Butterflies (Common Name) |
Scientific Name |
Caterpillar Host Plants |
Adult Food |
Admirals |
Limenitidinae |
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Astyanax Red-spotted purple |
Limenitis arthemis astyanax |
not reported |
not reported |
Red-spotted purple |
Limenitis arthemis |
wild cherry, aspen, poplar, cottonwood, oaks, hawthorn, deerberry, birch, willows, basswood, shadbush (Amelanchier) |
sap, rotting fruit, carrion, dung, small white flowers, aphid honeydew |
Viceroy |
Limenitis archippus |
trees in the willow family (willows, poplars, and cottonwoods) |
aphid honeydew, carrion, dung, decaying fungi, aster, goldenrod, joe-pye weed, thistle |
Emperors |
Apaturinae |
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|
Hackberry Emperor |
Asterocampa celtis |
hackberries (Celtis) and sugarberry |
sap, rotting fruit, dung, carrion |
Tawny Emperor |
Asterocampa clyton |
elm family trees |
tree sap, rotting fruit, dung, carrion. Rarely visit flowers |
Leafwings |
Charaxinae |
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|
Goatweed Leafwing |
Anaea andria |
Goatweed (croton), prairie tea; all spurge family members |
Sap, rotting fruit, dung, bird droppings |
Longwings |
Heliconiinae |
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Aphrodite Fritillary |
Speyeria aphrodite |
Violet species |
milkweed, coneflower (pictured), viper’s bugloss, others |
Diana |
Speyeria diana |
Violets |
dung, common and swamp milkweeds, ironweed, red clover |
Great Spangled Fritillary |
Speyeria cybele |
various violet species |
milkweeds, thistles, ironweed, dogbane, mountain laurel, vetch, bergamot, red clover, purple coneflower |
Gulf Fritillary |
Agraulis vanillae |
passionflower-vine species |
composites like members of the aster family |
Variegated Fritillary |
Euptoieta claudia |
passionflower-vine, may apple, violets, purslane, stonecrop, moonseed |
butterflyweed, common milkweed, swamp milkweed, coreopsis |
Milkweed Butterlies |
Danainae |
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|
Monarch |
Danaus plexippus |
milkweed family members (swamp, common, showy) |
all milkweeds, dogbane, lilac, red clover, thistles, goldenrod, liatris, coreopsis |
Snouts |
Libytheinae |
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|
‘American Snout |
Libythaena carinenta |
hackberries (Celtis) |
aster, dogbane, goldenrod, sweet pepperbush |
True Brushfoots |
Nymphalainae |
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|
American Lady |
Vanessa virginiensis |
Sunflower family, wormwood, ironweed, burdock |
dogbane, aster, goldenrod, milkweed, vetch |
Baltimore |
Euphydryas phaeton |
turtlehead, hairy beardtongue, false foxglove |
milkweed, viburnum, wild rose |

Common Buckeye |
Junonia coenia |
snapdragon family, plantain family |
aster, chickory, coreopsis |
Eastern Comma |
Polygonia comma |
All elm and nettle families |
rotting fruit and tree sap |
Gorgone Checkerspot |
Chlosyne gorgone |
Aster family including sunflower and crosswort |
prefers yellow flowers |
Mourning Cloak |
Nymphalis antiopa |
willows, American elm, cottonwood, aspen, paper birch, hackberry |
tree sap, especially oaks, rotted fruit |

Painted Lady |
Vanessa cardui |
More than 100 host plants have been noted, including thistles, mallow, and various legumes |
The Painted Lady prefers nectar from composites 3-6 feet high, especially thistles; also aster, cosmos, blazing star, ironweed, and joe-pye weed. Flowers from other families that are visited include red clover, buttonbush, privet, and milkweeds. |
Pearl Crescent |
Phyciodes tharos |
Smooth-leaved true asters |
great variety of flowers including dogbane, milkweed, asters |

Question Mark |
Polygonia interrogationis |
American elm, hackberry, nettles |
rotting fruit, tree sap, dung, carrion; when not available will visit milkweed, aster, sweetpepper bush (Clethra) |
Red Admiral |
Vanessa atalanta |
Nettle family members and possibly hops |
