Types of Butterflies in New York
New York hosts close to 120 species of butterflies that are vibrant and quite uncommon. Some species like the Red Admiral, Question Mark, American Lady, Painted Lady, Mourning Cloak, Pearl Crescent, Cabbage White, Orange Sulphur, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Silver-Spotted Skipper, and Common Sootywing are only spotted in the urban areas. The main butterfly hotspots in the state are the Van Cortlandt Park, Pelham Bay Park, Inwood Hill Park, Central Park, Jamaica Bay, Prospect Park/ Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, Floyd Bennett Field, Tottenville, and Sailor’s Snug Harbor Park.
New York has designated Red Spotted Purple / White Admiral Butterfly (Limenitis arthemis) as its state butterfly.
Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)
- ‘Astyanax‘ Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax)
- Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis)
- Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)
- White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis arthemis)
- Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis)
- Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton)
- Aphrodite Fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite)
- Atlantis Fritillary (Speyeria atlantis)
- Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele)
- Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)
- Meadow Fritillary (Boloria bellona)
- Regal Fritillary (Speyeria idalia)
- Silver-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene)
- Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)
- Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
- American Snout (Libytheana carinenta)
- American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
- Baltimore (Euphydryas phaeton)
- California Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica)
- Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)
- Compton Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis vaualbum)
- Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma)
- European Peacock (Inachis io)
- Gorgone Checkerspot (Chlosyne gorgone)
- Gray Comma (Polygonia progne)
- Green Comma (Polygonia faunus)
- Harris’ Checkerspot (Chlosyne harrisii)
- Hoary Comma (Polygonia gracilis)
- Milbert’s Tortoiseshell (Aglais milberti)
- Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)
- Northern Crescent (Phyciodes cocyta)
- Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
- Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
- Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
- Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis)
- Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)
- Tawny Crescent (Phyciodes batesii)
Gossamer-Winged (Lycaenidae)
- Harvester (Feniseca tarquinius)
- American Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)
- Purplish Copper (Lycaena helloides)
- Bronze Copper (Lycaena hyllus)
- Bog Copper (Lycaena epixanthe)
- Great Purple Hairstreak (Atlides halesus)
- Hessel’s Hairstreak (Callophrys hesseli)
- Early Hairstreak (Erora laeta)
- White-M Hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album)
- Oak Hairstreak (Satyrium favonius)
- Coral Hairstreak (Satyrium titus)
- Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)
- Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus)
- Striped Hairstreak (Satyrium liparops)
- Acadian Hairstreak (Satyrium acadica)
- Hickory Hairstreak (Satyrium caryaevorus)
- Edwards’ Hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii)
- Olive (Juniper) Hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus)
- Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops)
- Henry’s Elfin (Callophrys henrici)
- Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophrys niphon)
- Frosted Elfin (Callophrys irus)
- Brown Elfin (Callophrys augustinus)
- Hoary Elfin (Callophrys polios)
- Bog Elfin (Callophrys lanoraieensis)
- Marine Blue (Leptotes marina)
- Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon)
- Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta)
- Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas)
- Northern Azure (Celastrina lucia)
- Cherry Gall Azure (Celastrina serotina)
- Appalachian Azure (Celastrina neglectamajor)
- Silvery Blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus)
- Melissa Blue (Plebejus melissa)
Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)
- Falcate Orangetip (Anthocharis midea)
- Olympia Marble (Euchloe olympia)
- Florida White (Appias drusilla)
- Mustard White (Pieris oleracea)
- Cabbage White (Pieris rapae)
- Checkered White (Pontia protodice)
- Western White (Pontia occidentalis)
- West Virginia White (Pieris virginiensis)
- Large White (Pieris brassicae)
- Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice)
- Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)
- Southern Dogface (Colias cesonia)
- Pink-edged Sulphur (Colias interior)
- Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae)
- Large Orange Sulphur (Phoebis agarithe)
- Orange-barred Sulphur (Phoebis philea)
- Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole)
- Sleepy Orange (Eurema nicippe)
- Little Yellow (Pyrisitia lisa)
Metalmark (Riodinidae)
- Northern Metalmark (Calephelis borealis)
Swallowtail (Papilionidae)
- Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
- Canadian Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio canadensis)
- Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
- Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)
- Palamedes Swallowtail (Papilio palamedes)
- Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)
- Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)
- Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus)
Skipper (Hesperiidae)
- Columbine Duskywing (Erynnis lucilius)
- Common Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus communis)
- Common Sootywing (Pholisora catullus)
- Dreamy Duskywing (Erynnis icelus)
- Golden Banded-Skipper (Autochton cellus)
- Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus centaureae)
- Hoary Edge (Achalarus lyciades)
- Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius)
- Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis)
- Long-tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus)
- Mottled Duskywing (Erynnis martialis)
- Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades)
- Persius Duskywing (Erynnis persius)
- Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
- Sleepy Duskywing (Erynnis brizo)
- Southern Cloudywing (Thorybes bathyllus)
- Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae)
