Butterflies of Berks County, Pennsylvania ---- Sightings in 2023
Butterfly walks in Berks County - 2023

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 107 species for Berks County. The list below includes all those reported from 2003 through 2022 plus this year, a total of 94. New species (not seen during 2003 - 2022) will be added in red. One species was added in 2013, 2015, and 2018. No data was collected in 2014. Past year sightings can be found using the links at the bottom of this page.

      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 2023, please send an email to . If you are not sure and have a photograph, please send it. We appreciate your help. 
Sightings in 2023 - 58 species so far (November - 5, October 16, - September - 34,
August - 42, July - 40, June - 31, May - 22, April - 14, March - 3, February - 0, January - 0)
(Latest "first of year" sightings: Viceroy.)

Updated 1/6/24
THIS YEAR'S CONTRIBUTORS (19) are listed at the bottom of the page.
Some highlights for 2023.
--> First butterflies of the year: Cabbage Butterfly, Eastern Comma, and Mourning Cloak. One or more of these seen on March 16, 2023 by these seven observers: Brenda Aschenbach, Jay Drasher, Rebecca Reppert, Lori Soraparu, Todd Underwood, Lois Vedock, and Ryan Woolwine.
--> The Buckeye seen by Robert Noll on April 16 is the earliest sighting in the 17 years this page has recorded dates. Only 2 other years had dates earlier than June.
--> The Common Ringlet seen by David Barber on June 6 is the first sighting of this species since June 2015.

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

Past year butterfly species 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: Brenda Aschenbach, Bracken Brown, Jay Drasher, Linda Ingram, Robert Noll, Rebecca Reppert, Mike Slater, David Sonnen, Lori Soraparu, Robyn Underwood, Sadie Underwood, Todd Underwood, Lois Vedock, Doug and Pat Wood, Peter & Jane Wolfe, Ryan Woolwine, and Karl Gardner.
For Lancaster County, PA butterfly sightings go to Lancaster Butterfly Sightings - 2023.

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.