sap flows on trees, fermenting fruit, bird droppings; visit flowers only when these are not available |
Silvery Checkerspot |
Chlosyne nycteis |
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Many composites including rudbeckia, sunflowers |
Gossamer-wing Butterflies |
(Lycaenidae) |
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Harvesters |
Miletinae |
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Harvester |
Feniseca tarquinius |
woolly aphids, and sometimes scale insects or treehoppers; only carniverous caterpillar in the North America |
aphid honeydew |
Hairstreaks |
Theclinae |
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|
Great Purple Hairstreak |
Atlides halesus |
mistletoe |
goldenrod, shepherd’s needle, sweet pepperbush, wild plum |
Juniper Hairstreak |
Callophrys gryneus |
red cedar |
dogbane, milwkeed, wild carrot, butterflyweed, sweet white clover |
Brown Elfin |
Callophrys augustinus |
Heath family members (huckleberry) |
blueberry, spicebush, willow, wild plum |
Eastern Pine Elfin |
Callophrys niphon |
Various hard pines, white pine |
blueberry, cinquefoil, chickweed, common milkweed, white sweet clover |
Banded Hairstreak |
Satyrium calanus |
Many species of oak, walnut, and hickory |
dogbane, common milkweed, sumac, white sweet clover, yarrow |
Striped Hairstreak
|
Satyrium liparops |
Woody trees and shrubs in the rose family (plum, heath), hornbeam, oak, willow |
common milkweed, dogbane, goldenrod, meadowsweet, white sweet clover, viburnum |
Red-banded Hairstreak |
Calycopis cecrops |
Max myrtle, sumac, several oaks |
Wild cherry, coreopsis, sumac, sweet pepperbush, common milkweed, dogbane |
Gray Hairstreak |
Strymon melinus |
Large variety of plants, most often pea and mallow family |
dogbane, milkweed, mint, winter cress, goldenrod, white sweet clover |
White M Hairstreak |
Parrhasius m-album |
Oak species |
viburnum, sumac, sourwood, wild plum, sweet pepperbush, common milkweed, dogwood, goldenrod |
Coral Hairstreak |
Satyrium titus |
wild cherry, wild plum, chokeberry, rose family |
butterflyweed, dogbane, sulphur flower |
Blues |
Polyommatinae |
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|
Eastern Tailed-Blue |
Cupido comyntas |
many plants in the pea family including yellow sweet clover, alfalfa, clover, wild pea, bush clover |
found on flowers close to the ground like white sweet cover, shepherd’s needle, wild strawberry, cinquefoils, asters |
Summer Azure |
Celastrina neglecta |
Racemose dogwood, New Jersey Tea, and others |
flower nectar |
Parnassians and Swallowtails |
Papilionidae |
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Swallowtails |
Papilioniae |
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Black Swallowtail |
Papilio polyxenes |
Leaves of parley family (Apiaceae) – carrot, celery, dill, Queen Anne’s Lace |
red clover, common milkweed, liatris, thistles |
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail |
Papilio glaucus |
Wild cherry, sweetbay, basswood, tulip tree, birch, ash, cottonwood, mountain ash, willow |
wild cherry, lilac |
Giant Swallowtail |
Papilio cresphontes |
Citrus family, hop tree, common rue |
azalea, goldenrod, swamp milkweed |
Pipevine Swallowtail |
Battus philenor |
pipevines (Aristolochia) |
thistles, bergamot, azaleas, phlox, and others |
Spicebush Swallowtail |
Papilio troilus |
Spicebush, sassafras, tulip tree, sweetbay |
thistles, milkweed, azalea, dogbane, sweet pepperbush |
Zebra Swallowtail |
Eurytides marcellus |
Shrubs of genus Asimina (pawpaw), preferably young plants |
blueberry, blackberry, redbud, viper’s bugloss, dogbane, common milkweed |
Skippers |
Hesperiidae |
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Giant Skippers |
Megathyminae |
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Cofaqui Giant-Skipper |
Megathymus cofaqui |
Yucca filamentosas, Y. alofolia |
Adults do not feed, but males sip moisture from mud |
