List of Butterflies in Virginia

The following list of butterflies are found in Virginia. Clicking on the text link will show you a picture of the butterfly and which specific counties in Virginia 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)
Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis)
Ruddy Daggerwing (Marpesia petreus)
Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)
White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis arthemis)

Emperors (Apaturinae)
Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis)
Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton)

Leafwings (Charaxinae)
Goatweed Leafwing (Anaea andria)

Longwings (Heliconiinae)
Aphrodite Fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite)
Atlantis Fritillary (Speyeria atlantis)
Diana (Speyeria diana)
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)
Zebra Heliconian (Heliconius charithonius)

Milkweed Butterflies (Danainae)
Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Snouts (Libytheinae)
American Snout (Libytheana carinenta)

True Brushfoots (Nymphalinae)
American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
Baltimore (Euphydryas phaeton)
Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)
Compton Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis vaualbum)
Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma)
Gray Comma (Polygonia progne)
Green Comma (Polygonia faunus)
Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)
Northern Crescent (Phyciodes cocyta)
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon)
Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis)
Tawny Crescent (Phyciodes batesii)
White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae)

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Harvesters (Miletinae)

Harvester (Feniseca tarquinius)

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Metalmarks (Riodinidae)

Little Metalmark (Calephelis virginiensis)
Northern Metalmark (Calephelis borealis)

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Parnassians and Swallowtails (Papilionidae)

Swallowtails (Papilioninae)
Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
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)

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Skippers (Hesperiidae)

Giant-Skippers (Megathyminae)
Yucca Giant-Skipper (Megathymus yuccae)

Spread-wing Skippers (Pyrginae)
Columbine Duskywing (Erynnis lucilius)
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)
Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus centaureae)
Hayhurst’s Scallopwing (Staphylus hayhurstii)
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)
Zarucco Duskywing (Erynnis zarucco)

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.