Types of Butterflies in Tennessee
Tennessee has around 145 butterfly species recorded, most of them eastern woodland and field butterflies, spread from the Great Smoky Mountains in the east to the Mississippi River bottoms at Reelfoot Lake in the west. The state butterfly since 1995 is the Zebra Swallowtail, a pale, long-tailed butterfly tied to pawpaw thickets along Tennessee's rivers, and the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Monarch, Orange Sulphur, Red Admiral and Silver-spotted Skipper are the everyday species. The mountains add rarities such as the Diana Fritillary, and the cedar glades of Middle Tennessee hold the Olympia Marble.
On this page
- Butterflies found in Tennessee
- Butterflies of Tennessee at a glance
- Signature Tennessee butterflies
- The Tennessee butterfly calendar
- Where to see butterflies in Tennessee
- Host plants and butterfly gardening in Tennessee
- Rare and threatened butterflies in Tennessee
- How to identify butterflies in Tennessee
- Frequently asked questions
Butterflies of Tennessee at a glance
Tennessee stretches 700 km from the Appalachian crest to the Mississippi, and its butterflies change with the landscape. The Unaka and Great Smoky Mountains of the east hold the Appalachian species, the Diana Fritillary, Early Hairstreak, Appalachian Azure and West Virginia White; the Ridge and Valley and the Cumberland Plateau carry the woodland butterflies of the whole eastern United States; the limestone cedar glades of the Central Basin around Nashville have their own spring flora and with it the Olympia Marble; and the flat coastal-plain country of West Tennessee and the Reelfoot Lake bottoms bring in southern species and late-summer immigrants. Around 145 species have been recorded.
The brush-footed butterflies are the largest family, with the fritillaries, admirals, emperors, crescents and the Monarch. The skippers come next with about 60 species, then the hairstreaks, elfins and blues, a dozen or so whites and sulphurs, and seven swallowtails. No metalmark has been confirmed in the state.
Signature Tennessee butterflies
The Zebra Swallowtail became the state butterfly in 1995 and is easy to recognise: pale greenish-white with black stripes, a red spot at the base of the hindwing and the longest tails of any eastern butterfly. It lives wherever pawpaw grows, which in Tennessee means river bottoms, creek banks and moist woodland across the whole state. The spring brood, out from late March, is small with short tails; the summer brood is larger, darker and longer-tailed.
The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is the big yellow butterfly of every Tennessee garden and creek, and many of its females here are the black form that copies the toxic Pipevine Swallowtail, common along the Cumberland Plateau and in the Smokies. The Spicebush Swallowtail patrols shaded woodland, and the Giant Swallowtail breeds on prickly ash and hop tree in the Central Basin.
Among the brush-foots, the Great Spangled Fritillary is the common big orange butterfly of June meadows, while the larger Diana, orange-and-black male and blue-and-black female, is confined to the rich forests of the Smokies and the Cumberland Plateau. The Red-spotted Purple and Viceroy are the two Tennessee butterflies built on mimicry, one copying the Pipevine Swallowtail and the other the Monarch, and the Baltimore Checkerspot, black with orange and cream chequers, survives in scattered wet meadows where turtlehead grows. The Orange Sulphur and Clouded Sulphur are the yellow butterflies of every hayfield from spring to frost.
The Tennessee butterfly calendar
Tennessee's butterfly year opens in late February and March with the species that hibernated as adults: the Mourning Cloak, Question Mark and Eastern Comma fly on the first warm afternoons, followed by the Spring Azure and, in April, the Falcate Orangetip along wooded streams, the Olympia Marble on the cedar glades, the elfins in the pine and oak woods and the first Zebra and Eastern Tiger Swallowtails on redbud and plum. The West Virginia White has its short spring flight in the mountain coves.
June to September is the peak. The hairstreaks have their single brief flight in June, the fritillaries and Diana follow in July, and the crescents, emperors, admirals and most skippers fly all summer through two or three broods. Late summer brings southern immigrants that push north across West and Middle Tennessee every year but cannot overwinter: Cloudless Sulphurs, Little Yellows, Sleepy Oranges, the Long-tailed Skipper and the Gulf Fritillary on garden passion vines.
The Monarch breeds on milkweed across the state and passes through in numbers from mid-September to mid-October, when butterflies from the Great Lakes region cross Tennessee heading south-west and roost by the hundred in trees along ridges and river valleys; our guide to butterfly migration follows them to Mexico. Buckeyes, Painted Ladies and sulphurs stay on the wing into November in the lowlands.