Spread-wing Skippers |
Pyrginae |
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|
Common Sootywing |
Pholisora catullus |
lambsquarters, amaranths, cockscomb |
many flowers including dogbane, oxalis, white clover, common milkweed, cucumber, and melon |
Golden Banded-Skipper |
Autochton cellus |
hog peanut (Amphicarpa bracteata) |
trailing arbutus, blackberry, abelia, hollyhock |
Hayhurst’s Scallopwing |
Staphylus hayhurstii |
Goosefoot family (Chenopodiacae), pigweed family (Amaranthaceae) |
white sweet clover, white clover, cucumber, dogbane |
Hoary Edge |
Achalarus lyciades |
beggar’s ticks, false indigo, bush clover, all pea family members |
milkweed, dogbane, buttonbush, New Jersey Tea |
Horace’s Duskywing |
Erynnis horatius |
Red, white, willow, post, water oaks |
dogbane, goldenrod, boneset |
Juvenal’s Duskywing |
Erynnis juvenalis |
Tree and shrub oaks |
wild plum, blueberry, redbud, lilac |
Long-tailed Skipper |
Urbanus proteus |
vine legumes including beans, blue peas, wisteria |
bougainvillea, lantana, shepherd’s needle |
Mottled Duskywing |
Erynnis martialis |
Buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae), wild lilacs |
hoary vervain, and others |
Northern Cloudywing |
Thorybes pylades |
Various plants in the pea family including bush clover, clover and others |
Blue, purple, pink or white flowers (thistles, milkweed, vervain) |
Silver-spotted Skipper |
Epargyreus clarus |
Woody legumes including black locust, honey locust, and false indigo |
red clover, common milkweed, liatris, thistles |
Sleepy Duskywing |
Erynnis brizo |
Shrubby oaks |
wild azalea, blueberry, blackberry, dandelion |
Southern Cloudywing |
Thorybes bathyllus |
pea family members (bush clover, clover, wild bean) |
Blue, purple, pink or white flowers (thistles, milkweed, vervain) |
Wild Indigo Duskywing |
Erynnis baptisiae |
wild indigo, crown vetch, lupine |
blackberry, sweet white clover, dogbane, sunflower |
Grass Skippers |
Hesperiinae |
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Swarthy Skipper |
Nastra lherminier |
little bluestem |
low-growing flowers like red clover, purple vetch |
Clouded Skipper |
Lerema accius |
various grasses including wooly beard grass, St. Augustine |
Various pink, purple, or white flowers including shepherd’s needle, selfheal, vervain, buttonbush, and lantana. |
Least Skipper |
Ancyloxypha numitor |
Various grasses including marsh millet (Zizaniopsis miliacea), rice cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides), and cultivated rice (Oryza sativa). |
Flower nectar from low growing plants such as wood sorrel, swamp verbena, pickerelweed, chickory, and white clover. |
Fiery Skipper |
Hylephila phyleus |
Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), crabgrass (Digitaria), St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), and other grasses. |
sweet pepperbush, swamp milkweed, asters, sneezeweed, knapweed, ironweed, and thistles |
Sachem |
Atalopedes campestris |
Grasses including Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), crabgrass (Digitaria), St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), and goosegrass (Eleusine). |
swamp and common milkweeds, buttonbush, dogbane, peppermint, red clover, tickseed sunflower, thistles, New York ironweed, marigold, and asters |
Tawny-edged Skipper |
Polites themistocles |
Panic grasses (Panicum), slender crabgrass (Digitaria filiformis), and bluegrass (Poa pratensis). |
alfalfa, red clover, dogbane, shrub houstonia, purple coneflower, thistles, and chicory |
Crossline Skipper |
Polites originese |
Purpletop (Tridens flavus), little bluestem (Andropogon scoparius), and other grasses |
White, pink, or purple flowers are preferred including purple vetch, red clover, selfheal, dogbane, shrub houstonia, New Jersey tea, and New York ironweed |
Southern Broken-Dash |
Wallengrenia otho |
Paspalum and St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum). |
