Acadia National Park Butterfly Guide 🦋

Color: Antennal clubs are black. Upperside is brown with dark eyespots. Underside is brown; submarginal row of 4 black spots on forewing is straight and the dark line inside it is sinuous. Spots are not surrounded by diffuse white.
Wingspan: 1 3/4 - 2 5/8 inches (4.5 - 6.7 cm)
Host plants: Various grasses including white grass (Leersia virginica), bearded shorthusk (Brachyelytrum erectum), plumegrass (Erianthus), broadleaf uniola (Uniola latifolia), and bottlebrush (Hystrix patula).
Overwintering stage: third- and fourth-stage caterpillars
Mate-Location system: perching
Flight: June-August in the north

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Enodia-anthedon less ↑

Color: Antennal clubs of male are orange. Females are darker than males. Upperside is orange-brown with dark borders; median orange-brown areas are mostly open, with few dark markings. Underside of hindwing is orange with a tan patch surrounding the pale marginal crescent.
Wingspan: 1 1/4 - 1 7/8 inches (3.2 - 4.8 cm)
Host plants: Asters, in the sunflower family (Asteraceae).
Adult food: Nectar from flowers of dogbane, fleabane, and white clover.
Overwintering stage: Third-stage caterpillars
Mate-Location system: patrolling
Flight: June-July

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Phyciodes-cocyta less ↑

Color: Upperside is orange with black markings. Underside of hindwing has a red-orange stripe at the margin and a red-orange, white, and black checkered pattern on remainder of wing.
Wingspan: 1 7/16 - 2 inches (3.6 - 5.1 cm)
Host plants: Flat-topped white aster (Aster umbellatus).
Overwintering stage: Partially-grown caterpillars
Mate-Location system:
Flight: June-July

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Chlosyne-harrisii less ↑

Color: Upperside is light to medium brown with black eyespots. Underside of forewing has submarginal eyespots about the same size, usually touching or linked like a chain; dark line inside the hindwing's spot row is zigzagged.
Wingspan: 1 1/2 - 2 7/16 inches (3.8 - 6.2 cm)
Host plants: Various sedges (Carex stricta, C. lupulina, C. bromoides, and C. trichocarpa) in the sedge family (Cyperaceae).
Overwintering stage: third and fourth stage caterpillars
Mate-Location system: patrolling and occasionally perching
Flight: June-September

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Satyrodes-eurydice less ↑

Color: Upperside is orange-brown with darker wing bases and black spots; a single white spot on leading edge of each wing. Underside is mottled gray and brown, with dark bases and borders; hindwing with small white V at outer end of cell.
Wingspan: 2 1/2 - 3 1/16 inches (6.4 - 7.8 cm)
Host plants: Aspen and cottonwood (Populus), willows (Salix), gray birch (Betula populifolia), and paper birch (B. papyrifera).
Overwintering stage: adults
Mate-Location system:
Flight: July-November

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Nymphalis-vaualbum/ less ↑

Color: Geographically variable. Upperside reddish orange-brown; male forewing with black spot below cell and with no black scales on veins. Underside of hindwing has pale submarginal band narrow or missing.
Wingspan: 2 1/2 - 3 1/4 inches (6.3 - 8.3 cm)
Host plants: Various violet species including northern downy violet (Viola fimbriatula) and lance-leaved violet (V. lanceolata).
Adult food: Nectar from flowers of milkweed and viper's bugloss, among others.
Overwintering stage: First-stage caterpillars
Mate-Location system: patrolling
Flight: mid-June to mid-September

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Speyeria-aphrodite less ↑

Color: Upperside is bright orange-brown; summer form has hindwing with a wide dark border, winter form has the border covering only about 1/4 of the wing; both enclosing a few small yellow spots. Underside is charcoal gray with fine dark striations; forewing with 3-4 light chevrons in a dark border. Silver mark in center of hindwing is small, slender, and L-shaped.
Wingspan: 1 5/8 - 2 /12 inches (4.4 - 6.3 cm)
Host plants: Gooseberries (Ribes) and azalea (Rhododendron).
Overwintering stage: adults
Mate-Location system: perching
Flight: June-August

