Butterflies of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania ---- Sightings in 2023
Photographs of Lancaster County Butterflies from 2013

(2012 photos)  (2011 photos)

Return to Lancaster Butterflies & Entomological Club Home Page
    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 2023, a total of 89 species.  New species seen in 2023, but not in 2009 through 2022 (No data recorded in 2014) will be added in red. No species were added to the list in 2022.  A printable list of the 109 species at (Lancaster Butterflies). 
If you have a reliable sighting not on this list for 2023, 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 2023 - 58 species so far (November - 2, October - 17, September - 31, August - 42,
July - 41, June - 32, May - 24, April - 17, March - 3, February - 1, January - 0)
(Latest new for year sightings: Long-tailed Skipper.)
(Last butterfly of the year - Orange Sulphur Nov 30 by Fred Habberger.)
Updated 3/20/24
THIS YEAR'S CONTRIBUTORS (16) are listed at the bottom of the page.
Some highlights for 2023.
--> First butterfly of the year: Eastern Comma seen Feb. 11, 2023 by Fred Habegger.
--> The Gray Hairstreak seen April 11, 2023 by Fred Habegger is the earliest date in the 14 years of this page. Only 3 other dates have been earlier than June.
--> The Indian Skipper photographed by Fred Habegger on May 11, 2023 is the first since May 2013.
--> The Harvester photographed by Dave Sonnen on May 20, 2023 is the first since 2010 and only the second record since this page began in 2009.
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 8 2 1 1 1 Sep 9
2 Long-tailed Skipper 20
3 Hoary-edged Skipper
4 Southern Cloudywing 
5 Northern Cloudywing
6 Dreamy Duskywing 
7 Sleepy Duskywing
8 Juvenal's Duskywing  10 11 Apr 18
9 Horace's Duskywing  8 9
10 Wild Indigo Duskywing 15 8 9 1 Sep 7
11 Common Checkered Skipper  24 19 10 1 Oct 28
12 Common Sootywing 29 21 19 Jul 21
13 Swarthy Skipper 9 9 1 Sep 1
14 Clouded Skipper
15 Least Skipper  24 2 1 19 1 Sep 6
16 European Skipper 
17 Fiery Skipper  19 Oct 19
18 Leonard's Skipper
19 Cobweb Skipper 
20 Indian Skipper 11 May 11
21 Peck's Skipper  10 17 1 1 1 Sep 21
22 Tawny-edged Skipper Jul 30 Jul 30
23 Crossline Skipper
24 Long Dash 
25 Northern Broken Dash 
26 Little Glassy Wing 25 1 Jul 8
27 Sachem 17 8 1 1 1 Oct 31
28 Delaware Skipper 
29 Mulberry Wing
30 Hobomok Skipper  14 16
31 Zabulon Skipper  21 2 5 1 Sep 3
32 Broad-winged Skipper
33 Black Dash  28
34 Dun Skipper  2 17 Aug 17
35 Dusted Skipper 
36 Ocola Skipper 9 1 28 Oct 28
Family PAPILIONIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
37 Pipevine Swallowtail 
38 Zebra Swallowtail  27 12 8
39 Black Swallowtail  1 12 Aug 25
40 Giant Swallowtail  3
41 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail  6 6 16 1 1 1 Sep 3
42 Spicebush Swallowtail 15 6 6 8 19 1 Sep 1
Family PIERIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
43 Cabbage Butterfly = Cabbage White  5 6 2 2 19 1 1 4 Nov 5
44 Falcate Orangetip
45 Clouded Sulphur  29 17 10 9 1 9 1 1 Oct 26
46 Orange Sulphur 10 11 10 1 1 1 1 4 Nov 30
47 Cloudless Sulphur
48 Little Yellow
49 Sleepy Orange  21 5 10 13 1 1 Oct 12
50 Dainty Sulphur 
Family LYCAENIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
51 Harvester  20 8 9
52 American Copper  18 9 16 Sep 16
53 Bronze Copper
54 Coral Hairstreak
55 Banded Hairstreak  28 1 Jul 10
56 Red-banded Hairstreak 29 1 1 1 Oct 23
57 Juniper Hairstreak 
58 Brown Elfin 
59 Henry's Elfin
60 Pine Elfin
61 White-m Hairstreak  13 1 Sep 3
62 Gray Hairstreak  11 12 4 8 1 Sep 20
63 Eastern Tailed Blue 11 16 2 19 1 3 Oct 26
64 Spring Azure  21 5 6
65 Summer Azure  31 6 1 19
66 Appalachian Azure
Family NYMPHALIDAE
 Subfamily LIBYTHEINAE 		 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
67 Snout Butterfly  24
Subfamily HELICONIINAE
68 Variegated Fritillary 8 12 1 1 Oct 26
69 Great Spangled Fritillary 31 6 1 19 1 Sep 1
70 Regal Fritillary
71  Meadow Fritillary 5 4 5 1 1 Oct 3
72  Silvery Checkerspot 17
Subfamily NYMPHALINAE
73 Pearl Crescent 15 7 2 9 1 9 Oct 28
74 Baltimore  10 1
75 Question Mark 23 28 2 19 1 Sep 1
76 Eastern Comma 11 10 9 2 12 Oct 23
77 Mourning Cloak  5 16 2
78 American Painted Lady  8 19 27 3 Oct 9
79 Painted Lady  22 19 9 Oct 9
80 Red Admiral 10 6 10 2 1 1 7 Nov 7
81 Buckeye  28 1 19 1 1 Oct 28
82 Red-spotted Purple  8 9 1 Sep 1
83 Viceroy 8 3 1 Jul 21
Subfamily APATURINAE
84 Hackberry Butterfly = Hackberry Emperor 30 8
85 Tawny Emperor  10 1 Aug 2
Subfamily SATYRINAE
86 Appalachian (Eyed) Brown  29 1 19 Aug 23
87 Little Wood Satyr  21 6 8 9
87 Common Wood Nymph  1
Subfamily DANAINAE
89 Monarch 9 1 19 3 Oct 19
Monthly Totals 1 3 18 24 32 41 42 31 17 2

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 (60)
2022 (56+)
2023 (58)
2024 (--)
Contributors to this year's sightings are: Fred Habegger, Jennifer Helder, Beth Katz. Anthony Schoch, David Sonnen, Gayle Steffy, Lois Vedock, Carol Welsh, and Warren Wolf.

(And at the July 8, 2023 Butterfly Count: Fred Habegger, Alina Droz, Tom Droz, Margaret Frentz, Dave Prescott, Jan Schaefer, Dave Sonnen, Gayle Steffy, Carol Welsh, Warren Wolf)
(And at the 22nd Furnace Hills Rerun Count on August 19, 2023: Jim Fiorentino, Fred Habegger, Dave Prescott, Jan Schaefer, Dave Sonnen)
For Berks County, PA butterfly sightings go to Berks 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/)