List of Butterflies in Montana

The following list of butterflies are found in Montana. Clicking on the text link will show you a picture of the butterfly and which specific counties in Montana the butterfly is found in. Each link also provides more information about the butterfly’s identification and life history.  This will help you decide which Butterfly Nectar Plants and Butterfly Host Plants you will want to plant when you create your butterfly garden. Simply find which butterflies are in your area, grow the plants the caterpillars like to eat, and plants that adult butterflies feed on! You can prolong the butterfly’s stay in your garden and draw in others by providing both the food and shelter they need.

Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae)

Admirals and Relatives (Limenitidinae)
‘Astyanax’ Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax)
Lorquin’s Admiral (Limenitis lorquini)
Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis)
Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)
Weidemeyer’s Admiral (Limenitis weidemeyerii)
White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis arthemis)

Longwings (Heliconiinae)
Alberta Fritillary (Boloria alberta)
Aphrodite Fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite)
Arctic Fritillary (Boloria chariclea)
Astarte Fritillary (Boloria astarte)
Bog Fritillary (Boloria eunomia)
Callippe Fritillary (Speyeria callippe)
Coronis Fritillary (Speyeria coronis)
Edwards’ Fritillary (Speyeria edwardsii)
Freija Fritillary (Boloria freija)
Frigga Fritillary (Boloria frigga)
Great Basin Fritillary (Speyeria egleis)
Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele)
Hydaspe Fritillary (Speyeria hydaspe)
Meadow Fritillary (Boloria bellona)
Mormon Fritillary (Speyeria mormonia)
Northwestern Fritillary (Speyeria hesperis)
Pacific Fritillary (Boloria epithore)
Regal Fritillary (Speyeria idalia)
Relict Fritillary (Boloria kriemhild)
Silver-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene)
Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)
Zerene Fritillary (Speyeria zerene)

Milkweed Butterflies (Danainae)
Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

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True Brushfoots (Nymphalinae)

American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
California Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica)
Compton Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis vaualbum)
Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma)
Edith’s Checkerspot (Euphydryas editha)
Field Crescent (Phyciodes pulchellus)
Gillette’s Checkerspot (Euphydryas gillettii)
Gorgone Checkerspot (Chlosyne gorgone)
Gray Comma (Polygonia progne)
Green Comma (Polygonia faunus)
Hoary Comma (Polygonia gracilis)
Milbert’s Tortoiseshell (Aglais milberti)
Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)
Mylitta Crescent (Phyciodes mylitta)
Northern Checkerspot (Chlosyne palla)
Northern Crescent (Phyciodes cocyta)
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
Pale Crescent (Phyciodes pallida)
Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Rockslide Checkerspot (Chlosyne whitneyi)
Sagebrush Checkerspot (Chlosyne acastus)
Satyr Comma (Polygonia satyrus)
Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis)
Tawny Crescent (Phyciodes batesii)
Variable Checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona)
West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella)

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Metalmarks (Riodinidae)

Mormon Metalmark (Apodemia mormo)

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Parnassians and Swallowtails (Papilionidae)

Parnassians (Parnassiinae)
Clodius Parnassian (Parnassius clodius)
Rocky Mountain Parnassian (Parnassius smintheus)

Swallowtails (Papilioninae)
Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon)
Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
Canadian Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio canadensis)
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
Indra Swallowtail (Papilio indra)
Old World Swallowtail (Papilio machaon)
Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon)
Two-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata)
Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus)

Courtesy of: Opler, Paul A., Harry Pavulaan, Ray E. Stanford, Michael Pogue, coordinators. 2006. 
Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Mountain Prairie Information Node.