Types of Butterflies in Maryland
The eastern Mid-Atlantic state of Maryland is home to about 150 species of butterflies and skippers that are commonly spotted hovering across the woods, fields, yards, and gardens. They feed on nectar from flowers, rotting fruit, animal scat, or the wet and decaying woods. Some butterfly species have a specific choice, such as Palamedes Swallowtail butterfly in the caterpillar stage only eats the rare Red bay trees that occur in Eastern Shore of Worcester and Somerset Counties.
Maryland has Baltimore checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton) as its state butterfly, designated in 1973.
Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)
- Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis)
- White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis arthemis)
- ‘Astyanax‘ Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax)
- Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)
- Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis)
- Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton)
- Aphrodite Fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite)
- Atlantis Fritillary (Speyeria atlantis)
- Diana (Speyeria diana)
- Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele)
- Regal Fritillary (Speyeria idalia)
- Meadow Fritillary (Boloria bellona)
- Silver-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene)
- Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)
- Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)
- Zebra Heliconian (Heliconius charithonius)
- Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
- Queen (Danaus gilippus)
- American Snout (Libytheana carinenta)
- American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
- Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
- Compton Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis vaualbum)
- Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)
- Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma)
- Gray Comma (Polygonia progne)
- Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)
- Harris’ Checkerspot (Chlosyne harrisii)
- Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis)
- Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
- Tawny Crescent (Phyciodes batesii)
- Baltimore (Euphydryas phaeton)
- Milbert’s Tortoiseshell (Aglais milberti)
- Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)
White and Sulphur (Pieridae)
- Cabbage white (Pieris rapae)
- West Virginia white (Pieris virginiensis)
- Checkered white (Pontia protodice)
- Falcate orangetip (Anthocharis midea)
- Olympia marble (Euchloe olympia)
- Clouded sulphur (Colias philodice)
- Orange sulphur (Colias eurytheme)
- Pink-edged sulphur (Colias interior)
- Sleepy orange (Abaeis nicippe)
- Little yellow (Eurema lisa)
- Cloudless sulphur (Phoebis sennae)
Gossamer-Winged (Lycaenidae)
- Harvester (Feniseca tarquinius)
- American copper (Lycaena phlaeas)
- Harvester (Feniseca tarquinius)
- Bog copper (Lycaena epixanthe)
- Bronze copper (Lycaena hyllus)
- Gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus)
- White M hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album)
- Banded hairstreak (Satyrium calanus)
- Hickory hairstreak (Satyrium caryaevorus)
- Edward’s hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii)
- King’s hairstreak (Satyrium kingi)
- Striped hairstreak (Satyrium liparops)
- Northern oak hairstreak (Satyrium favonius ontario)
- Coral hairstreak (Satyrium titus)
- Red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops)
- Brown elfin (Callophrys augustinus)
- Henry’s elfin (Callophrys henrici)
- Frosted elfin (Callophrys irus)
- Hoary elfin (Callophrys polios)
- Eastern pine elfin (Callophrys niphon)
- Great purple hairstreak (Atlides halesus)
- Juniper hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus)
- Hessel’s hairstreak (Callophrys hesseli)
- Early hairstreak (Erora laeta)
- Eastern tail-blue (Cupido comyntas)
- Silvery blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus)
- Appalachian azure (Celastrina neglectamajor)
- Dusky azure (Celastrina nigra)
Metalmark (Riodinidae)
- Little Metalmark (Calephelis virginiensis)
- Northern Metalmark (Calephelis borealis)
Swallowtail (Papilionidae)
- Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
- Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
- Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)
- Palamedes Swallowtail (Papilio palamedes)
- Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)
- Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)
- Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus)
Skipper (Hesperiidae)
- Common Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus communis)
- Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus centaureae)
- Confusing Cloudywing (Thorybes confusis)
- Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades)
- Southern Cloudywing (Thorybes bathyllus)
- Dreamy Duskywing (Erynnis icelus)
- Mottled Duskywing (Erynnis martialis)
- Persius Duskywing (Erynnis persius)
- Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius)
- Sleepy Duskywing (Erynnis brizo)
- Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis)
- Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae)
- Zarucco Duskywing (Erynnis zarucco)
- Long-tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus)
- Dorantes Longtail (Urbanus dorantes)
- Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
- Golden Banded-Skipper (Autochton cellus)
- Hayhurst’s Scallopwing (Staphylus hayhurstii)
- Hoary Edge (Achalarus lyciades)
- Common Sootywing (Pholisora catullus)
