BUTTERFLIES OCCURRING IN THE D.C. AREA Second Edition: 2007 Richard H. Smith ABBREVIATIONS: Occurrence Level (OL)* A – Abundant more than 20 C – Common 4 to 20 U – Uncommon 0 to 3 R – Rare rarely seen E? – Possibly Extirpated L – Local (specialized habitat) Flight Time (FT) MR – March AP – April MY – May JN – June JL – July AG – August SP – September OC – October NV – November * Occurrence Level (OL) indicates the number of specimens likely to be seen on a single visit to the species’ primary habitat at the time of maximum adult brood population during the flight period. _______________ Detailed habitat and host plant information for each species is provided in the table “Maryland Butterflies Biological Summary and Checklist” also on the WABC website at http://users.sitestar.net/butterfly/ButterfliesMD_DE_DC.html . _______________ Spread-wing Skippers OL FT Silver-spotted Skipper A MY, JN, JL, AG, SP Long-tailed Skipper R SP, OC Hoary Edge U JN Southern Cloudywing U JN, AG Northern Cloudywing U MY, JN Hayhurst’s Scallopwing U JN, AG Dreamy Duskywing C AP, MY, JN Sleepy Duskywing R AP Juvenal's Duskywing A AP, MY Horace's Duskywing C MY, AG, SP Wild Indigo Duskywing C MY, JN, AG Common Checkered-Skipper U AP, SP Common Sootywing C JN, AG Grass Skippers Swarthy Skipper U MY, AG, SP Clouded Skipper U AG, SP Least Skipper C MY, JN, SP, OC European Skipper U, L JN Fiery Skipper U AG, SP Leonard's Skipper R, L SP Cobweb Skipper R, L MY Peck's Skipper C MY, AG, SP Tawny-edged Skipper U JN, AG Crossline Skipper C JN, JL, AG Southern Broken-Dash R JN, SP Northern Broken-Dash C MY, AG Little Glassywing C JN, AG Sachem A JL, AG, SP Delaware Skipper R JN, AG Mulberry Wing R, L JL Hobomok Skipper U MY, JN Zabulon Skipper C MY, JN, AG Broad-winged Skipper U, L JN, SP Dion Skipper U, L JN, JL Dun Skipper C JN, JL, AG Dusted Skipper R, L MY Pepper and Salt Skipper R, L MY Common Roadside-Skipper R MY, AG Ocola Skipper U JL, SP Swallowtails Pipevine Swallowtail U AG, SP Zebra Swallowtail C AP, JN, SP Black Swallowtail C MY, JL, AG, SP Giant Swallowtail R, L MY, JN, AG Eastern Tiger Swallowtail A AP, MY, JN, JL, AG, SP Spicebush Swallowtail C MY, JL, AG, SP Whites and Sulphurs Checkered White R JN, SP Cabbage White A MR, AP, MY, JN, JL, AG, SP, OC Falcate Orangetip U, L AP, MY Clouded Sulphur A MR, AP, MY, JN, JL, AG, SP, OC, NV Orange Sulphur A MR, AP, MY, JN, JL, AG, SP, OC, NV Cloudless Sulphur R SP Little Yellow R AG, SP Sleepy Orange R SP Harvester, Coppers, Hairstreaks, and Blues Harvester R, L MY, AG American Copper C, L MY, JN, AG, SP Coral Hairstreak U, L JN, JL Banded Hairstreak U JN, JL Striped Hairstreak R JN, JL Red-banded Hairstreak C MY, JN, AG Juniper (or Olive) Hairstreak U AP, MY, JL Brown Elfin R AP, MY Henry's Elfin R AP, MY Pine Elfin U AP, MY, JN Southern Hairstreak R, L JN White M Hairstreak R AP, JN, AG, SP Gray Hairstreak C AP, MY, JN, JL, AG, SP Eastern Tailed-Blue A AP, MY, JN, JL, AG, SP, OC Spring Azure A MR, AP Summer Azure C MY, JN, JL, AG, SP American Holly Azure U, L AP, MY Appalachian Azure R, L MY Snouts American Snout U MY, JN, JL, SP Brush-footed Butterflies Variegated Fritillary U MY, JN, JL, AG, SP, OC Great Spangled Fritillary C JN, JL, AG, SP Meadow Fritillary U, L AP, JN, AG, SP Silvery Checkerspot U, L JN, AG Pearl Crescent A MY, JN, JL, AG, SP, OC, NV Baltimore U, L JN Question Mark C AP, AG, SP Eastern Comma C AP, AG, SP Mourning Cloak C MR, AP, MY, JN, SP American Lady C AP, MY, JN, SP Painted Lady U AP, MY, AG, SP Red Admiral C MY, JN, AG, SP Common Buckeye C MY, AG, SP, OC Red-spotted Purple C JN, AG, SP, OC White Admiral R JN, JL, AG, SP Viceroy C JN, AG, SP, OC Hackberry Butterflies Hackberry Butterfly U JN, AG Tawny Emperor U, L JN, AG Satyrs and Wood Nymphs Northern Pearly Eye U, L JN, JL, AG Appalachian Brown U, L JN, AG Little Wood Satyr C MY, JN, JL Common Wood Nymph C, L JL, AG Milkweed Butterflies Monarch C AP, MY, JN, JL, AG, SP, OC _______________ Accidental (1) or Possibly Stray (2) Species for the DC Area (The species in this list were not included in the pre-January 2007 “Butterflies Occurring in the DC Area” list. The Little Metalmark record is from the 1950’s. The Zebra Heliconian and Queen are relatively recent.) Little Metalmark – (Calephelis virginiensis) Zebra Heliconian – (Heliconius charithonius) Queen – (Danaus gilippus) _______________ Stray (2) Species for the DC Area (Species moved to this list from the pre-January 2007 “Butterflies Occurring in the DC Area” list are indicated below by (P). The remaining species in this list were not included in the pre-January 2007 list.) Palamedes Swallowtail – (Papilio