Types of Butterflies

Butterflies are probably the most popular insects in the United States. Different types of butterflies can be found in the forests and fields of all fifty states.

Butterfly Families and Species Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae) Identifying Whites Cabbage White Butterfly Orange Tip Butterflies Sulphur Butterflies Lycaenidae Blue Butterfly Identification Johnson's Hairstreak Reakirt's Blue Silvery Blue Spring Azure Brown Elfin Purplish Copper Brushfooted Butterflies Admirals American Snout Checkerspots Comma Butterflies Common Buckeye Crescents Empress Leila Fritillaries Monarch Butterfly Queen Butterfly Tortoiseshells Riodinidae Metalmark Butterflies Papilionidae Swallowtail Butterflies Hesperiidae Spreadwing Skippers

When people talk about different types of butterflies, often they are referring to the different families. Most of the families get their name from a shared physical characteristic.

This article outlines six different families.

Hesperiidae (skippers): The skippers are commonly the small brownish butterflies that hop from flower to flower. They are characterized by relatively large eyes and closed wings at rest. Some of the common names for skippers are longtails, flashers, cloudywings, flats, sootywings, duskywings and skipperlings

Lycaenidae (gossamer-wings): The gossamer-wing butterflies are characteristically small butterflies. All the subfamilies have similar looking species making for difficult field identification. Except for their sharing a blue color, the blue butterflies are among the most difficult to identify. Other member of the Lycaenidae family are the coppers, hairstreaks and elfins

Nymphalidae (brush-footed butterflies): The brush-footed butterflies make up the largest family of butterflies. Admirals, for example, are a subfamily in this group with a variety of different species. Some of the common names for brush-footed butterfly species are: fritillaries, checkerspots, ladies, crescents, commas and tortoiseshells. Many of the butterflies in this family are an orange color. You need to look at the wing patterns to correctly identifty them.

Papilionidae (swallowtails): The swallowtail butterflies are the primary butterflies in this family. They are characterized by extended apendages (tails) at the bottom of their wings.

Pieridae (whites and sulphurs): The white and sulphur (yellow) butterflies are easy to see in the field and initially identified by color. One of the most common white butterflies you see in yards and gardens is the Cabbage White butterfly. The catepillar is fond of garden vegetables. Marbles, orangetips, yellows and dogfaces are also in the family.

Riodinidae (metalmarks): They are typically small brown butterflies, found in the Southwest and Rio Grande valley.

Click on any link in the box on the right to learn more about individual species or groups.

© 2005-2007. Patricia A. Michaels.