Butterflies in Turkey

Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)

• African Ringlet (Ypthima asterope)
• Anatolian Witch (Chazara egina)
• Assmann’s Fritillary (Melitaea britomartis)
• Balkan Fritillary (Boloria graeca)
• Balkan Marbled White (Melanargia larissa)
• Blue Pansy (Junonia orithya)
• Buff Asian Grayling (Pseudochazara mamurra)
• Cardinal (Argynnis pandora)
• Chestnut Heath (Coenonympha glycerion)
• Comma (Polygonia c-album)
• Danaid Eggfly (Hypolimnas misippus)
• Dark Brown (Chazara persephone)
• Dark Green Fritillary (Speyeria aglaja)
• Dark Rock Brown (Chazara briseis)
• Delattin’s Grayling (Hipparchia volgensis)
• Dryad (Minois dryas)
• Dusky Meadow Brown (Hyponephele lycaon)
• Eastern Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea ornata)
• Esper’s Marbled White (Melanargia russiae)
• European Nettle-tree Butterfly (Libythea celtis)
• False Grayling (Arethusana arethusa)
• False Heath Fritillary (Melitaea diamina)
• Freyer’s Fritillary (Melitaea arduinna)
• Freyer’s Grayling (Hipparchia fatua)
• Freyer’s Purple Emperor (Apatura metis)
• Geyer’s Skipper (Pseudochazara geyeri)
• Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia)
• Great Banded Grayling (Brintesia circe)
• Heath Fritillary (Melitaea athalia)
• Hedge Brown (Pyronia tithonus)
• High Brown Fritillary (Fabriciana adippe)
• Hungarian Glider (Neptis rivularis)
• Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros)
• Large Wall Brown (Lasiommata maera)
• Lesser Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis ino)
• Lesser Purple Emperor (Apatura ilia)
• Levantine Marbled White (Melanargia titea)
• Map (Araschnia levana)
• Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis daphne)
• Marbled White (Melanargia galathea)
• Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia)
• Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
• Meadow Ringlet (Erebia ligea)
• Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)
• Nickerl’s Fritillary (Melitaea aurelia)
• Niobe Fritillary (Fabriciana niobe)
• Northern Wall Brown (Lasiommata petropolitana)
• Orange Hermit (Chazara bischoffii)
• Oriental Meadow Brown (Hyponephele lupina)
• Ottoman Brassy Ringlet (Erebia ottomana)
• Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
• Peacock Butterfly (Aglais io)
• Pearly Heath (Coenonympha arcania)
• Phoebe Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe)
• Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus)
• Queen of Spain Fritillary (Issoria lathonia)
• Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
• Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)
• Roxelana’s Grayling (Kirinia roxelana)
• Russian Heath (Coenonympha leander)
• Saadi Heath (Coenonympha saadi)
• Scotch Argus (Erebia aethiops)
• Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia)
• Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)
• Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)
• Southern Comma (Polygonia egea)
• Southern Gatekeeper (Pyronia cecilia)
• Southern Grayling (Hipparchia aristaeus)
• Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta)
• Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
• Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea didyma)
• Tawny Rockbrown (Pseudochazara mniszechii)
• Thalonian Emperor (Thaleropis ionia)
• Tree Grayling (Hipparchia statilinus)
• Turkish Meadow Brown (Maniola telmessia)
• Twin-spot Fritillary (Brenthis hecate)
• Two-tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius)
• Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera)
• White Admiral (Limenitis camilla)
• White-edged Rock Brown (Hipparchia parisatis)
• Woodland Grayling (Hipparchia fagi)
• Woodland Ringlet (Erebia medusa)
• Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis xanthomelas)
• Hipparchia syriaca
• Hyponephele hasantahsin
• Hyponephele urartua
• Melitaea irka
• Melitaea mesopotamica
• Pseudochazara lydia

Gossamer-Winged (Lycaenidae)

