Arizona Butterflies: Pictures and Butterfly Identification Help

Like it’s neighbors California and New Mexico, Arizona is filled with butterflies. Butterfly diversity increased because the northern mountains and the southern deserts support two sets of butterflies species.

The Grand Canyon, for example, hosts around 290 butterfly species. Many with ranges that extend along the Rocky Mountain region. The picture shows a Great Basin Wood-nymph, one such species.

The Desert Southwest, for example, hosts around 270 butterfly species. Many with ranges that extend along the southern border. The picture shows a Chiricahua white, one such species.

Arizona also hosts addition butterfly species with more extended ranges. For example, the Painted Lady in the video ranks at the top of the extended ranges list, living in many areas of the northern hemisphere.

Butterfly diversity also translates into enthusiasm for butterfly identification. This introduction to Arizona Butterflies includes pictures and identification tips. For additional videos, pictures and tips not presented here, please press the green Butterflies button.

Brush-footed Butterflies

Almost one hundred brush-footed butterflies call Arizona home. Because they tend to be the larger and colorful species found in residential areas around the state, learning how to identify them and their favored plants and flowers helps with maintaining healthy butterfly habitat.

Physical characteristics such as wing color, patterns and shape are normally sufficient for butterfly identification. That’s most easily done by having both a top view and side view picture of the butterfly in question. The picture at the top of this section shows an Empress Leilia, one of the southern ranging species. It’s one of five emperor butterfly species found in Arizona, so it’s general wing color, pattern and shape can look similar to the other emperor butterfly species.

The top view of the Empress leilia shows two solid bars close to the middle of each of the top wings (see arrow in picture). That’s a good field ID clue because the Hackberry emperor has one solid wing bar close to the middle of each of the top wings.

This next picture shows a side view of an Empress Leilia. The three eyespots on the top of the wing serve as the best field identification clue.

The picture shows an Arizona Sister. It’s related to the California Sister on the West Coast and the Band-celled Sister in Texas.

A quick look at the Brush-footed butterfly list that follows highlights the fact that Arizona hosts multiple butterflies in a genus. Following the butterfly identification tips will make identifying them much easier.

Arizona Butterflies: Whites and Yellows

The title of this section suggests that wing color defines the members of the Pieridae family, initially identified by wing color. Common names such as Western White and Great Southern White basically explain a good deal about their different ranges. Cabbage white butterflies range across the United States in any area where plants in the cabbage family grow.

The picture shows a Checkered white. It’s range extends across most of the United States.

Arizona also hosts almost every yellow butterfly species with similar range patterns. With one or two exceptions, a top and bottom picture works great for identification. The picture shows a Tailed Orange butterfly. Photographing and documenting the three dozen white and yellow butterflies would be enough to keep any tourist happy for weeks.

Blues, Hairtreaks and Coppers

Arizona butterflies also means gossamer-wing butterflies. Family Lycaenidae divides into three groups, the blues, hairstreaks and coppers. The list shows over five dozen different species.

The picture at the top of the section shows a Leda Ministreak. It’s a Southwest specialty.

This next picture shows an Arizona hairstreak, a state namesake with a beautiful set of green wings.

Blue butterfly identification can be a difficult challenge, even for experts, due to the high number of Dotted-blue species in the state.

The other blue butterfly species are fairly easy to identify with some side view pictures. The picture shows a Ceraunus blue butterfly. Note the brown and white pattern on the wings and the dark spot on the edge of the bottom wing and the hint of another dark spot subsequently faded next to it.

Compare that with the next picture of a Marine blue butterfly. Note the brown and white pattern on the wings and two dark spots on the edge of the bottom wing.

Attention to wing patterns with a side view work great for identification purposes.

Butterflies: Swallowtails

Arizona’s warmer climate makes for a diverse Swallowtail butterfly population. Over a dozen different species are documented. The picture shows a Two-tailed Swallowtail, the official state butterfly. They do lack the Parnassian species, because they are the more cold hardy of the swallowtail family species. The Kaibab Indra Swallowtail, a subspecies of the Indra, is state listed as endangered.

• White-dotted Cattleheart
• Pipevine Swallowtail
• Polydamas Swallowtail
• Old World Swallowtail
• Black Swallowtail
• Anise Swallowtail
• Indra Swallowtail
• Western Tiger Swallowtail
• Two-tailed Swallowtail
• Three-tailed Swallowtail
• Giant Swallowtail
• Broad-banded Swallowtail
• Ruby-spotted Swallowtail

Arizona Butterflies: Metalmarks

Many first time visitors to Arizona might be a bit confused about the identity of some rather ordinary looking butterflies, the Metalmarks. Metalmark butterflies are mostly a sub-tropical and tropical family. Metalmark diversity is at its highest in the Southwest. Arizona boasts over a dozen different species, including the Arizona Metalmark in the picture. Here’s the list.

• Fatal Metalmark
• Wright’s Metalmark
• Arizona Metalmark
• Bumblebee Metalmark
• Maria’s Metalmark
• Zela Metalmark
• Ares Metalmark
• Mormon Metalmark
• Sonoran Metalmark
• Palmer’s Metalmark
• Hepburn’s Metalmark
• Crescent Metalmark
• Nais Metalmark