pickerelweed, selfheal, and sweet pepperbush |
Northern Broken-Dash |
Wallengrenia egeremet |
Panic grasses including deertongue grass (Panicum clandestinum) and P. dichotomum |
white, pink, or purple flowers is favored including dogbane, red clover, New Jersey tea, and sweet pepperbush |
Little Glassywing |
Pompeius verna |
Purpletop (Tridens flavus). |
white, pink, and purple flowers is preferred, including dogbane, selfheal, peppermint, joe-pye weed, and common and swamp milkweeds. Yellow flowers are visited when others are unavailable |
Delaware Skipper |
Anatrytone logan |
Various grasses including big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), and wooly beard grass (Erianthus divaricatus). |
pink and white flowers including swamp and common milkweeds, shrub houstonia, mountain mint, marsh fleabane, sweet pepperbush, buttonbush, thistles, and pickerelweed |
Hobomok Skipper |
Poanes hobomok |
Various grasses including panic grasses (Panicum) and bluegrasses (Poa). |
common milkweed, henbit, viper’s bugloss, and blackberry |
Zabulon Skipper |
Poanes zabulon |
Grasses including lovegrass (Eragrostis), purpletop (Tridens), bluegrass (Poa), wheatgrass (Agropyron), orchardgrass (Dactylis), wildrye (Elymus), and bentgrass (Agrostis). |
blackberry, purple vetch, common milkweed, buttonbush, joe-pye weed, and thistles |
Broad-winged Skipper |
Poanes viator |
hairy sedge (Carex lacustris); |
swamp milkweed, blue vervain |
Yehl Skipper |
Poanes yehl |
Probably cane (Arundinaria species) |
sweet pepperbush, chinquapin, pickerelweed, and swamp milkweed |
Dion Skipper |
Euphyes dion |
Various sedges including woolgrass (Scirpus cyperinus), hairy sedge (Carex lacustris |
pickerelweed, sneezeweed, buttonbush, Alsike clover, and others |
Dun Skipper |
Euphyes vestris |
Various sedges including chufa flatsedge (Cyperus esculentus) and sun sedge (Carex heliophila). |
white, pink, or purple flowers including common milkweed, purple vetch, selfheal, peppermint, dogbane, New Jersey tea, and viper’s bugloss |
Dusted Skipper |
Atrytonopsis hiana |
Little bluestem (Andropogon scoparius) and big bluestem (A. gerardi). |
wild strawberry, blackberry, wild hyacinth, phlox, vervain, and red clover |
Pepper and Salt Skipper |
Amblyscirtes hegon |
Bluegrass (Poa pratensis), Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans and S. secundum), and Indian woodoats grass (Chasmanthium latifolia). |
viburnum and blackberry |
Reversed Roadside-Skipper |
Amblyscirtes reversa |
Switch cane (Arundinaria tecta) |
flower nectar |
Lace-winged Roadside Skipper |
Amblyscirtes aesculapius |
Probably cane (Arundinaria). |
sweet pepperbush, blackberry, passion flower, white clover, selfheal, and dogbane |
Common Roadside-Skipper |
Amblyscirtes vialis |
Various grasses including wild oats (Avena), bent grass (Agrostis), bluegrass (Poa), Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), and Indian woodoats grass (Chasmanthium latifolia). |
low-growing blue flowers including verbena and selfheal |
Ocola Skipper
|
Panoquina ocola |
Rice (Oryza sativa), sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum), and trompetilla grass (Hymenachne amplexicaulis). |
lantana, shepherd’s needle, swamp milkweed, buttonbush, and pickerelweed |
Whites and Sulphurs |
Pieridae |
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Whites |
Pierinae |
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Checkered White |
Pontia protodice |
Plants in the mustard family (Brassicaceae) including cabbage (Brassica oleraceae) |
hedge mustards, composites, and alfalfa |
Cabbage White
|
Pieris rapae |
Many plants in the mustard (Brassicaceae) family |
mustards, dandelion, red clover, asters, and mints |
West Virginia White |
Pieris virginiensis |
Toothworts (Dentaria diphylla and D. laciniata) in the mustard (Brassicaceae) family |
toothworts, spring beauty, violets, and other plants. |
Falcate Orangetip
|
Anthocharis midea |
