Tennessee Butterflies: Pictures and Butterfly Identification Help

picture of a Zebra Swallowtail butterfly, the state butterfly of Tennessee and part of the Tennessee Butterflies collection

For a Southern state, Tennessee has a comparatively smaller number of butterfly species.

What they lack in total numbers, they make up with enthusiasm. Butterfly gardens are promoted throughout the state. For example, people in the Chattanooga area can visit the Butterfly Pavillion at the Tennessee River Gardens & Nature Preserve. The Smoky Mountains in the east are great for butterfly enthusiasts, with close to one hundred documented species.

The North American Butterfly Association (NABA) Middle Tennessee chapter can set any resident up with a plant, shrub and tree selection to build a very successful three season butterfly garden.

They also participate three times each year in the NABA butterfly count. All interested persons are invited to join them and spend a few days of the year walking here and there counting the butterflies.

Finally, in the west, the Memphis Zoo also hosts a butterfly garden and provides residents local butterfly garden growing tips.

Butterfly identification usually begins with color, and the Tennessee butterflies guide provides a list of all the state’s butterflies arranged according to family, with color a major family component.

One page is never enough to provide all the butterfly pictures. Please press the green butterflies button for additional pictures and information.

Butterflies: Whites and Yellows


picture of a clouded sulphur butterfly on purple salvia, part of the Tennessee butterflies section
Butterflies with white wings and yellow wings belong to a family called Pieridae. Most states have more of the yellow butterfly species and Tennessee is no exception.

The picture shows a Clouded Sulpher butterfly. The list divides the Tennessee species into color categories.

West Virginia Whites and Olympia Marbles have the most limited range. They are eastern species.

Whites
Falcate Orangetip
Olympia Marble
West Virginia White
Cabbage White
Checkered White
Yellows
Clouded Sulphur
Orange Sulphur
Southern Dogface
Cloudless Sulphur
Barred Yellow
Mexican Yellow
Little Yellow
Sleepy Orange
Dainty Sulphur

Blues, Hairtreaks and Coppers


picture of a credit: andy-reago-chrissy mc flickr
The list sure does show a high number of hairstreak butterflies in the state. Only the Red-banded and Gray have a state wide distribution.

The picture shows a Banded Hairstreak. They are a fairly common eastern species.

Harvesters are the most common copper butterflies in the state. A few western and central counties host the Bronze Copper. Eastern areas are hosts to the American Copper.

Summer Azures and Eastern Tailed-blues are common all through Tennessee. The remainder of the species have very limited geographical ranges.

Blues
Marine Blue
Eastern Tailed-Blue
Spring Azure
Summer Azure
Dusky Azure
Appalachian Azure
Silvery Blue
Ceraunus Blue
Reakirt’s Blue
Hairstreaks
Great Purple Hairstreak
Juniper Hairstreak
Olive’ Juniper Hairstreak
Brown Elfin
Frosted Elfin
Henry’s Elfin
Eastern Pine Elfin
Oak Hairstreak
Northern’ Southern Hairstreak
Coral Hairstreak
Hickory Hairstreak
Edwards’ Hairstreak
Banded Hairstreak
Striped Hairstreak
Red-banded Hairstreak
Gray Hairstreak
White-M Hairstreak
Early Hairstreak
Coppers
Harvester
American Copper
Bronze Copper

Brush Footed Butterflies


picture of an Eastern Comma butterfly
The picture shows an Eastern Comma butterfly. They, along with the Question Mark are the two most common Comma butterfly species in Tennessee.

The state also has a large number of Fritillary species. All of them are very common in the eastern part of the state.

Brush footed
picture of a Mourning Cloak butterfly
Mourning Cloak

picture of a Red-spotted Purple butterfly
Red-spotted Purple

picture of a Pearl Crescent butterfly
Pearl Crescent

picture of a Phaon Crescent butterfly
Phaon Crescent

picture of a Silvery Checkerspot butterfly
Silvery Checkerspot

picture of a side view of a Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly
Great Spangled Fritillary

picture of a top view of a Gulf Fritillary butterfly
Gulf Fritillary

picture of a Variegated Fritillary butterfly
Variegated Fritillary

picture of a side view of a Monarch butterfly
Monarch Butterfly (side view)

picture of a side view of a Queen butterfly, top view
Queen Butterfly

Brush footed
picture of a Common Buckeye butterfly
Common Buckeye

picture of a Red Admiral butterfly
Red Admiral

picture of an American Lady butterfly, side view
American Lady

picture of a side view of a Painted Lady butterfly
Painted Lady (side view)

picture of a side view of a Hackberry Emperor butterfly
Hackberry Emperor

picture of a Tawny Emperor butterfly
Tawny Emperor

picture of a Common Wood Nymph butterfly
Common Wood Nymph

picture of a top view of a Little Wood Satyr butterfly
Little Wood Satyr (top view)

picture of a Green Comma butterfly
Green Comma

picture of an Question Mark butterfly
Question Mark

The gallery shows a variety of brushfoot species covering most of the genera.

The list below rounds out the Tennessee butterflies in the Brush Foot category. Please press the butterfly button for more butterfly pictures and identification help.

Brush footed
American Snout
Monarch
Diana Fritillary
Great Spangled Fritillary
Aphrodite Fritillary
Gorgone Checkerspot
Phaon Crescent
Pearl Crescent
Baltimore Checkerspot
Common Buckeye
Brush footed
Eastern Comma
Gray Comma
Red Admiral
Painted Lady
American Lady
Goatweed Leafwing
Southern Pearly-eye
Northern Pearly-eye
Creole Pearly-eye
Appalachian Brown
Gemmed Satyr
Carolina Satyr

Butterflies: Swallowtails


picture of a Giant Swallowtail
The Zebra Swallowtail is the state butterfly. The picture shows another very common species, the Giant Swallowtail.

The Applachian Swallowtail and the Palamedes have the smallest range. Otherwise, Tennessee swallowtail butterflies fly all over the state.

  • Pipevine Swallowtail
  • Zebra Swallowtail
  • Black Swallowtail
  • Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail
  • Tiger Swallowtail
  • Swallowtail
  • Palamedes Swallowtail
  • Giant Swallowtail