About
Butterfly Life List
Updated April 4, 2025
A photographic list of butterflies I have identified or photographed in my travels. From the magical Glass Wing Butterflies of Latin America to the Sonoran Metalmark of the Desert Southwest, I collect my sightings through photographs.

Butterflies are amazing creatures once you get a chance to look at them up close. Like everybody else, I've lived most of my life not paying much attention to them.
When my son was transitioning from baby to toddler and I started pointing things out to him, I started to notice things I hadn't noticed much since I was...two? Now my toddler enjoys sitting in the yard with me, looking at bugs. This section attempts to identify and catalogue butterflies into a cohesive butterfly list I have seen while traveling for Notes from the Road.
Butterflies are mentioned in many of articles, especially in The Blue Butterfly at the End of the Loneliest Road and in several articles in the Neotropics section.
I've organized my butterflies by family:
The Swallowtails (Family Papilionidae)
The Swallowtails (Family Papilionidae) are a family of butterflies known for their striking appearance and elegant flight patterns. Characterized by their large size, vibrant colors, and distinct tails on their hindwings, Swallowtails are found worldwide, with many species exhibiting intricate patterns and unique adaptations for both camouflage and courtship displays.
King Swallowtail
Papilio thoas, photographed on the Tambopata River, Peru

Scarce Swallowtail
Iphiclides podalirius, photographed near Motovun, Istria, Croatia

Old World Swallowtail
Papilio machaon, photographed in Paros Park, Paros, Greece

Western Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio rutulus, photographed in Portland, Oregon

Clodius Parnassian
Parnassium Clodius, photographed on Larch Mountain, Oregon

The Brushfoots (Family Nymphalidae)
The Brushfoots (Family Nymphalidae) represent a diverse and large family of butterflies known for the reduction or loss of their front pair of legs, making them appear as if they have only four functional legs, resembling a brush. This family includes a wide variety of species, ranging from the vibrant and well-known monarch butterflies to the cryptically colored and camouflaged members like the Mourning Cloak.
Common Ringlet
Coenonympha tullia, photographed in Summer Lake, Oregon

Balkan Marbled White
Melanargia larissa, photographed in Paros Park, Paros, Greece

Guatemalan Cracker
Hamadryas guatemalena, photographed in Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico

Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui, photographed in Oregon

Pedaliodes tyrrheus
Pedaliodes tyrrheus, photographed in the Santa Marta Mountains, Magdalena, Colombia

Corinna Daggerwing
Marpesia corinna, photographed at El Dorado Lodge in the Santa Marta Mountains, Magdalena, Colombia

Orange Daggerwing
Marpesia berania, photographed on the Tambopata River, Peru

Queen Butterfly
Danaus gillipus, photographed in Oro Valley, Arizona.

Common Beak
Libythea lepita, photographed on Ganghwa Island, South Korea

Red Rim
Biblis hyperia, also called the Crimson-banded Black, photographed on the Napo River, Ecuador

West Indian Mangrove Buckeye
Junonia genoveva, photographed in Treasure Cay, Abaco, Bahamas in a weedy area adjacent to mangroves.

Menelaus Blue Morpho
Morpho Menalaus, photographed at Pipeline Road, Panama.

Morpho rhodopteron Butterfly
Morpho rhodopteron, photographed at El Dorado Lodge, Santa Marta Mountains, Magdalena, Colombia.

Hübner's Glad-eye
Calisto Herophile, photographed in Jardin Botanico Nacional near Havana, Cuba

Crathis Tigerwing
Olyras Crathis, photographed in Panama

Gulf Fritillary
Agraulis vanillae is sometimes called the Passion Butterfly. photographed in Havana, Cuba

Variegated Fritillary
Euptoieta claudia, photographed in the Abaco Islands, Bahamas

Queen of Spain Fritillary
Issoria lathonia, photographed near Motovun, Istria, Croatia

Blue-gray Satyr
Magneuptychia libye, photographed on the Caribbean coast, Panama

Carolina Satyr
Hermeuptychia sosybius, photographed in New Orleans, Louisiana

Hermes Satyr
Hermeuptychia hermes, photographed in New Orleans, Louisiana

Erato Heliconian
Heliconius erato, photographed in Soberania National Park, Panama.

Julia Heliconian
Dryas iulia, photographed on the Tambopata River, Peru

Isabella's Heliconian
Eueides isabella, photographed in Soberania National Park, Panama.

Empress Leilia
Asterocampa leilia photographed in Oro Valley, Arizona.

