Butterfly Identification Search

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Butterfly Identification

Identify any butterfly: 131 species profiles with pictures of the egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and adult, 6 family guides, species lists for every US state and 83 countries, and plain answers about the butterfly life cycle, written by an entomologist and reviewed by a wildlife veterinarian.

  • 131species profiles
  • 6butterfly families
  • 133state and country lists
  • 19butterfly facts guides

Recently updated

Profiles our editors revisited most recently, with new photos and corrected facts.

Mountain Ringlet (Erebia epiphron)Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)Mountain Ringlet (Erebia epiphron)A small, sooty butterfly with a chain of orange spots, the mountain ringlet lives higher than any other butterfly in Britain and spends its brief adult life a few inches above the
Swallowtail (Papilionidae)Spicebush SwallowtailSpicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)Aphrodite FritillaryAphrodite Fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite)Swallowtail (Papilionidae)Large Citrus ButterflyLarge Citrus (Papilio aegeus)

Newly added butterflies

The latest species profiles on the site.

Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)Monarch ButterflyMonarch (Danaus plexippus)Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)Edith’s CheckerspotEdith’s Checkerspot (Euphydryas editha)Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)Painted Lady ButterflyPainted Lady (Vanessa cardui)Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)Milbert’s TortoiseshellMilbert’s Tortoiseshell (Aglais milberti)Swallowtail (Papilionidae)Eastern Black SwallowtailEastern Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes asterius)Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)Bay CheckerspotBay Checkerspot (Euphydryas editha bayensis)Swallowtail (Papilionidae)Pipevine Swallowtail ButterflyPipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)Blue Morpho ButterflyBlue Morpho (Morpho menelaus)
Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)Little Yellow ButterflyLittle Yellow (Eurema lisa)Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)Blue Moon ButterflyBlue Moon (Hypolimnas bolina)Swallowtail (Papilionidae)Common Yellow Swallowtail ButterflyCommon Yellow Swallowtail (Papilio machaon)Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)Rice Paper ButterflyPaper Kite (Idea leuconoe)Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)PostmanPostman (Heliconius melpomene)Swallowtail (Papilionidae)Giant SwallowtailGiant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)Chinese Bush Brown ButterflyChinese Bush Brown (Mycalesis gotama)Swallowtail (Papilionidae)The Ulysses ButterflyUlysses (Papilio Ulysses)

The butterfly life cycle

Every profile shows all four stages. Start with the guide to each one, or read the complete life cycle of a butterfly.

EggsWhere they are laid, how long they take to hatchCaterpillarInstars, host plants, how to identify oneChrysalisWhat happens inside the pupaAdultLifespan, feeding, mating and migration

Butterfly families

Every profile sits in one of 6 families. Start here if you know roughly what kind of butterfly you saw.

Types of Brush-Footed Butterfly52 profilesBrush-Footed (Nymphalidae)Types of Swallowtail Butterfly33 profilesSwallowtail (Papilionidae)Types of Gossamer-Winged Butterfly25 profilesGossamer-Winged (Lycaenidae)Types of Whites and Sulfurs Butterfly13 profilesWhites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)Types of Skipper Butterfly5 profilesSkipper (Hesperiidae)Types of Metalmark Butterfly3 profilesMetalmark (Riodinidae)

Butterflies by US state

Which butterflies live in your state, with an identification chart and the species grouped by family. All states.

All 50 states

Butterflies of the world

Species lists by country, from the United Kingdom to Costa Rica. All countries.

All 83 countries

Butterfly facts

Who writes Butterfly Identification

Species profiles are written by Poppy Glendening, an entomologist and conservation biologist, and Dr. James Watuwa, a wildlife veterinarian who also reviews every page before it is published. Each profile is checked against museum records and peer-reviewed sources, and every guide carries the date of its last review. More about the team and our method →