Butterflies of Berks County, Pennsylvania ---- Sightings in 2017
Butterfly walks in Berks County - 2017

Photos of Berks Butterflies from 2012    (2011 photos)

Return to Berks County Nature     Go to Lancaster Butterfly Sightings

    The butterfly species with dates recorded have been seen in Berks County, Pennsylvania this year. There are records of 107 species for Berks County. The list below includes all those reported from 2003 through 2016 plus this year, a total of 93. New species (not seen during 2003 - 2016) will be added in red . One species was added in 2013 and another in 2015. No data was collected in 2014.

      Again this year we are recording the first sighting for each month plus a last date for the year in order to have data over the season. If you have a later report than the "Last" date posted, please send it to the email below. 
       If you have a reliable sighting not on this list for 2017, please send an email to . If you are not sure and have a photograph, please send it. We appreciate your help. 
Sightings in 2017 - 62 species (October 20, November 10, December 1)
(No new species were added to the Berks list this year.)
Updated 12/2/17
THIS YEAR'S CONTRIBUTORS (20) are listed at the bottom of the page.
Some highlights for 2017.
Cabbage Butterfly oviposits on garlic mustard: 11 April.
American Painted Lady oviposits on field pussytoes: 17 April.
First Monarch: 3 June.
Giant Swallowtail oviposits on hop tree. Seen by Lois Vedock. The first record for this host in Berks: 16 August.
Little Wood Satyr seen by Robert Noll on 10 September. A new late date state record.
Appalachian Brown seen by Rudy Keller on 18 September A new late date state record.
Long-tailed Skipper on September 25 by Ken Lebo, a rare sighting.

 The day of the first sighting is listed for each month plus the last date for the year.

Family HESPERIIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
1 Silver-spotted Skipper 28 14 1 1 1 5 1 3 Nov 3
2 Long-tailed Skipper 26 Sep 26
3 Hoary-edged Skipper 11
4 Northern Cloudywing 11
5 Dreamy Duskywing 
6 Sleepy Duskywing 29
7 Juvenal's Duskywing  10
8 Horace's Duskywing  29 19 5
9 Wild Indigo Duskywing 20 2 2 16 3
10 Common Checkered Skipper  21 16 3 28 Oct 28
11 Common Sootywing 2 16
12 Swarthy Skipper 29 16 3
13 Least Skipper  18 28 1 1 12 1 Oct 7
14 European Skipper  2 !
15 Fiery Skipper  26 1 6 Nov 6
16 Leonard's Skipper
17 Cobweb Skipper 
18 Indian Skipper
19 Peck's Skipper  14 17 29 16 3
20 Tawny-edged Skipper 4 3
21 Crossline Skipper
22 Long Dash 
23 Northern Broken Dash  19
24 Little Glassy Wing 21
25 Sachem 24 7 1 1 1 2 Nov 8
26 Delaware Skipper 
27 Mulberry Wing
28 Hobomok Skipper 
29 Zabulon Skipper  17 2 1 3
30 Broad-winged Skipper 20
31 Black Dash 
32 Dun Skipper  16 10
33 Dusted Skipper 
34 Ocola Skipper
35 Pepper and Salt Skipper
Family PAPILIONIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
36 Pipevine Swallowtail  1 1 3 1 Oct 6
37 Zebra Swallowtail  23 25 29 17
38 Black Swallowtail  5 6 28 1 1 8
39 Giant Swallowtail  16 1
40 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail  10 10 3 1 1 3
41 Spicebush Swallowtail 20 4 3 1 1 7
42 Palamedes Swallowtail
Family PIERIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
43 Cabbage Butterfly=Cabbage White  29 3 2 11 1 1 1 1 2 Nov 4
44 Falcate Orangetip
45 Clouded Sulphur  16 16 29 1 1 4 1 2 Nov 4
46 Orange Sulphur 21 14 21 1 1 3 1 2 1 Dec 2
47 Cloudless Sulphur 10 2 3 6 Oct 23
48 Little Yellow
49 Sleepy Orange  22
Family LYCAENIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
50 Harvester 
51 American Copper  29 28 2
52 Coral Hairstreak 
53 Edward's Hairstreak 
54 Banded Hairstreak  12 5
55 Striped Hairstreak
56 Red-banded Hairstreak 29 10 1 20 5 1 18 Oct 28
57 Juniper Hairstreak 
58 Brown Elfin 
59 Pine Elfin  16
60 White-m Hairstreak  16
61 Gray Hairstreak 29 17 2 5 3 3 Oct 28
62 Eastern Tailed Blue 23 2 16 1 1 3 28 Oct 28
63 Spring Azure  29 10 1
64 Northern Spring Azure 
65 Summer Azure  18 1 1 1
66 Appalachian Azure
Family NYMPHALIDAE
 Subfamily LIBYTHEINAE 		 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
67 Snout Butterfly  18 12 12 1
Subfamily HELICONIINAE
68 Variegated Fritillary 28 21 2 2 25 1 4 Nov 4
69 Great Spangled Fritillary 14 1 1 1
70 Aphrodite 
71 Meadow Fritillary  28 1 4 15 Oct 15
Subfamily NYMPHALINAE
72 Pearl Crescent 17 14 1 1 3 1 Oct 28
73 Baltimore  2
74 Question Mark  18 20 3 9
75 (Eastern) Comma  24 7 3 4 Nov 4
76 Gray Comma
77 Compton's Tortoiseshell 
78 Mourning Cloak  23 29 5 28
79 Milbert's Tortoiseshell 
80 American Painted Lady  10 18 3 5
81 Painted Lady  21 29 12 1 1 2 Nov 10
82 Red Admiral  22 9 18 5 1 3
83 Buckeye  14 2 26 1 1 2 Nov 13
84 Red-spotted Purple  27 2 7 9 3
85 Viceroy 11 12
Subfamily APATURINAE
86 Hackberry Butterfly/Emperor 11 5 1 7
87 Tawny Emperor  11 5
Subfamily SATYRINAE
88 Northern Pearly Eye 
89 Appalachian Brown  28 1 27 4 18 Sep
90 Little Wood Satyr  24 1 1 10 10 Sep
91 Common Ringlet 
92 Common Wood Nymph 
Subfamily DANAINAE
93 Monarch 3 1 1 3 1 Oct 28
Monthly Totals 2 3 24 24 36 42 41 38 20 10 1

Yearly butterfly sightings in Berks County, PA
2003 (63)
2004 (63)
2005 (62)
2006 (61)
2007 (64)
2008 (67)
2009 (73)
2010 (80)
2011 (72)
2012 (78)
2013 (74)
No data
2015 (71)
2016 (61)
2017 (62)
2018 (65)
2019 (67)
2020 (68)
2021 (63)
2022 (60)
2023 (58)
2024 (--)
.
Contributors to this year's sightings are: Mark Bankes, Adrian Bara-Popa, Jay Drasher, Kerry Grim, Rudy Keller, Ken Lebo, Peter Montgomery, Robert Noll, Mark Priebe, Sharen Santoro, Tony Schoch, Allen Schultz, Mike Slater, Dave Sonnen, Ted Stokes, Lois Vedock, Peter & Jane Wolfe, Ryan Woolwine, and Karl Gardner.
For Lancaster County, PA butterfly sightings go to Lancaster Butterfly Sightings - 2017.

A site with data on butterfly distributions by county (and photographs) for North America can be found at Butterflies and Moths of NA.   (http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/)

There is a small informal group of local butterfly collectors/observers in Berks Co., Pennsylvania If you are interested in butterflies and would like to meet this group, contact Karl Gardner maintains this page.

Return to Berks County Nature home page.