Lorquin's Admiral
Limenitis lorquini, photographed in Oregon

Oileus Giant Owl
Caligo oileus, photographed in the Canal Zone, Panama.

Banded Owl-Butterfly
Caligo atreus, photographed in the Santa Marta Mountains, Magdalena, Colombia

Mourning Cloak
Nymphalis antiopa, photographed on Mount Hood, Oregon.

Common Wood-nymph
Cercyonis pegala, photographed in Carver Park Reserve, Carver County, Minnesota

Small Wood-nymph
Cercyonis oetus, photographed in Tumalo Reservoir, Deschutes County, Oregon

California Tortoiseshell
Nymphalis californica, photographed in Oregon

Bordered Patch
Chlosyne lacinia, photographed in Madera Canyon, Arizona.

Milbert's Tortoiseshell
Aglais milberti

Claudina Crescent
Tegosa claudina, photographed in Panama.

Pale Banded Crescent
Anthanassa tulcis, photographed in Tamarindo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Orange-patched Crescent
Anthanassa drusilla

Three-banded Crescent
Eresia ithomioides alsina, photographed in Panama.

Cuban Crescent
Anthanassa frisia, photographed near Havana, Cuba

Cuban Crescent (Dubia Subspecies)
Anthanassa frisia dubia , photographed in La Guajira, Colombia

Pearl Crescent
Phyciodes tharos, photographed in Louisiana.

Mylitta Crescent
Phyciodes mylitta, photographed in Tualatin, Oregon

Tiny Checkerspot
Dymasia dymas, photographed in Madera Canyon, Arizona.

Leanira Checkerspot
Chlosyne leanira

Hoffmann's Checkerspot
Chlosyne hoffmanni

Edith's Checkerspot
Euphydryas editha, photographed in Eagle Creek Gorge, Oregon

Postman Butterfly
Heliconius melpomene, photographed on the Tambopata River, Peru

American Snout Butterfly
Libytheana carinenta, photographed in Oro Valley, Arizona. This unusual butterfly features a snout which looks like a dead branch, and is used as camouflage.

Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta, photographed in Oregon.

Napeogenes inachia
photographed in Ecuador

Illinissa Glasswing
Hyposcada illinissa, photographed in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

Pink Glasswing
Cithaeria aurora, photographed in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

White Peacock
Anartia jatrophae, photographed in Tamarindo, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. I also photographed this species in Havana, Cuba.

Banded Peacock
Papilio crino, photographed in Gamboa, Panama

Ithomiidae Chiapas Glasswing Butterfly
Ithomiidae Chiapas, photographed in Panama

The Sapho Longwing
Heliconius Sapho, photographed in the Canal Zone, Panama.

Sara Longwing Butterfly
Heliconius sara, photographed in Southeastern Peru

Zebra Longwing
Heliconius charithonia. Also called the Zebra Heliconian. photographed in Jardín Botánico Nacional, Cuba.

Scarce Bamboo Page
Philaethria dido, photographed on the North Coast Honduras

California Sister
Adelpha californica, photographed in Eagle Creek Gorge, Oregon

Smooth-Banded Sister
Adelpha cytherea, photographed in Panama

Malachite Butterfly
Siproeta stelenes, photographed in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

Scarlet Peacock
Anartia amathea, photographed in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

Widespread Eighty-eight (Cramer's Eighty-Eight)
Callicore hesperis, photographed in Minca, Colombia. Earlier, I photographed this species on the Tambopata River in Peru.

Hesperis Eighty-eight
Callicore hesperis, photographed on the Tambopata River, Peru

Two-eyed Eighty-eight
Callicore pithaes, photographed in the Tayrona National Park region of Magdalena, Colombia

Tracta Sister
Adelpha tracta, photographed on Volcan Mombacho in Nicaragua.

Northern Pearly-eye
Enodia anthedon, photographed at the Minnesota Valley NWR, Minnesota

Mexican Bluewing
Myscelia ethusa, photographed in Nicaragua

Elf
Microtia Elva, photographed in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.

Catonephele antinoe
photographed in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador.