Where to see butterflies in Tennessee
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has recorded well over 100 butterfly species and is the obvious starting point, but each region of the state has a site worth a trip.
- Cades Cove and Cataloochee, Great Smoky Mountains — Diana Fritillaries, Pipevine Swallowtails and hilltopping swallowtails on the meadow edges in July and August.
- Cedars of Lebanon State Park — the limestone cedar glades of Middle Tennessee for the Olympia Marble and Juniper Hairstreak in April.
- Radnor Lake and Warner Parks, Nashville — Zebra Swallowtails on pawpaw along the trails from late March.
- Ijams Nature Center, Knoxville — native butterfly gardens and river-bottom trails with the full run of East Tennessee species.
- Reelfoot Lake — Viceroys, Hackberry Emperors, Question Marks and late-summer sulphurs in the cypress bottoms of the north-west.
The mountain fauna is shared with North Carolina and Virginia, and the species of the northern counties with Kentucky across the state line.
Host plants and butterfly gardening in Tennessee
Tennessee's mild climate and native flora make butterfly gardening easy, provided the garden includes the caterpillar host plants rather than nectar flowers alone.
- Pawpaw — the only food of the Zebra Swallowtail; two or three small trees in a shady corner will attract females within a year.
- Tulip tree, wild cherry, spicebush and sassafras — the Eastern Tiger and Spicebush Swallowtails.
- Dill, fennel, parsley and golden Alexanders — the Black Swallowtail.
- Dutchman's pipe — the Pipevine Swallowtail.
- Common, swamp and butterfly milkweed — the Monarch, and nectar for almost everything.
- Violets — the Great Spangled, Diana, Meadow and Variegated Fritillaries; the caterpillars hibernate in leaf litter, so leave it in place.
- Hackberry — Hackberry and Tawny Emperors, the American Snout and Question Mark.
- Clover, alfalfa and wild indigo — the sulphurs, the Eastern Tailed-Blue and the Wild Indigo Duskywing.
For nectar, redbud and phlox in spring, milkweed, coneflower and bee balm at midsummer, then ironweed, Joe-Pye weed, goldenrod and asters keep the September Monarchs and sulphurs fed.
Rare and threatened butterflies in Tennessee
None of Tennessee's butterflies is federally listed, but several are tracked by the state as rare. The Diana Fritillary has retreated to the mountains and the Cumberland Plateau as its open woodlands closed over. The Early Hairstreak, a tiny blue-grey butterfly whose caterpillars feed on beech nuts high in the canopy, is known from only a few spots in the Smokies. The Frosted Elfin depends on wild indigo in fire-maintained openings, the Baltimore Checkerspot on turtlehead wet meadows that are being drained, and the Olympia Marble on the cedar glades of the Central Basin, a habitat being lost to Nashville's growth. The West Virginia White faces the added threat of invasive garlic mustard, which lures females to lay eggs and then poisons the caterpillars.
The Monarch is the wider concern. Tennessee is both breeding range and migration corridor, and the eastern population has fallen sharply since the 1990s; the species is under review for federal protection as threatened, and milkweed plantings on roadsides, farms and school grounds have become the state's most visible butterfly conservation effort.
Butterflies found in Tennessee
95 species listed for Tennessee, grouped by family. Linked names have a full profile on this site with pictures of every life stage.
Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)
Limenitis arthemisRed Spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis)The red-spotted purple is a large, tailless North American brush-footed butterfly whose upperside shines iridescent blue-black, a pattern copied from 
Limenitis archippusViceroy (Limenitis archippus)The viceroy (Limenitis archippus) is an orange-and-black North American butterfly that looks like a small monarch but carries one extra black line cur
Asterocampa celtisHackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis)The hackberry emperor is a medium-sized tan and brown butterfly of eastern and central North America that never strays far from a hackberry tree, and 
Speyeria aphroditeAphrodite Fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite)The Aphrodite fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite) is a large orange-and-black butterfly of prairies, dry fields and open woodland across southern Canada a
Speyeria dianaDiana Fritillary (Speyeria diana)The Diana fritillary is a large woodland butterfly of the southern Appalachians and the Ozarks in which the two sexes look like different species: theSpeyeria cybeleGreat Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele)A big orange butterfly of summer meadows, the great spangled fritillary is named for the sheet of silver spangles on the underside of its hindwings.
