GETTING TO KNOW OUR BUTTERFLIES by Douglass Allen
Gulf Fritillary above
LEARN THESE FIFTEEN FIRST!
STARTING OUT? FIRST LEARN THE FOLLOWING FIFTEEN, AND YOU'LL KNOW 90% OF THE BUTTERFLIES YOU ENCOUNTER HERE IN GARDENS AND AT WILDFLOWERS-
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail- large Swallowtail. SC and NC state butterfly
Spicebush Swallowtail- large common swallowtail
Cabbage White- medium size White.
Sleepy Orange- Medium size Yellow.
Cloudless Sulphur, female- large Yellow. Male- large lemon yellow without spots.
Summer Azure- small Blue. Its lookalike Spring Azure cousin occurs in early spring.
Eastern-tailed Blue- male and female, very small Blue, common in yards and grassland flowers.
Variegated Fritillary- most common Fritillary until late summer when Gulf Fritillary is very common
Pearl Crescent- small, colorful Brushfoot
American Lady, medium size Brushfoot
Common Buckeye- medium size Brushfoot often seen on bare ground and at flowers
Monarch- world's best known butterfly, mostly autumn in our area
Silver-spotted Skipper- medium size, and common in gardens
Fiery Skipper- small, most common Grass skipper
Sachem- another small common Grass skipper
Some times of year and in some locations, other butterfly species may be more common than these 15. For example, we see few Monarchs here until the fall migration starting late August, but sometimes many in September. Also, the above photos show the butterfly wings from only one perspective, from above (dorsal) or below (ventral). Also, some butterfly species are sexually dimorphic, meaning that males and females are quite different. To explore further about these 15 common species and 85 other species , continue below-
TO LEARN MORE, CONTINUE TO BUTTERFLIES OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA