! Similar to Hackberry Emperor, but usually more colorful.

Little Wood-Satyr Color(s): Brown

Key Features: Two eye spots on forewing and hindwing Adult Habitat: Edge habitat between fields and forests

DC AREA ONLY!

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