Agraulis vanillaeGulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)The Gulf fritillary is a long-winged orange butterfly of the southern United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and tropical America, and its defining mark
Boloria bellonaMeadow Fritillary (Boloria bellona)The meadow fritillary is a small orange-and-black butterfly of damp meadows and pastures across southern Canada and the northern United States, and th
Euptoieta claudiaVariegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)Half fritillary and half longwing, the variegated fritillary is the orange butterfly of American roadsides, pastures and vacant lots.Danaus plexippusMonarch (Danaus plexippus)The monarch is a large orange butterfly with black-outlined wing veins and a black, white-spotted border, found across North America and now on severa
Euphydryas phaetonBaltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton)Black wings tiled with cream squares and rimmed in brick orange, the Baltimore checkerspot is the state insect of Maryland and one of the most tightly
Junonia coeniaCommon Buckeye (Junonia coenia)Six large eyespots on a brown ground make the common buckeye one of the easiest North American butterflies to name and one of the hardest to approach.
Polygonia commaEastern Comma (Polygonia comma)The eastern comma is an orange-and-black woodland butterfly of eastern North America with deeply ragged wing edges and a silvery comma-shaped mark on Nymphalis antiopaMourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)The mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) is a large dark butterfly of woodland, riverbank and suburb across North America and temperate Eurasia, and not
Vanessa carduiPainted Lady (Vanessa cardui)No other butterfly lives on so much of the planet.
Phyciodes tharosPearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)Small, orange and endlessly busy, the pearl crescent is one of the butterflies most people in North America see without ever naming.
Polygonia interrogationisQuestion Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)The question mark is the largest of the North American anglewings, an orange-and-black woodland butterfly of the eastern United States, southeastern C
Vanessa atalantaRed Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)The red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is a medium-sized blackish butterfly marked with one bright orange-red band across each forewing and a scatter of w
Chlosyne nycteisSilvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis)A medium-sized orange-and-black brush-foot of damp meadows and stream banks across eastern North America, the silvery checkerspot is named for the palShow all 7 other brush-footed species names
- Astyanax' Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax)
- Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton)
- Goatweed Leafwing (Anaea andria)
- American Snout (Libytheana carinenta)
- American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
- Gray Comma (Polygonia progne)
- Green Comma (Polygonia faunus)
Gossamer-Winged (Lycaenidae)
Lycaena phlaeasCommon Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)The common copper (Lycaena phlaeas), known as the small copper in Europe and the American copper in North America, is a small, fast-flying butterfly o
Atlides halesusGreat Purple Hairstreak (Atlides halesus)The great purple hairstreak (Atlides halesus) is the largest hairstreak in the United States, a tailed gossamer-wing of the southern states and Mexico
Callophrys gryneusJuniper Hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus)The juniper hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus) is a small North American butterfly, barely over an inch across, whose underside is a clear leaf green cro
Calycopis cecropsRed-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops)The red-banded hairstreak is a small grey-brown butterfly of the southeastern United States, named for the broad white-and-red line that runs across t
Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)Small, slate-grey and almost impossible to avoid, the gray hairstreak is the most widespread hairstreak in North America and probably the least fussy 
Cupido comyntasEastern Tailed Blue (Cupido comyntas)Barely an inch across and never far from a clover lawn, the eastern tailed blue is one of the most abundant butterflies in the eastern United States a
Celastrina ladonSpring Azure (Celastrina ladon)The spring azure is often the first butterfly of the year, a small violet-blue flake that appears along a woodland edge while the trees are still bare
Celastrina neglectaSummer Azure (Celastrina neglecta)A pale, frosted blue butterfly barely an inch across, the summer azure is the one that flies when the spring azures have finished.
Glaucopsyche lygdamusSilvery Blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus)One of the first blues on the wing each spring, the silvery blue flashes metallic silver-blue in flight and then settles to show a plain grey undersidShow all 20 other gossamer-winged species names
- Harvester (Feniseca tarquinius)
- Bronze Copper (Lycaena hyllus)
- Brown Elfin (Callophrys augustinus)
- Frosted Elfin (Callophrys irus)
- Henry's Elfin (Callophrys henrici)
- Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophrys niphon)
- Oak Hairstreak (Satyrium favonius)
- Northern' Southern Hairstreak (Satyrium favonius ontario)
- Coral Hairstreak (Satyrium titus)
- Edwards' Hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii)
- Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus)
- Hickory Hairstreak (Satyrium caryaevorus)
- Striped Hairstreak (Satyrium liparops)
- White-M Hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album)
- Early Hairstreak (Erora laeta)
- Marine Blue (Leptotes marina)
- Dusky Azure (Celastrina nigra)
- Appalachian Azure (Celastrina neglectamajor)
- Ceraunus Blue (Hemiargus ceraunus)
- Reakirt's Blue (Echinargus isola)
Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)
Pieris rapaeCabbage White (Pieris rapae)The cabbage white is probably the most-seen butterfly on the planet: a small, chalk-white insect with one or two black spots that drifts over allotmen
Pontia protodiceCheckered White (Pontia protodice)The checkered white is a medium-sized white butterfly of dry, open, disturbed ground across the United States and northern Mexico, recognised by the g
Colias philodiceClouded Sulphur (Colias philodice)The clouded sulphur is the plain yellow butterfly of North American roadsides, clover lawns and alfalfa fields, common from Alaska to the Gulf.
Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)The orange sulphur is a medium-sized orange-and-black butterfly of open fields, roadsides and alfalfa farms across almost the whole of North America, 
Eurema lisaLittle Yellow (Eurema lisa)A thumbnail-sized sulphur that flutters low over roadsides and fallow fields, the little yellow is one of the most numerous butterflies in eastern Nor
Phoebis sennaeCloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae)The cloudless sulphur is a large, fast-flying lemon-yellow butterfly of the Americas, resident from Argentina north through the tropics to the souther
Eurema nicippeSleepy Orange (Eurema nicippe)The sleepy orange is a small, deep-orange sulphur of the southern United States, Mexico and Central America, easily known by the ragged black border tShow all 7 other whites and sulphurs species names
- Olympia Marble (Euchloe olympia)
- Southern Dogface (Colias cesonia)
- Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole)
- Barred Yellow (Eurema daira)
- Mexican Yellow (Eurema mexicana)
- Falcate Orangetip (Anthocharis midea)
- West Virginia White (Pieris virginiensis)
Swallowtail (Papilionidae)
Papilio polyxenesBlack Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)The black swallowtail is a black, yellow-spotted butterfly of open country across most of North America, and its caterpillar is the familiar green-andPapilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)The eastern tiger swallowtail is a large yellow butterfly with four black tiger stripes on each forewing and a tail on each hindwing, and it is the co
Papilio cresphontesGiant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)The largest butterfly in the United States and Canada, the giant swallowtail sails over citrus groves and woodland edges on dark wings crossed by a ba
Papilio palamedesPalamedes Swallowtail (Papilio palamedes)The big dark swallowtail of southern swamp forests, the palamedes is tied almost entirely to one tree, the redbay.
Battus philenorPipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)The pipevine swallowtail is a large black North American swallowtail with an iridescent blue to blue-green hindwing and a single curved row of seven o
Papilio troilusSpicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)The spicebush swallowtail is a black swallowtail of eastern North American woodland edges and swamps, marked by a row of ivory spots along the forewinProtographium marcellusZebra Swallowtail (Protographium marcellus)The zebra swallowtail is a white-and-black striped butterfly of the eastern United States with the longest tails of any North American swallowtail, anSkipper (Hesperiidae)
Urbanus proteusLong-tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus)A stocky brown skipper with a shimmer of blue-green over its body and wing bases and two long tails trailing from the hindwings, the long-tailed skipp
Epargyreus clarusSilver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)The silver-spotted skipper is a large, chocolate-brown butterfly of gardens, field edges and woodland clearings across almost the whole of North AmeriShow all 17 other skipper species names
- Cofaqui Giant-Skipper (Megathymus cofaqui)
- Common Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus communis)
- Common Sootywing (Pholisora catullus)
- Confusing Cloudywing (Thorybes confusis)
- Dorantes Longtail (Urbanus dorantes)
- Dreamy Duskywing (Erynnis icelus)
- Golden Banded-Skipper (Autochton cellus)
- Hayhurst's Scallopwing (Staphylus hayhurstii)
- Hoary Edge (Achalarus lyciades)
- Horace's Duskywing (Erynnis horatius)
- Juvenal's Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis)
- Mottled Duskywing (Erynnis martialis)
- Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades)
- Sleepy Duskywing (Erynnis brizo)
- Southern Cloudywing (Thorybes bathyllus)
- Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae)
- Zarucco Duskywing (Erynnis zarucco)
How to identify butterflies in Tennessee
Start with the swallowtails, which are the largest and most often asked about. Pale with black stripes and long tails is the Zebra Swallowtail; yellow with black stripes is the Eastern Tiger; black with a double row of yellow spots is the Black Swallowtail; black with iridescent blue hindwings is a Pipevine, a Spicebush or a dark female Tiger, separated by the pattern of orange spots on the underside. Orange with black veins is a Monarch, or a Viceroy if a black line crosses the hindwing. Orange with silver spots beneath is a fritillary, and a very large one with a blue-black female is the Diana.
