Butterflies of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania ---- Sightings in 2022

Photographs of Lancaster County Butterflies (2012 photos)  (2011 photos)

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    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 2021, a total of 89 species.  New species seen in 2022, but not in 2009 through 2021 (No data recorded in 2014) will be added in red. No species were added to the list in 2021.  A printable list of the 109 species is at (Lancaster Butterflies). 
If you have a reliable sighting not on this list for 2022, 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 in 2022 - 56 species so far (November - 15, October - 18, September - 28,
August - 38, July - _, June - 29, May - 29, April - 10, March - 4, February - 1, January - 0)
Assembling data for July.
(Latest new for year sighting: Long-tailed Skipper seen in September)
Updated 11/15/22 with more Nov new & more year late dates.
THIS YEAR'S CONTRIBUTORS (7) are listed at the bottom of the page.
Some highlights for 2022.
First butterfly of the year: Eastern Comma by Fred Habegger on 11 Feb 2022.
Second butterfly of the year: Mourning Cloak by Dave Sonnen on 6 Mar 2022.
The Zebra Swallowtail seen by Beth Katz on 21 March is a new early date for PA by 2 days.
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 15 1 1 3 6
2 Long-tailed Skipper 13 Sep 13
3 Hoary-edged Skipper
4 Southern Cloudywing 
5 Northern Cloudywing
6 Dreamy Duskywing 
7 Sleepy Duskywing
8 Juvenal's Duskywing  20
9 Horace's Duskywing  2
10 Wild Indigo Duskywing 1 1 20 2
11 Common Checkered Skipper  21 6 2 7 5 Nov 7
12 Common Sootywing 6
13 Swarthy Skipper 14 15 2
14 Clouded Skipper
15 Least Skipper  22 1 3 2
16 European Skipper 
17 Fiery Skipper  20 9 6 2 Nov 7
18 Leonard's Skipper
19 Cobweb Skipper 
20 Indian Skipper
21 Peck's Skipper  9 1 3
22 Tawny-edged Skipper
23 Crossline Skipper
24 Long Dash 
25 Northern Broken Dash 
26 Little Glassy Wing
27 Sachem 27 1 20 6 1 Nov 7
28 Delaware Skipper  24
29 Mulberry Wing 25
30 Hobomok Skipper  26 9
31 Zabulon Skipper  21 1 3 5
32 Broad-winged Skipper
33 Black Dash 
34 Dun Skipper  9 20
35 Dusted Skipper 
36 Ocola Skipper 24 Sep 24
Family PAPILIONIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
37 Pipevine Swallowtail  12
38 Zebra Swallowtail  21 12 12 29
39 Black Swallowtail  9 1 20
40 Giant Swallowtail  20
41 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail  22 11 1 2
42 Spicebush Swallowtail 3 2
Family PIERIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
43 Cabbage Butterfly = Cabbage White  16 8 1 1 1 3 6 6 2 Nov 7
44 Falcate Orangetip
45 Clouded Sulphur  1 3 4 7
46 Orange Sulphur 16 1 2 2 6 2 Nov 2
47 Cloudless Sulphur
48 Little Yellow
49 Sleepy Orange  29 1 2 2 24 6 2 Nov 12
50 Dainty Sulphur 
Family LYCAENIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
51 Harvester 
52 American Copper  8 24
53 Bronze Copper
54 Coral Hairstreak
55 Banded Hairstreak  17
56 Red-banded Hairstreak 6 2 9
57 Juniper Hairstreak 
58 Brown Elfin 
59 Henry's Elfin
60 Pine Elfin
61 White-m Hairstreak  28
62 Gray Hairstreak  24 3 8
63 Eastern Tailed Blue 8 14 1 2 2 7 6 Nov 6
64 Spring Azure  8 8
65 Summer Azure  26 1 3
66 Appalachian Azure
Family NYMPHALIDAE
 Subfamily LIBYTHEINAE 		 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
67 Snout Butterfly 
Subfamily HELICONIINAE
68 Variegated Fritillary 20 2 7 6 Nov 12
69 Great Spangled Fritillary 2
70 Regal Fritillary
71  Meadow Fritillary 15 12 20 2 6
72  Silvery Checkerspot 9
Subfamily NYMPHALINAE
73 Pearl Crescent 1 3 7 5 Nov 5
74 Baltimore 
75 Question Mark 14 23 1 14
76 Eastern Comma 11 16 13 24 10 7 5 Nov 5
77 Mourning Cloak  6 8
78 American Painted Lady  8 2 20 24 9 7 Nov 7
79 Painted Lady  20 13 10 7 Nov 7
80 Red Admiral 22 1 20 20 5 Nov 5
81 Buckeye  25 20 2 6 6 Nov 12
82 Red-spotted Purple  29 20 2
83 Viceroy 26 20
Subfamily APATURINAE
84 Hackberry Butterfly = Hackberry Emperor 25 1 20 3
85 Tawny Emperor  6
Subfamily SATYRINAE
86 Appalachian Eyed Brown  11 13
87 Little Wood Satyr  26
87 Common Wood Nymph  30
Subfamily DANAINAE
89 Monarch 1 1 2 1 6 5 Nov 5
Monthly Totals 1 4 11 29 29 5 38 27 18 15

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, Eric Hartshaw, Beth Katz,
Gayle Lawrence, Dave Sonnen, Jan Scheafer and Gayle Steffy.
For Berks County, PA butterfly sightings go to Berks Butterfly Sightings - 2022.

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/)