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Polygonia-progne less ↑

Color: Forewing hooked; upperside is red-orange with black spots. Upperside hindwing of summer form is mostly black with a short tail; that of winter form has much orange and a longer, violet-tipped tail. Underside is light brown; hindwing with pearly white question mark in center.
Wingspan: 2 1/4 - 3 inches (5.7 - 7.6 cm)
Host plants: American elm (Ulmus americanus), red elm (Ulmus rubra), hackberry (Celtis), Japanese hop (Humulus japonicus), nettles (Urtica), and false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica).
Overwintering stage: adults
Mate-Location system: perching
Flight: May-September

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Polygonia-interrogationis less ↑

Color: Light brown. Forewing has 2 yellow-rimmed black eyespots both above and below. Hindwing has 2 eyespots on upper side; but may have smaller spots below.
Wingspan: 1 1/2 - 1 7/8 inches (3.8 - 4.8 cm)
Host plants: Orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata) and centipede grass (Eremochloa ophiuroides).
Overwintering stage: Fourth-stage caterpillars
Mate-Location system: patrolling
Flight: June-July in the north

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Megisto-cymela less ↑

Color: Geographically variable. Upperside is black with red-orange crescents on outer margins of both wings and rows of creamy white spots inward.
Wingspan: 1 3/4 - 2 3/4 inches (4.5 - 7 cm)
Host plants: turtlehead (Chelone glabra), hairy beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus), English plantain (Plantago lanceolata), and false foxglove (Aureolaria); arrowwood (Viburnum recognitum), common lousewort (Pedicularis canadensis), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), and white ash (Fraxinus americana).
Overwintering stage: Fourth-stage caterpillars
Mate-Location system: perching
Flight: June-August in the north

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Euphydryas-phaeton less ↑

Color: Upperside of male is bright orange with wide black borders and black veins; hindwing has a patch of scent scales. Upperside of female is orange-brown with wide black borders and blurred black veins. Both sexes have white spots on borders and apex. The Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) is a Mullerian mimic; it has similar coloration and is also distasteful.
Wingspan: 3 3/8 - 4 7/8 inches (8.6 - 12.4 cm)
Host plants: Milkweeds including common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), swamp milkweed (A. incarnata), and showy milkweed (A. speciosa); and milkweed vine in the tropics.
Adult food: Nectar from all milkweeds. Early in the season before milkweeds bloom, Monarchs visit a variety of flowers including dogbane, lilac, red clover, lantana, and thistles. In the fall adults visit composites including goldenrods, blazing stars, ironweed, and tickseed sunflower.
Overwintering stage: Adults make massive migrations from August-October
Mate-Location system:
Flight: In North America during spring and summer there may be 1-3 broods in the north and 4-6 broods in the south. May breed all year in Florida, South Texas, and southeastern California.

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Danaus-plexippus less ↑

Color: Upperside is black with white spots near the apex; forewing with red median band, hindwing with red marginal band. The winter form is smaller and duller, summer form larger and brighter with an interrupted forewing band.
Wingspan: 1 3/4 - 3 inches (4.5 - 7.6 cm)
Host plants: Nettle (Urticaceae); Mulberry (Moraceae)
Overwintering stage: adult
Mate-Location system: perching
Flight: Two broods from March-October in the north, winters from October-March in South Texas

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Vanessa-atalanta
Scott, 1986 The Butterflies of North America less ↑