The small butterflies take more care: sulphurs by the colour of the upperside seen in flight, hairstreaks by the tails and the underside lines, blues by the underside spots and skippers by the forewing marks and the month. The state-by-state lists under butterflies in the United States show which species reach only the mountains or only the western lowlands, and that narrows the choice quickly in Tennessee.
Frequently asked questions about Tennessee butterflies
What is the state butterfly of Tennessee?
The Zebra Swallowtail (Protographium marcellus) has been the official state butterfly of Tennessee since 1995. It is pale greenish-white with black stripes, a red spot on the hindwing and very long tails, and it breeds only on pawpaw, so it is found along rivers, creeks and moist woodland across the state from late March to September.
How many species of butterflies are found in Tennessee?
Around 145 butterfly species have been recorded in Tennessee, including roughly 60 skippers. Most are eastern woodland and field butterflies, with Appalachian specialists such as the Diana Fritillary and Early Hairstreak in the mountains, the Olympia Marble on the cedar glades of Middle Tennessee, and southern immigrants such as the Cloudless Sulphur arriving in the west each summer.
What are the most common butterflies in Tennessee?
The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Monarch, Orange and Clouded Sulphurs, Cabbage White, Pearl Crescent, Red Admiral, Common Buckeye, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Red-spotted Purple, Silver-spotted Skipper and Hackberry Emperor are the butterflies seen most often in Tennessee. The Mourning Cloak is the first to fly each year, and the Zebra Swallowtail is common wherever pawpaw grows.
When do Monarch butterflies migrate through Tennessee?
Monarchs migrate through Tennessee from mid-September to mid-October, when butterflies from the Great Lakes region cross the state heading south-west towards Texas and Mexico, roosting in trees along ridges and river valleys in the evenings. Monarchs also breed in Tennessee on milkweed from late April to September, and the returning spring generation passes north in April.
What are the rarest butterflies in Tennessee?
The Early Hairstreak of the Smokies, the Diana Fritillary, the Frosted Elfin, the Olympia Marble of the cedar glades, the Baltimore Checkerspot and the West Virginia White are among the rarest Tennessee butterflies. The Harvester, whose caterpillars eat woolly aphids on alder, is widespread but seldom seen. None is federally listed, but the Monarch is under review.
Which swallowtail butterflies live in Tennessee?
Seven swallowtails breed in Tennessee: the Zebra Swallowtail, the state butterfly; the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail; the Black Swallowtail; the Spicebush Swallowtail; the Pipevine Swallowtail; the Giant Swallowtail, the largest; and the Palamedes Swallowtail, a rare visitor to the far south-west. The Zebra is the only one with long tails and black-and-white stripes.
Why does Tennessee have so many butterflies?
Tennessee crosses several distinct landscapes in a short distance: the Appalachian mountains with their cove forests, the Ridge and Valley, the Cumberland Plateau, the limestone cedar glades of the Central Basin, the Highland Rim and the Mississippi bottoms of the west. Each supports its own host plants and butterflies, and a long season from March to November allows two or three broods.
When is the best time to see butterflies in Tennessee?
June to September is the best time, with the widest variety in June and July, when the hairstreaks, fritillaries and swallowtails are all flying, and the highest numbers in September, when the sulphurs and Buckeyes peak and the Monarch migration passes through. The first butterflies fly in late February, and Zebra Swallowtails appear from late March.
Where is the best place to see butterflies in Tennessee?
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with well over 100 recorded species, is the richest single site; Cades Cove in July gives Diana Fritillaries and swallowtails. Cedars of Lebanon State Park is the place for the Olympia Marble in April, Radnor Lake in Nashville for Zebra Swallowtails, and Reelfoot Lake for the lowland species of West Tennessee.
What is the largest butterfly in Tennessee?
The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and the Giant Swallowtail are the largest butterflies in Tennessee, both reaching a wingspan of about 140 mm. The Giant Swallowtail is scarcer and breeds on prickly ash and hop tree, mostly in Middle and West Tennessee. Among the brush-footed butterflies the Diana Fritillary of the mountains and the Monarch are the biggest.
Published January 8, 2020 · Last updated September 21, 2026