More Mesa Insect Guide
Anise Swallowtail
The Anise Swallowtail, Papilio zelicaon, is a common swallowtail butterfly of western North America. Both the upper and lower sides of its wings are black, but the upper wing has a broad yellow stripe across it, which gives the butterfly an overall yellow appearance. There are striking blue spots on the rear edge of the rear wing, and the characteristic tails of the ...more ↓
Lorquin's Admiral
The Lorquin's Admiral (Limenitis lorquini) is a butterfly in the Nymphalinae subfamily. The butterfly is named after Pierre Joseph Michel Lorquin, a French naturalist who came to California from France during the Gold Rush and made important discoveries on the natural history of the terrain.
West Coast Lady
The West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella) is one of three North American species of brush-footed butterflies known colloquially as the "painted ladies". V. annabella occurs throughout much of the western US and south western Canada. The other two species are the cosmopolitan Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady) and the eastern Vanessa virginiensis (American ...more ↓
Common Buckeye
The common buckeye or simply, buckeye, (Junonia coenia) is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in southern Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia and all parts of the United States except the northwest, and is especially common in the south, the California coast, and throughout Central America and Colombia. The sub-species Junonia coenia bergi is ...more ↓
Monarch Butterfly
The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Since the 19th century, it has been found in New Zealand, and in Australia since 1871, where it is called the wanderer. It is resident in the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira, and is found ...more ↓
Gray Hairstreak
The Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), is one of the most common hairstreaks in North America, ranging over nearly the entire continent. It occurs also throughout Central America and in northern South America.
Marine Blue
The Marine Blue or Striped Blue (Leptotes marina) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in from South America through Mexico up to Southern Texas, Arizona and California.
Western Pygmy Blue
The Western Pygmy Blue (Brephidium exilis or Brephidium exile) is one of the smallest butterflies in the world and is the smallest in North America. It has reached Hawaii. It has a wingspread of about half an inch.
Acmon Blue
The Acmon Blue (Plebejus acmon) is a North American butterfly. It ranges mainly in California but can be seen north to Oregon and south through Baja California. The tops of the wings are blue with dark edges in males and brown in females. Its underside is white with black spots for both sexes with a red-orange band on the hindwing. Adults feed on nectar while caterpillars can ...more ↓
Sara Orangetip
Sara Orangetip or Pacific Orangetip (Anthocharis sara) is a butterfly which ranges along the Pacific coast of North America from Alaska to Mexico.
Dainty Sulphur
The Dainty Sulphur or Dwarf Yellow (Nathalis iole) is a North American butterfly in the family Pieridae.
Orange Sulphur
The Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme), also known as the Alfalfa Butterfly and in its larval stage as Alfalfa Caterpillar, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae, where it belongs to the lowland group of "clouded yellows and sulphurs" subfamily Coliadinae. It is found throughout North America from southern Canada to Mexico, but is absent from the central and ...more ↓
Checkered White
The Checkered White (Pontia protodice), also called Southern Cabbage Butterfly, is a common North American butterfly in the family Pieridae. Its green larva is a type of cabbage worm.
Umber Skipper
Poanes melane, the Umber Skipper, is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It is found in California (west of the Sierra Nevada Divide), southern Arizona, Baja California, the highlands of Mexico and Central America. The habitat consists of desert foothills, grassy areas, streamsides, roadsides, yards, parks and open oak woodland.
Woodland Skipper
The Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides) is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It is found from British Columbia south to southern California, east to Montana, Colorado and Arizona.
Common Checkered-Skipper
The Common Checkered-skipper (Pyrgus communis) is a species of butterfly in the Hesperiidae family. It is known as the frequently seen Pyrginae species in the northern United States by collectors and watchers alike.
Convergent Lady Beetle
Hippodamia convergens, commonly known as the convergent lady beetle, is one of the most common lady beetles in North America and is found throughout the continent. Aphids form their main diet and they are used for the biological control of these pests.