palamedes) (P) Large Orange Sulphur – (Phoebis agarithe) Barred Yellow – (Eurema daira) Great Purple Hairstreak – (Atlides halesus) Gulf Fritillary – (Agraulis vanillae) Diana – (Speyeria diana) Gray Comma – (Polygonia progne) Compton Tortoiseshell – (Nymphalis vaualbum) Gemmed Satyr – (Cyllopsis gemma) (P) Carolina Satyr – (Hermeuptychia sosybius) Zarucco Duskywing – (Erynnis zarucco) (P) Persius Duskywing – (Erynnis persius) Indian Skipper – (Hesperia sassacus) Whirlabout – (Polites vibex) Aaron's Skipper – (Poanes aaroni) Eufala Skipper – (Lerodea eufala) Twin-spot Skipper – (Oligoria maculata) (P) Brazilian Skipper – (Calpodes ethlius) _______________ Species Currently Believed to Be Extirpated from the DC Area (This list is a result of recent evaluations of all DC area butterfly records. Species included in this list were once resident in the DC area, but no new reports have been logged for them in the DC area within at least the past 15 years. Species moved to this list from the pre-January 2007 “Butterflies Occurring in the DC Area” list are indicated below by (P). The remaining species in this list were not included in the pre-January 2007 list.) Bronze Copper – (Lycaena hyllus) (P) Edwards' Hairstreak – (Satyrium edwardsii) (P) Hickory Hairstreak – (Satyrium caryaevorum) Frosted Elfin – (Callophrys irus) (P) Aphrodite Fritillary – (Speyeria aphrodite) Regal Fritillary – (Speyeria idalia) (P) Silver-bordered Fritillary – (Boloria selene) Tawny Crescent – (Phyciodes batesii) Golden-banded Skipper – (Autochton cellus) (P) Confusing Cloudywing – (Thorybes confusis) (P) Mottled Duskywing – (Erynnis martialis) Grizzled Skipper – (Pyrgus centaureae) Black Dash – (Euphyes conspicua) Two-spotted Skipper – (Euphyes bimacula) (P) _______________ REFERENCES: Clark, Austin H. 1932. The butterflies of the District of Columbia and vicinity. U.S. National Museum Bulletin No. 157. 337pp. Clark, Austin H. and Clark, Leila F. 1951. The Butterflies of Virginia. Smithsonian Misc. Colls., Vol. 116, No. 7. 239pp. Fales, John H. (March 1987), "The Butterflies of Rock Creek Park, Washington, D.C.," The Maryland Naturalist (The Natural History Society of Maryland), Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 5-24. Fales, John H. and William R. Grooms (August 1980), "Notes on Butterfly Collecting in Maryland in 1979," Maryland Entomologist (Maryland Entomological Society), Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 12-13. Fales, John H. 1974 (December). Check-list of the skippers and butterflies of Maryland. Chesapeake Science (continued as journal Estuaries starting in 1978; published by the Estuarine Research Federation, University of Mississippi, University MS 38677) 15(4): 222-229. Garland, Mark S. 1995. "Great Falls Butterfly Survey 1994-1995" (unpublished), Great Falls National Park, Virginia; sponsored by National Park Service, Great Falls, VA. Lepidopterists Society Field Season Summaries (published annually by The Lepidopterists' Society, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, CA 90007) for Maryland and Virginia for 1978 through 2006. Opler, Paul A. (February 1982), "Butterflies and Skippers of the Washington, DC Area," Office of Endangered Species, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240. Opler, Paul A., Harry Pavulaan, Ray E. Stanford, Michael Pogue, coordinators. 2006. Butterflies and Moths of North America ( http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/ ). Big Sky Institute and Mountain Prairie Information Node (MPIN) of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII), Montana State University, Bozeman, MT. Smith, Richard H., personal field notes and also records reported to him by fellow lepidopterists, MD-DC-NoVA area, for period 1973 to 2006, 5213 Eliot's Oak Rd., Columbia, MD 21044. Wagner, Warren H., Jr. 1941. District of Columbia butterfly notes (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera). Entomological News (published by the Academy of Natural Sciences, Phila., PA 19103) 52(7): 196-200 and 52(9): 245-249. _______________ (1) The Accidental category indicates species whose natural ranges are considerably outside the DC area, they are not known to stray widely, and thus their record in the DC area was probably due to their accidental introduction or to their escape from an enclosed local live display. (2) The Stray category indicates species that are not resident nor known to migrate or immigrate regularly into the DC area, but which are known to have occasional isolated records considerably outside of their normal ranges, including at least one record in the DC area.