Acontius Firewing
Catonephele acontius, photographed in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

The Whites and Sulphurs (Family Pieridae)
The Whites and Sulphurs (Family Pieridae) are a family of butterflies characterized by their predominantly white, yellow, or orange coloration. This family includes well-known species such as the cabbage whites and clouded yellows, and they are often associated with open habitats where their bright colors may serve various ecological functions, from mate attraction to warning signals.
Perrhybris Pamela Butterfly
Perrhybris pamela, photographed on the Tambopata River, Peru

Clouded Yellow Butterfly
Colias croceus, photographed in Sečovlje Salina Nature Park, Piran, Slovenia

Fairy Yellow
Eurema daira, photographed in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica

Costa-Spotted Mimic White
Enantia albania, photographed in Panama

Apaturina Dartwhite
Catasticta apaturina, photographed in Andean Ecuador

Silky Wanderer
Leptophobia eleone, photographed in the Ecuadorian Andes

Great Southern White
Ascia monuste, photographed in Abaco, Bahamas.

Southern Small White
Pieris mannii, photographed in Naoussa, Paros, Greece.

White Angled-Sulphur
Anteos clorinde, Santa Maria Beach, Los Cabos, Mexico

Cloudless Sulphur
Phoebis sennae, Pipeline Road, Panama

Narrow-banded Dartwhite
Catasticta flisa , photograhed in the Ecuadorian Andes.

Pink-edged Sulphur
Colias interior, photographed in Wright County, Minnesota

Dimera Sulphur
Colias dimera, photographed in Ecuadorian Andes

Sleepy Orange
Eurema nicippe, Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii Island, Hawaii

Brimstone
Gonepteryx rhamni, Tengstedt, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Western White
Pontia occidentalis , photographed on Mount Hood, Oregon

Cabbage White
Pieris rapae, photographed in Oregon

Gossamer-Winged Butterflies (Family Lycaenidae)
Gossamer-Winged Butterflies (Family Lycaenidae) are a diverse group known for their delicate appearance and often vibrant colors. This family includes numerous small to medium-sized butterflies, and many species exhibit intricate interactions with ants during their life cycle, as larvae form mutualistic relationships with ants for protection.
Atala Butterfly
Eumaeus atala photographed in Abaco, Bahamas. I write about this species in the Northern Bahamas dry forest journal.

Gray Hairstreak
Strymon melinus, photographed in Ridefield NWR, Washington.

Blue Copper
Lycaena heteronea, photographed in California.

Marine Blue
Leptotes marina, photographed in Madera Canyon, Arizona. Hans thinks this is Reakirt's female.

Holly Blue Butterfly
Celastrina argiolus, photographed in Sicily, Italy. This species is present in both Eurasia and North America.

Reakirt's Blue
Echinargus isola, photographed in Madera Canyon, Arizona.

Green Hairstreak
Callophrys rubi, photographed in Aiguamolls, Catalonia, Spain

Nelson's Hairstreak
Callophrys nelsoni, photographed in Portland, Oregon

Echo Azure
Celastrina echo, photographed in Madera Canyon, Arizona.

Western Pygmy Blue
Brephidium exilis, photographed in California

Anna's Blue
Plebejus anna, photographed in Oregon

Square-spotted Blue
Euphilotes battoides, photographed on Mount Hood, Oregon

Western Tailed-blue
Cupido amyntula, photographed in Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, Oregon

Silvery Blue
Glaucopsyche lygdamus, photographed on Mount Hood, Oregon

Silver-studded Blue
Plebejus arguss, photographed in Sečovlje Salina Nature Park, Piran, Slovenia

Brown Argus
Aricia agestis, photographed in Tengstedt, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Spring Azure
Celastrina ladon, photographed at Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota.

Acmon Blue
Plebejus acmon, photographed in Oregon.

Eastern-tailed Blue
Cupido comyntas, photographed on Great Abaco Island, Bahamas.

Eastern-tailed Blue
Cupido comyntas, photographed in Tayrona National Park, Magdalena, Colombia.

Barred Yellow
Eurema daira, photographed in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. Often also called the Barred Sulphur.

Female Barred Yellow butterfly, photographed in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica

MetalMarks (Family Riodinidae)
Metalmarks (Family Riodinidae) are a group of butterflies characterized by their metallic and reflective wing markings. Members of this family are often small to medium-sized, and their distinctive wing patterns can range from subtle iridescence to bold metallic hues. Metalmarks are found in various habitats, primarily in tropical regions, and their striking wing colors and patterns play roles in both mate attraction and predator deterrence.
Laverna Metalmark
Calephelis laverna, photographed in Tayrona National Park, Magdalena, Colombia

Lagora Eyemark
Leucochimona lagora, photographed in Panama.