Color: Upperside is orange-brown with darker wing bases; forewing with black apex patch and white bar on leading edge; hindwing submarginal row of 5 small black spots sometimes has blue scales. Underside has a black, brown, and gray pattern with 4 small submarginal eyespots.
Wingspan: 2 - 2 7/8 inches (5.1 - 7.3 cm)
Host plants: More than 100 host plants have been noted; favorites include thistles (Asteraceae), hollyhock and mallow (Malvaceae), and various legumes (Fabaceae).
Overwintering stage: Adults hibernate only in the South and in mild winters
Mate-Location system: perching and patrolling
Flight: One to three flights in the East from May-October

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Vanessa-cardui less ↑

Color: Upperside with uneven brown, yellow, and orange pattern. Forewing with a black apical patch, a small white spot in the orange field below the patch, and a white bar at the leading edge of the forewing. Underside of hindwing with two large eyespots. Winter form is smaller and paler, summer form larger with brighter coloring.
Wingspan: 1 3/4 - 2 5/8 inches (4.5 - 6.7 cm)
Host plants: Plants in the sunflower family everlasting (Gnaphalium obtusifolium), pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea), plantain-leaved pussy toes (Antennaria plantaginifolia), wormwood (Artemisia), ironweed (Vernonia), and burdock (Arctium).
Overwintering stage: adults
Mate-Location system: perching
Flight: 3-4 broods May-November (except in the South and possibly the East)

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Vanessa-virginiensis less ↑

Color: Short projections on both wings, borders irregular. Upperside is purple-black with a wide, bright yellow border on outer margins, and a row of iridescent blue spots at the inner edge of the border.
Wingspan: 2 1/4 - 4 inches (5.7 - 10.1 cm)
Host plants: Willows including black willow (Salix nigra), weeping willow (S. babylonica), and silky willow (S. sericea); also American elm (Ulmus americana), cottonwood (Populus deltoides), aspen (P. tremuloides), paper birch (Betula papyrifera), and hackberry (Celtis occidentalis). Older caterpillars wander about and may be found on plants that they do not eat.
Overwintering stage: adults
Mate-Location system: perching
Flight: June-July

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Nymphalis-antiopa less ↑

aka White Admiral and Red-Spotted Purple

Color: These two very different forms had once been considered separate species. WHITE ADMIRAL: Upperside is black with broad white median bands on both wings; hindwing has a marginal row of blue dashes and a submarginal row of red dots. Underside is reddish-brown with white median bands as on the upperside. RED-SPOTTED PURPLE: Upperside is blue to blue-green with much iridescence on the outer part of the hindwing. Underside is dark brown. Forewing has 2 red-orange bars near the base of the leading edge; hindwing has 3 red-orange spots near the base and a submarginal row of red-orange spots. The two forms hybridize where their ranges overlap, creating various intermediate forms which may be found in or near the overlap zone.
Wingspan: 2 1/4 - 4 inches (5.7 - 10.1 cm)
Host plants: Leaves of many species of trees and shrubs including wild cherry (Prunus), aspen, poplar, cottonwood (Populus), oaks (Quercus), hawthorn (Crataegus), deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum), birch (Betula), willows (Salix), basswood (Tilia), and shadbush (Amelanchier).
Overwintering stage: Third-stage caterpillars
Mate-Location system: perching; rarely patrolling
Flight: April-October

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Limenitis-arthemis less ↑

Color: Large. Upperside of male tan to orange with black scales on forewing veins; female tawny, darker than male. Underside of hindwing with wide pale submarginal band and large silver spots.
Wingspan: 2 1/2 - 4 inches (6.3 - 10.1 cm)
Host plants: Various violet species (Viola).
Overwintering stage: unfed newly hatched caterpillars
Mate-Location system: patrolling
Flight: mid-June - mid-September

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Speyeria-cybele less ↑

Color: Geographically variable. Wings are brown. Upperside of forewing has 2 large yellow-ringed eyespots. Lowerside of hindwing has a variable number of small eyespots. Southern and coastal butterflies are larger and have a yellow or yellow-orange patch on the outer part of the forewing. Inland butterflies are smaller and have the yellow forewing patch reduced or absent.
Wingspan: 1 3/4 - 3 inches (4.5 - 7.6 cm)
Host plants: Purpletop (Tridens flavus) and other grasses
Overwintering stage: caterpillars hatch but do no feed, instead hibernating until spring
Mate-Location system: patrolling
Flight: late May-October, females emerge later than males

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Cercyonis-pegala less ↑

Color: Quite variable. Upperside orange-brown, darker at base, with black outer margins; male has black scales on veins. Underside of hindwing with basal disk chocolate brown or purplish, hindwing spots always silvered.
Wingspan: 2 - 2 3/4 inches (5 - 7 cm)
Host plants: Violets.
Adult food: Flower nectar including that from common milkweed, mints, mountain laurel, crown vetch, burdock, boneset, ox-eye daisy, spiraea, and virgin's bower.
Overwintering stage: Unfed first-stage caterpillars
Mate-Location system: patrolling
Flight: mid-June to September

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Speyeria-atlantis less ↑

Color: Upperside orange with black markings. Underside of hindwing with rows of metallic silver spots; postmedian spots small and black.
Wingspan: 1 3/8 - 2 1/8 inches (3.5 - 5.4 cm)
Host plants: Violets including Viola glabella and V. nephrophylla.
Adult food: Favorite nectar sources are composite flowers, including goldenrod and black-eyed susans.
Overwintering stage: third-stage caterpillars
Mate-Location system: patrolling
Flight: June-July in the north

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Boloria-selene less ↑

Color: Quite variable. Males usually have black antennal knobs. Upperside is orange with black borders; postmedian and submarginal areas are crossed by fine black marks. Underside of hindwing has a dark marginal patch containing a light-colored crescent. Spring and fall broods (form marcia) have a gray mottled hindwing below.
Wingspan: 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 inches (3.2 - 4.5 cm)
Host plants: Several species of smooth-leaved true asters including Aster pilosus, A. texanus, and A. laevis.
Adult food: Nectar from a great variety of flowers including dogbane, swamp milkweed, shepherd's needle, asters, and winter cress.
Overwintering stage: third-stage caterpillars
Mate-Location system: patrolling
Flight: April-November (except in deep South and Mexico)

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Phyciodes-tharos less ↑

Color: Upperside is orange and black, resembling the Monarch (Danaus plexippus), except the Viceroy has a black line across the hindwing and a single row of white dots in the black marginal band. Where Monarchs are rare in Florida, Georgia, and the Southwest, Viceroys are brown instead of orange and mimic the Queen (Danaus gilippus).
Wingspan: 2 1/2 - 3 3/8 inches (6.3 - 8.6 cm)
Host plants: Trees in the willow family (Salicaceae) including willows (Salix), and poplars and cottonwoods (Populus).
Adult food: Early in season - aphid honeydew, carrion, dung, and decaying fungi. Later generations feed more often at flowers, favoring composites including aster, goldenrod, joe-pye weed, shepherd's needle, and Canada thistle.
Overwintering stage: third stage caterpillar
Mate-Location system: perching and patrolling
Flight: 2-3 broods from May-September in most of its range

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Limenitis-archippus less ↑

Color: Upperside is brown. Forewing with 2 orange cell bars and 2 eyespots; part of white subapical band appears in the largest, lower eyespot. Hindwing has 2 eyespots; upper one is largest and contains a magenta crescent. Underside of hindwing is brown or tan in the wet season (summer) form and rose-red in the dry season (fall) form.
Wingspan: 1 5/8 - 2 3/4 inches (4.2 - 7 cm)
Host plants: Plants from the snapdragon family including snapdragon (Antirrhinum) and toadflax (Linaria); the plantain family including plantains (Plantago); and the acanthus family including ruellia (Ruellia nodiflora).
Overwintering stage: caterpillars and adults overwinter but only in the south
Mate-Location system: perching
Flight: May-October, except in the Deep south

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Junonia-coenia less ↑