Plants of the mustard (Brassicaceae) family including rock cress (Arabis) and winter cress (Barbarea) species |
flowers of mustards, violets, and others |
Sulphurs |
Coliadinae |
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Clouded Sulphur |
Colias philodice |
Plants in the pea family (Fabaceae) including alfalfa (Medicago sativa), white clover (Trifolium repens), and pea (Pisum sativum) |
Nectar of many flowering plants |
Orange Sulphur |
Colias eurytheme |
Plants in the pea family (Fabaceae) including alfalfa (Medicago sativa), white clover (Trifolium repens), and white sweet clover (Melilotus alba). |
dandelion, milkweeds, goldenrods, and asters. |
Southern Dogface |
Zerene cesonia |
Small-leaved plants in the pea family (Fabaceae) including alfalfa (Medicago sativa); prairie clovers (Pentalostemon), indigo (Dalea), and clover (Trifolium) species |
alfalfa, coreopsis, houstonia, and verbena |
Cloudless Sulphur |
Phoebis sennae |
Cassia species in the pea family (Fabaceae). |
flowers with long tubes including cordia, bougainvilla, cardinal flower, hibiscus, lantana, and wild morning glory |
Little Yellow |
Pyrisitia lisa |
Partridge pea (Cassia fasciculata) and wild sensitive plant (C. nicitans) in the pea family (Fabaceae). |
aster family (Asteraceae) including goldenrods and asters |
Sleepy Orange |
Abaeis nicippe |
Cassia species in the pea family (Fabaceae). |
many species of flowers |
Satyrs and Wood-Nymphs |
Satyrinae |
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|
Southern Pearly Eye |
Enodia portlandia |
Bamboo switch cane (A. tecta). |
Sap, rotting fruit, carrion, dung |
Northern Pearly Eye |
Enodia anthedon |
Various grasses including white grass (Leersia virginica), bearded shorthusk (Brachyelytrum erectum), plumegrass (Erianthus), broadleaf uniola (Uniola latifolia), and bottlebrush (Hystrix patula). |
Dung, fungi, carrion, and sap from willows, poplars, and birch |
Appalachian Brown
|
Satyrodes appalachia |
Sedge (Carex lacustris) and giant sedge (Rhynchospora inundata) in the sedge family (Cyperaceae). |
Sap and other non-floral resources |
Gemmed Satyr
|
Cyllopsis gemma |
Probably Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) |
not reported |
Carolina Satyr
|
Hermeuptychia sosybuis |
Carpet grass (Axonopus compressus), centipede grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides); probably St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), and others. |
Sap and rotting fruit |
Little Wood Nymph |
Megisto cymela |
Orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata) and centipede grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides). |
Sap, aphid honeydew, and rarely flower nectar. |
Common Wood Nymph |
Cercyonis pegala |
Purpletop (Tridens flavus) and other grasses. |
Rotting fruit, flower nectar |
Wild Silk Moths |
Saturniidae |
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Giant Silkworm Moths |
Saturniiae |
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Tuliptree silkmoth |
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Yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) in the magnolia family |
Adults do not feed. |
Cecropia silkmoth
|
Hyalophora cecropia |
Various trees and shrubs including box elder (Acer negundo), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), wild cherries and plums (Prunus), apples (Malus), alder and birch (Betulaceae), dogwoods (Cornus), and willows (Salix). |
Adults do not feed. |
Sphinx Moths, Hawkmoths |
Sphingidae |
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Macroglossinae |
Macroglossinae |
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Hummingbird clearwing |
Hemaris thysbe |
Honeysuckle (Lonicera), snowberry (Symphoricarpos), hawthorns (Crataegus), cherries and plums (Prunus), and European cranberry bush (Viburnum opulus). |
wide variety of flowers including beebalm, red clover, lilac, phlox, snowberry, cranberry, blueberry, vetch, and thistles |