Sword-tailed Beautymark
Rhetus arcius, photographed in Tamarindo, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. This brilliant butterfly is by far among the very beautiful I have ever seen. It came as a complete surprise to find it resting on sidewalk in busy Tamarindo, Costa Rica. Unfortunately, I only had my phone camera and was unable to capture it's vivid glory. I spent several days going back to the same location to see if I could relocate it, but no luck!

Lasus Eyemark
Perophthalma lasus, photographed in Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica.

Sonoran Metalmark
Apodemia mejicanus, photographed in Southern Arizona.

Fatal Metalmark
Calephelis nemesis, photographed at Patagonia Lake, Arizona.

Hyalina Metalmark
Thisbe hyalina, photographed in Panama.

Mexican Metalmark
Apodemia mejicanus, photographed at Santa Maria Beach, Baja Sur, Mexico.

Blue-patched Eyed-Metalmark
Mesosemia coelestis, photographed in Panama.

Skippers (Family Hesperiidae)
Skippers (Family Hesperiidae) are a diverse group of butterflies characterized by their robust bodies, rapid and darting flight, and hooked tips at the end of their antennae. They are often intermediate in appearance between true butterflies and moths, with a compact body structure and wings that are typically more triangular in shape. Skippers are found in a variety of habitats worldwide, and many species are known for their relatively inconspicuous yet fascinating behaviors, making them an interesting and varied family within the order Lepidoptera.
Dull Firetip
Apyrrothrix araxes, photographed in Madera Canyon, Arizona.

Hammock Skipper
Polygonus leo, photographed in the Abaco Islands, Bahamas.

Creon Skipper, Lilliana subspecies
Creonpyge creon lilliana. I photographed this Creon Skipper in El Valle de Anton, Panama. It is apparently the first photograph of a living Lilliana Creon Skipper.

Two-Barred Flasher
Astraptes fulgerator, photographed in Soberania National Park, Panama.

Common Checkered Skipper
Burnsius communis, photographed in Madera Canyon, Arizona.

Tropical Checkered-Skipper
Pyrgus oileus, photographed in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica.

Silver-plated Skipper
Rhetus arcius, photographed near Minca, in the mid-elevations of the Santa Marta Mountains, Magdalena, Colombia

Woodland Skipper
Ochlodes sylvanoides, photographed in Sauvie Island, Oregon.

Least Skipper
Ancyloxypha numitor, photographed in Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota.

Erichson's White Skipper
Burnsius orcus, photographed near Camarones,in La Guajira, Colombia.

Long-tailed Skipper
Urbanus proteus, photographed in Panama.

Urbanus proteus, photographed at Santa Maria Beach, Baja Sur, Mexico.

Fiery Skipper
Hylephila phyleus, photographed in Oro Valley, Arizona.

Female Fiery Skipper, photographed in Kai Luum, Mérida, Mexico.

Elegant Flat Spreadwing
Celaenorrhinus stola, photographed in Panama.

Yellow-veined Skipper
Parphorus decora, photographed in Panama.

Monk Skipper
Asbolis capucinus, photographed in Jardín Botánico Nacional, Cuba.

Palatka Skipper
Euphyes pilatka, photographed in Abaco, Bahamas.

Hewitson's Sabre-wing
Jemadia hewitsonii, photographed in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

List of Unidentified Butterflies
It often takes me years before I accurately identify a butterfly species. I am always open to help from experts and enthusiasts.
Butterfly, Unidentified
Andes, Ecuador

Unidentified Butterfly
photographed in Ecuadorian Andes

Unidentified Skipper
photographed in Ecuador

Unidentified Skipper
photographed in Panama

Unidentified Skipper
photographed in Panama

Unidentified Skipper Butterfly
photographed in Panama

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Write to Erik Gauger of Notes from the Road
Bird Life List
A list of all the birds I've seen in my life, with illustrations.
Butterfly Life List
A list of all the butterflies I've identified in my life, with photographs.
Reptile Life List
A list of all the reptiles I've identfiied in my life, with illustrations.
Amphibian Life List
A list of all the amphibians I've seen in my life, with illustrations.
Dragonflies and Damselflies List
A list of all the Odonata insects I've seen in my life, with illustrations.
Mammal Life List
A list of all the mammals I've seen in my life.
Spider and Arachnid List
A collection of photographs of spiders and other arachnids I've seen while photographing for Notes from the Road.
Fishes Life List
Explore my list of fish species that I have identified.
Grateful Dead Jams
My list of extraordinary road-trip approved Grateful Dead jams.
Phish Jams
My list of the best Phish jams for traveling and road trips.
Alley Cats of the World
My gallery of feral, stray and wild country cats.