Butterflies of Berks County, Pennsylvania ---- Sightings in 2026
Butterfly walks in Berks County - 2026

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 2025 plus this year, a total of 94. New species (not seen during those years 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 2026, please send an email to . If you are not sure and have a photograph, please send it. We appreciate your help. 
Sightings in 2026 56 species so far (August - 36, July - 33, June 20, May - 21,
April - 11, March - 5, February - 0, January - 0)
(Latest new for year sightings: Broad-winged Skipper, Giant Swallowtail, Painted Lady,
Common Sootywing, Variegated Fritillary, Crossline Skipper, Hackberry Emperor,
Little Yellow, Tawny-edged Skipper, Fiery Skipper.
Updated 8/16/26
THIS YEAR'S CONTRIBUTORS (12) are listed at the bottom of the page.
Some highlights for 2026.
First butterfly of the year: Mourning Cloak seen by Jay Drasher on March 9, 2026.
Second species of the year: Eastern Comma seen by Todd Underwood on March 10, 2026.
American Lady ovipositing on Pearly Everlasting April 11, 2026. Observed by Lois Vedock.
Monarch ovipositing on Swamp Milkweed April 18, 2026. Observed by Lois Vedock.
+ Common Ringlet observed by David Sonnen on June 7, 2026. 6th known observation in Berks.

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

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 (--)
2025 (--)
2026 (--)
.
Contributors to this year's sightings are: Jay Drasher, Larry Lloyd, Robert Noll,
Carol Polarine, Rebecca Reppert, Rick Schultz, Todd Underwood, Lois Vedock,
Peter & Jane Wolfe, Ryan Woolwine, Karl Gardner.
For Lancaster County, PA butterfly sightings go to Lancaster Butterfly Sightings - 2026.

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.