Butterflies of Berks County, Pennsylvania ---- Sightings in 2019
Butterfly walks in Berks County - 2020

Photos of Berks Butterflies from 2012    (2011 photos)

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    The butterfly species with dates recorded have been seen in Berks County, Pennsylvania this year. There are records of 109 (updated 6-10-19) species for Berks County. The list below includes all those reported from 2003 through 2018 plus this year, a total of 94. New species (not seen during 2003 - 2018) will be added in red. One species was added in 2013, 2015, and 2018. 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 2019, please send an email to . If you are not sure and have a photograph, please send it. We appreciate your help. 
Sightings in 2019 - 67 species. November 8, October 28, September 46, August 46,
July 49, June 27, May 27, April 17, March 3, February 0, January 0)
(Latest new for year sightings: Harvester.)
Updated with more late dates 11/12/19
THIS YEAR'S CONTRIBUTORS (20) are listed at the bottom of the page.
Some highlights for 2019.
First active butterflies of the year: On 14 March: Eastern Comma by Ken Lebo, Mourning Cloak by Peter & Jane Wolfe, and probable Eastern Comma by Jay Drasher. On 28 February Rudy Keller found an resting/inactive, but alive Eastern Comma in fallen branches and leaves on his deck.
A Snout butterfly (American Snout) seen and photographed by Ken Lebo on April 9 ties the Pennsylvania early date for this species.
A Banded Purple/White Admiral form of the Red-spotted Purple was seen by Jim Henning in his yard on May 21. This form is a rare sighting in Berks County.
Mike Slater and others found two Coral Hairstreaks east of Hawk Mountain on July 13. This species is rarely seen anymore in Berks. It was first added to the Berks list in 2009 and seen again in 2012 and 2015. This list was initiated in 2003.

 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 2 1 1 1 1 1 Oct 28
2 Long-tailed Skipper
3 Hoary-edged Skipper
4 Northern Cloudywing
5 Dreamy Duskywing 
6 Sleepy Duskywing 9
7 Juvenal's Duskywing  16 15
8 Horace's Duskywing  27 7 1
9 Wild Indigo Duskywing 25 16 1 4 1 Sep 28
10 Common Checkered Skipper  13 1 15 9 5 Nov 6
11 Common Sootywing 7 1 15
12 Swarthy Skipper 1 10
13 Least Skipper  7 1 1 2
14 European Skipper  9
15 Fiery Skipper  11 5 1 Oct 27
16 Leonard's Skipper
17 Cobweb Skipper 
18 Indian Skipper
19 Peck's Skipper  27 14 1 1 1 Oct 15
20 Tawny-edged Skipper 13 4 1 1 Oct 2
21 Crossline Skipper 1
22 Long Dash 
23 Northern Broken Dash  7
24 Little Glassy Wing 18 3
25 Sachem 18 5 1 1 1 Oct 28
26 Delaware Skipper 
27 Mulberry Wing
28 Hobomok Skipper  21
29 Zabulon Skipper  15 1 29 1 1 Sep 16
30 Broad-winged Skipper 23
31 Black Dash 
32 Dun Skipper  13 29
33 Dusted Skipper  18
34 Ocola Skipper 7 7 2 Oct 28
35 Pepper and Salt Skipper
Family PAPILIONIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
36 Pipevine Swallowtail  21 5 1
37 Zebra Swallowtail  16 4 23 Sep 23
38 Black Swallowtail  4 1 13 2 1
39 Giant Swallowtail  10 1 1 Oct 1
40 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail  9 2 1 1 1 1 1 Oct 8
41 Spicebush Swallowtail 27 16 9 1 1 2 1
42 Palamedes Swallowtail
Family PIERIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
43 Cabbage Butterfly=Cabbage White  30 4 2 1 1 1 1 1 6 Nov 6
44 Falcate Orangetip
45 Clouded Sulphur  1 1 2 2 6 Nov 6
46 Orange Sulphur 16 2 1 1 1 1 3 Nov 11
47 Cloudless Sulphur 13 1 2 2 Oct 28
48 Little Yellow 13 3
49 Sleepy Orange  14 3 1 1 5 Nov 6
Family LYCAENIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
50 Harvester  5
51 American Copper  14 2
52 Coral Hairstreak  13
53 Edward's Hairstreak 
54 Banded Hairstreak  15 1
55 Striped Hairstreak 3
56 Red-banded Hairstreak 10 1 10 Oct 10
57 Juniper Hairstreak 
58 Brown Elfin  27
59 Pine Elfin 
60 White-m Hairstreak  1
61 Gray Hairstreak 6 2 Sep 21
62 Eastern Tailed Blue 15 28 1 3 1 1 Oct 19
63 Spring Azure  7 2
64 Northern Spring Azure 
65 Summer Azure  24 1 2 1 1 21 Oct 27
66 Appalachian Azure
Family NYMPHALIDAE
 Subfamily LIBYTHEINAE 		 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
67 Snout Butterfly  9 18 1 1 1 1
Subfamily HELICONIINAE
68 Variegated Fritillary 2 27 3 1 1 5 Nov 5
69 Great Spangled Fritillary 9 1 1 15
70  Aphrodite 
71  Meadow Fritillary  22 2 7 6 2 2 Oct 19
Subfamily NYMPHALINAE
72 Pearl Crescent 27 2 6 3 1 1 Oct 28
73 Silvery Checkerspot
74 Baltimore 
75 Question Mark  10 18 2 27 1 1 1
76 Comma  14 8 2 1 1 4 1 1 6 Nov 11
77 Gray Comma
78 Compton's Tortoiseshell 
79 Mourning Cloak  14 4
80 Milbert's Tortoiseshell 
81 American Painted Lady  24 2 1 1 2 1 1 Oct 28
82 Painted Lady  1 1 2 2 1 Oct 29
83 Red Admiral  4 1 1 1 1
84 Buckeye  26 1 1 1 1 2 Nov 11
85 Red-spotted Purple White/Admiral  21 1 14 1 1 1 Oct 21
86 Viceroy 1 24 5
Subfamily APATURINAE
87 Hackberry Butterfly/Emperor 11 1 3 1
88 Tawny Emperor  3
Subfamily SATYRINAE
89 Northern Pearly Eye  13
90 Appalachian (Eyed) Brown  11 1 1 2
91 Little Wood Satyr  27 4
92 Common Ringlet 
93 Common Wood Nymph 
Subfamily DANAINAE
94 Monarch 22 4 1 1 1 1 Oct 27
Monthly Totals 0 0 3 17 27 26 49 46 46 28 8

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: Ed Barrell, Jay Drasher, Janis Good, Kerry Grim, Jim Henning, Linda Ingram, Rudy Keller, Ken Lebo, Robert Noll, Brant Portner, Mark Priebe, Rick Shultz, Joan Silagy, Mike Slater, Dave Sonnen, Todd Underwood, Lois Vedock, Peter & Jane Wolfe, and Karl Gardner.
For Lancaster County, PA butterfly sightings go to Lancaster Butterfly Sightings - 2019.

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.