• Acamas Blue (Cigaritis acamas)
• Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus)
• African Babul Blue (Azanus jesous)
• Alcon Blue (Phengaris alcon)
• Amanda’s Blue (Polyommatus amandus)
• American Copper (Polyommatus turcicus)
• Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus admetus)
• Balkan Pierrot (Tarucus balkanicus)
• Bavius Blue (Pseudophilotes bavius)
• Blue Argus (Aricia anteros)
• Blue-spot Hairstreak (Satyrium spini)
• Brown Argus (Aricia agestis)
• Brown Hairstreak (Thecla betulae)
• Caucasian Vernal Copper (Tomares callimachus)
• Chalkhill Blue (Lysandra coridon)
• Chapman’s Blue (Polyommatus thersites)
• Damon Blue (Polyommatus damon)
• Dark Grass Blue (Zizeeria karsandra)
• Dorylas Blue (Polyommatus dorylas)
• Dusky Large Blue (Phengaris nausithous)
• Eastern Baton Blue (Pseudophilotes vicrama)
• Eastern Brown Argus (Kretania eurypilus)
• Erivan Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus eriwanensis)
• Escher’s Blue (Polyommatus escheri)
• European Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)
• False Chalkhill Blue (Lysandra corydonius)
• False Eros Blue (Polyommatus eroides)
• Geranium Argus (Eumedonia eumedon)
• Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli)
• Gerhard’s Black Hairstreak (Satyrium abdominalis)
• Golden Copper (Lycaena thetis)
• Grass Jewel (Freyeria trochylus)
• Grecian Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus aroaniensis)
• Grecian Copper (Lycaena ottomanus)
• Greek Mazarine Blue (Cyaniris bellis)
• Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi)
• Green-underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis)
• Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)
• Hyrcanian Hairstreak (Satyrium hyrcanicum)
• Idas Blue (Plebejus idas)
• Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium ilicis)
• Lang’s Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous)
• Large Blue (Phengaris arion)
• Large Copper (Lycaena dispar)
• Large Jewel Blue (Plebejidea loewii)
• Lesser Fiery Copper (Lycaena thersamon)
• Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus)
• Mazarine Blue (Cyaniris semiargus)
• Meleager’s Blue (Polyommatus daphnis)
• Mountain Alcon Blue (Phengaris rebeli)
• Nina’s Blue (Polyommatus ninae)
• Northern Brown Argus (Aricia artaxerxes)
• Orange Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium ledereri)
• Orion Blue (Scolitantides orion)
• Osiris Blue (Cupido osiris)
• Persian Grass Blue (Luthrodes galba)
• Persian Odd-spot Blue (Turanana cytis)
• Pfeiffer’s Green Hairstreak (Callophrys paulae)
• Provençal Short-tailed Blue (Cupido alcetas)
• Purple Hairstreak (Favonius quercus)
• Purple-shot Copper (Lycaena alciphron)
• Reverdin’s Blue (Plebejus argyrognomon)
• Ripart’s Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus ripartii)
• Romanoff’s Hairstreak (Tomares romanovi)
• Scarce Copper (Lycaena virgaureae)
• Short-tailed Blue (Cupido argiades)
• Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus)
• Sloe Hairstreak (Satyrium acaciae)
• Small Blue (Cupido minimus)
• Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)
• Sooty Copper (Lycaena tityrus)
• White-letter Hairstreak (Satyrium w-album)
• Anatolian False Argus (Aricia hyacinthus)
• Small Jewel Blue (Plebejus christophi)
• Anticarmon Blue (Polyommatus anticarmon)
• Valley Zap Blue (Polyommatus zapvadi)

Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)

• Balkan Clouded Yellow (Colias caucasica)
• Bath White (Pontia daplidice)
• Berger’s Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis)
• Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi)
• Cabbage White (Pieris brassicae)
• Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra)
• Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus)
• Common Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)
• Dark-veined White (Pieris bryoniae)
• Eastern Bath White (Pontia edusa)
• Eastern Dappled White (Euchloe ausonia)
• Eastern Greenish Black-tip (Euchloe penia)
• Eastern Orange Tip (Anthocharis damone)
• Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias erate)
• Eastern Wood White (Leptidea duponcheli)
• Fenton’s Wood White (Leptidea morsei)
• Greek Clouded Butterfly (Colias aurorina)
• Green-striped White (Euchloe belemia)
• Green-underside White (Anthocharis gruneri)
• Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
• Krüper’s Small White (Pieris krueperi)
• Large Salmon Arab (Colotis fausta)
• Lesser Bath White (Pontia chloridice)
• Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines)
• Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale)
• Pale Grass Blue (Catopsilia florella)
• Peak White (Pontia callidice)
• Persian White (Pieris ergane)
• Pioneer White (Belenois aurota)
• Powdered Brimstone (Gonepteryx farinosa)
• Small White (Pieris rapae)
• Sooty Orange Tip (Zegris eupheme)
• Southern Small White (Pieris mannii)
• Wood White (Leptidea sinapis)

Metalmark (Riodinidae)

• Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina)

Swallowtail (Papilionidae) 

• Alexandra’s Swallowtail (Papilio alexanor)
• Apollo (Parnassius apollo)
• Chequered Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus)
• Clouded Apollo (Parnassius mnemosyne)
• Eastern Festoon (Allancastria cerisyi)
• False Apollo (Archon apollinus)
• Old World Swallowtail (Papilio machaon)
• Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius)
• Southern Festoon (Zerynthia polyxena)

Skipper (Hesperiidae)

• Aegean Skipper (Pyrgus melotis)
• Caucasian Skipper (Pyrgus jupei)
• Chequered Skipper (Carterocephalus palaemon)
• Cinquefoil Skipper (Pyrgus cirsii)
• Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages)
• Dingy Swift (Gegenes nostrodamus)
• Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae)
• Hungaria Skipper (Spialia orbifer)
• Inky Skipper (Erynnis marloyi)
• Large Chequered Skipper (Heteropterus morpheus)
• Large Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus alveus)
• Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)
• Levantine Skipper (Thymelicus hyrax)
• Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon)
• Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae)
• Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus lavatherae)
• Oberthür’s Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus armoricanus)
• Olive Skipper (Pyrgus serratulae)
• Oriental Skipper (Carcharodus orientalis)
• Pale Small-branded Swift (Pelopidas thrax)
• Persian Skipper (Spialia phlomidis)
• Pygmy Skipper (Gegenes pumilio)
• Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus carthami)
• Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto)
• Sandy-grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus cinarae)
• Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma)
• Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)
• Stauder’s Clouded Yellow (Carcharodus stauderi)
• Tessellated Skipper (Muschampia tessellum)
• Tufted Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus flocciferus)
• Yellow-banded Skipper (Pyrgus sidae)

The best place to see butterflies in Turkey is the Butterfly Valley, and the peak season to go butterfly watching is between June and August.