Updated: January 21, 2019
Butterflies of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania ---- Sightings in 2018
Photographs of Lancaster County Butterflies from 2013

(2012 photos)  (2011 photos)  

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Berks County Butterfly Sightings Here
    The butterfly species with dates have been seen in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania this year. There are records of 109 species for Lancaster County. The list below includes all those seen in 2009 through 2017, a total of 89 species.  New species seen in 2018, but not in 2009 through 2017 (No data recorded in 2014) will be added in red. No species were added to the list in 2017.   
If you have a reliable sighting not on this list for 2018, please send an email to . If you are not sure, but have a photograph, please send it. Contributors are vital to this data. We will appreciate your help. 
Beginning in 2009 and since 2016 covering 12 months
Sightings for 2018 - 57 species ---  (In November 10, October 26, September 35, August 44, July 34, June 28, May 25, April 5, March 2, February 1)
(Updated January 21, 2019 with more late dates.)
Latest species seen: Comma.    PLEASE CHECK YOUR 2018 LATE DATES. "Thank you" to those who did.
"Thank you" to all of our contributors (14) listed below.
The day of the first sighting is listed for each month.
Family HESPERIIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
1 Silver-spotted Skipper 12 7 2 1 2 1 Oct 17
2 Long-tailed Skipper
3 Hoary-edged Skipper
4 Southern Cloudywing 
5 Northern Cloudywing
6 Dreamy Duskywing 
7 Sleepy Duskywing
8 Juvenal's Duskywing 
9 Horace's Duskywing  14 18 5 Aug 18
10 Wild Indigo Duskywing 8 2 28 4 9 Oct 9
11 Common Checkered Skipper  8 15 4 1 Oct 25
12 Common Sootywing 10 Aug 26
13 Swarthy Skipper 14 18 Aug 18
14 Clouded Skipper
15 Least Skipper  27 9 12 5 1 3 Oct 9
16 European Skipper 
17 Fiery Skipper  27 26 1 Oct 16
18 Leonard's Skipper
19 Cobweb Skipper 
20 Indian Skipper
21 Peck's Skipper  18 13 26 2 7 Oct 7
22 Tawny-edged Skipper 28
23 Crossline Skipper 13 5 Aug 9
24 Long Dash 
25 Northern Broken Dash 
26 Little Glassy Wing 15 14 Jul 14
27 Sachem 23 4 3 1 1 1 1 Nov 1
28 Delaware Skipper 
29 Mulberry Wing
30 Hobomok Skipper  23
31 Zabulon Skipper  7 5 Sep 5
32 Broad-winged Skipper
33 Black Dash 
34 Dun Skipper  19 26 1 Sep 1
35 Dusted Skipper  12 Jun 12
36 Ocola Skipper 15 28 1 1 Nov 1
Family PAPILIONIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
37 Pipevine Swallowtail  10 7 26 Aug 26
38 Zebra Swallowtail  1 14 1 2 Sep 2
39 Black Swallowtail  15 30 5 28 Aug 30
40 Giant Swallowtail 
41 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail  7 4 14 1 3 Aug 27
42 Spicebush Swallowtail 7 7 8 1 Aug 18
Family PIERIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
43 Cabbage Butterfly = Cabbage White  31 14 1 1 7 1 1 1 1 Nov 8
44 Falcate Orangetip 1
45 Clouded Sulphur  3 14 7 1 23 3 Nov 3
46 Orange Sulphur 23 1 2 5 1 1 1 1 Nov 11
47 Cloudless Sulphur
48 Little Yellow
49 Sleepy Orange  26 Sep 30
50 Dainty Sulphur 
Family LYCAENIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
51 Harvester 
52 American Copper 
53 Bronze Copper
54 Coral Hairstreak
55 Banded Hairstreak  21 5 Jul 14
56 Red-banded Hairstreak 10 3 Sep 18
57 Juniper Hairstreak  20 14 Jul 14
58 Brown Elfin  1
59 Henry's Elfin
60 Pine Elfin
61 White-m Hairstreak  16 3 Sep 3
62 Gray Hairstreak  4 11 3 9 Oct 9
63 Eastern Tailed Blue 7 25 5 7 1 1 Oct 11
64 Spring Azure  12 1
65 Summer Azure  7 8 25 2 Aug 25
66 Appalachian Azure
Family NYMPHALIDAE
 Subfamily LIBYTHEINAE 		 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
67 Snout Butterfly (= American Snout) 19 24 28 15 3 Oct 3
Subfamily HELICONIINAE
68 Variegated Fritillary 7 10 1 18 Oct 18
69 Great Spangled Fritillary 15 18 5 Sep 5
70 Regal Fritillary
71  Meadow Fritillary 30 1 9 7 5 1 1 Oct 23
72  Silvery Checkerspot 15 7
Subfamily NYMPHALINAE
73 Pearl Crescent 1 9 12 1 1 1 Oct 25
74 Baltimore 
75 Question Mark 14 22 4 Nov 4
76 Eastern Comma 27 29 11 31 1 2 3 4 Nov 12
77 Mourning Cloak  1
78 American Painted Lady  2 Sep 29
79 Painted Lady  23 8 15 3 1 Nov 1
80 Red Admiral 14 15 7 2 30 1 Oct 1
81 Buckeye  14 6 2 1 1 Nov 1
82 Red-spotted Purple  20 30 14 1 1 10 Oct 17
83 Viceroy 15 Aug 18
Subfamily APATURINAE
84 Hackberry Butterfly/Emperor 14 1 3 17 Oct 17
85 Tawny Emperor  4 14 6 Aug 24
Subfamily SATYRINAE
86 Appalachian Brown  30 27 Aug 27
87 Little Wood Satyr  7 Jul 7
87 Common Wood Nymph 
Subfamily DANAINAE
89 Monarch 13 8 1 1 1 1 Nov 4
Monthly Totals 1 2 5 25 28 34 44 35 26 10
Yearly butterfly sightings in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
2009 (67)
2010 (72)
2011 (70)
2012 (79)
2013 (75)
2014 (__)
2015 (60)
2016 (62)
2017 (61)
2018 (57)
2019 (58)
2020 (53)
2021 (61)
2022 (56+)
2023 (58)
2024 (--)
Contributors to this year's sightings are: Fred Habegger, Beth Katz, Dan Keener, Denis Quinn, Nancy and Bob Schutsky, Mike and Jan Slater, Dave Sonnen, Luella and Ray Uhlig, Carol Welsh, Ryan Woolwine, and Andy Wyatt.
For Berks County, PA butterfly sightings go to Berks Butterfly Sightings - 2018.

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/)