Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes
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Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio glaucus
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Tiger Swallowtail - black female
Papilio glaucus
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Pipevine Swallowtail
Battus philenor
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Family Papilionidae --
Swallowtail and Parnassian Butterflies entail more than 600
species worldwide; fewer than 30 of these live in North America.
The true swallowtails, the most typical North American members
of this family, are large, brightly colored butterflies with
tailed hind wings. All North American swallowtails have somewhat
spherical eggs. Most of the caterpillars have prominent
eyespots. Swallowtail chrysalises resemble bits of leaf or wood;
they hang upright through the winter.
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Cabbage White
Pieris rapae
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Clouded Sulphur
Colias philodice
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Orange Sulphur
Colias eurytheme
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Lyside Sulphur
Kricogonia
lyside |
Dwarf Yellow aka Dainty Sulphur
Nathalis iole
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Family Pieridae - Whites and Sulphurs
include about 1,000 species worldwide, with 60 species in North America. Most of
these butterflies are shades of yellow, white, or pale green. There is often
dramatic color variation between the sexes, seasonal, and even members of the
same species. For all intents and purposes, the clouded and orange sulphurs, for
instance, are generally spoken of as on species in the field, they being
virtually impossible to tell apart. A few species compete with humans for
vegetable and fiber crops.
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Family Danaidae - The
Milkweed Butterflies consist of 400 species, only four of
which reside in North America. The monarch is the most famous of
this family, known for its soaring flight and yearly migration.
Most species' caterpillars feed on the toxic milkweed plant,
imparting a bitter flavor to the adult butterfly which is
distasteful to birds. The viceroy butterfly is not a member of
this family, but mimics the monarch.
*Queen Butterfly
Photo: © Carol Freeman
used with permission
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Gray Hairstreak |
Family Lycaenidae (gossamer
wings) includes four groups: blues, coppers,
hairstreaks and harvesters. There are only about
100 species in North America. These small
butterflies hold their wings over their back
when at rest. In most species, the males have
greatly reduced forelegs not unlike the
brushfoots, but the females have all six legs
well-developed. Caterpillars of many hairstreaks
and blues possess honeydew glands. Ants milk
these caterpillars and in return, protect them
from predators. The compact chrysalises are
usually found in ground litter. Both eggs and
chrysalis may overwinter, but the caterpillar,
rarely.
Gossamer wing coloring comes from two different
types of scales: gray, brown and orange scales
are pigmented, while blue, green, purple and
copper colors derive from the selective
light-refracting properties of the scales. The
two blues pictured here are very common
butterflies here in DuPage County near Chicago;
the hairstreaks are fairly rare. |
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Our Skipper
Butterfly Pages |
Juba Skipper
Hesperia juba |
Wild Indigo Duskywing |
Hobomok
Skipper |
White-striped Longtail Skipper |
Common Checkered Skipper
Pyrgus communis |
Least
Skipper - Ancyloxypha
numitor
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Ocola Skipper - Panoquina ocola |
Family Hesperiidae: Skipper
Butterflies comprise nearly 3,000 species worldwide, 250 of which
call North America home. Skippers are named for their rapid, erratic
flight. Skippers differ from the true butterflies in their
proportionately larger bodies, smaller wings, and hooked antennae, among
many other structural differences. The skipper family is further divided
into subfamilies: Grass, intermediate, giant, spread-wing, and firetip
skippers.
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Byssus Skipper
Problema byssus |
Sandhill Skipper
Polites
sabuleti |
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| Butterflies from around the world: The specimens
below were photographed at the
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in
Chicago, IL., and identified by Doug Taron, Curator of Biology, and
founder of the Northern Illinois Butterfly Monitor Network. You can
find the complete collection at:
Butterflies of the World
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Butterfly Gardening Made Easy
Gear up for spring and summer with our guide to butterfly gardening;
learn which plants attract which butterflies, why some butterflies never
visit flowers and how you can attract them anyway. Explore gorgeous
pictures of butterflies and the flowers they use for nectar or
egg-laying. |
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