butterfly guide in virginia and washington

8/12/2019 Butterfly Guide in Virginia and Washington

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

HELPFUL HINTS2

SWALLOWTAILS (Papilionidae)...3

WHITES and SULPHURS (Pieridae)..4

HAIRSTREAKS (Lycaenidae).4BLUES (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 Beginners Guide to

Butterfly Identification in

Northern Virginia andWashington, D.C.


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Book sources used to compile this guide:

A Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies, Opler, Paul A. and Vichai Malikul, Houghton MifflinCompany: 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(


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Pipevine SwallowtailColor(s): Black

Key Features: One row large orange spots on iridescent b

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 da

female E. Tiger Swallowtails. Note onerow of orange sp

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 areasfields, gardens, waste areas,

marshes, meadows

WARNING!Spicebush, Pipevine, and dark female E.

Tiger Swallowtails look similar in flight. Note tworows

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 tworows of orang

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.

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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) SulfurColor(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 AREAONLY!

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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 meadowsWARNING! 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 blu

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 a

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 AREAONLY!

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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

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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

KeyFeatures: 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 AREAONLY!

www.wisconsinbutterflies.org

Painted LadyColor(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 AREAONLY!

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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 willo

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

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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, butusually 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 AREAONLY!

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butterfly guide in virginia and washington

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