Butterflies of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania ---- Sightings in 2015
Photographs of Lancaster County Butterflies from 2013       (2012 photos)       (2011 photos)  

(2010 photos)    Other year sightings     Berks Co. Butterfly Sightings

Lancaster Butterfly & Entomological Club     Berks Co. Butterfly Walks 2017

    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 2013, a total of 89 species.  New species seen in 2015, but not in 2009 through 2013 (No data recorded in 2014) will be added in red. Nine species were added to the list in 2012 and one in 2013.    
If you have a reliable sighting not on this list for 2015, please send an email to . If you are not sure of the identification, but have a photograph, please send it. We will appreciate your help. 

Now accepting late sighting dates.
First sightings by month for 2015 - 60 species   ---  (In December 2 species) ( Updated: Dec. 28, 2015.)
Latest sighting: Orange Sulphurs (3) on Dec. 27
Most recent new for year: White-M Hairstreak on October 8, 2015.  

Thank you to all of our contributors listed below.
The day of the first sighting is listed for each month.
Family HESPERIIDAE Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Last
1 Silver-spotted Skipper 9 1 6 1 1 7 Oct 7
2 Long-tailed Skipper
3 Hoary-edged Skipper
4 Southern Cloudywing 
5 Northern Cloudywing
6 Dreamy Duskywing  30 11
7 Sleepy Duskywing 18
8 Juvenal's Duskywing  15
9 Horace's Duskywing  3
10 Wild Indigo Duskywing 29 9 28 1 15 2
11 Common Checkered Skipper  16 1 21 5 4 Nov 8
12 Common Sootywing 1 1
13 Swarthy Skipper 6
14 Clouded Skipper
15 Least Skipper  27 1 1 1 1 4 Nov 8
16 European Skipper 
17 Fiery Skipper  20 Oct 22
18 Leonard's Skipper
19 Cobweb Skipper  16
20 Indian Skipper
21 Peck's Skipper  23 1 1 1 16 Oct 16
22 Tawny-edged Skipper 15 4
23 Crossline Skipper
24 Long Dash 
25 Northern Broken Dash 
26 Little Glassy Wing 22 1
27 Sachem 11 31 8
28 Delaware Skipper 
29 Mulberry Wing
30 Hobomok Skipper  18 14
31 Zabulon Skipper  27 1 28 1 3
32 Broad-winged Skipper
33 Black Dash 
34 Dun Skipper  21 1 13
35 Dusted Skipper  16
36 Ocola Skipper 8 7 Oct 22
Family PAPILIONIDAE Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Last
37 Pipevine Swallowtail  11 1 1 6 Oct 6
38 Zebra Swallowtail  18 11 1 1
39 Black Swallowtail  12 11 1 1
40 Giant Swallowtail  31
41 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail  29 9 1 1 1 1
42 Spicebush Swallowtail 9 14 1 1 1
Family PIERIDAE Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Last
43 Cabbage Butterfly = Cabbage White 12 9 1 1 1 1 4 Nov 4
44 Falcate Orangetip 18 12
45 Clouded Sulphur  30 28 1 1 4 6 Nov 6
46 Orange Sulphur 9 9 1 1 1 4 Dec 27
47 Cloudless Sulphur 6
48 Little Yellow
49 Sleepy Orange  15
50 Dainty Sulphur 
Family LYCAENIDAE
51 Harvester 
52 American Copper  28
53 Bronze Copper 7
54 Coral Hairstreak
55 Banded Hairstreak  7
56 Red-banded Hairstreak 15 3 12 Oct 12
57 Juniper Hairstreak  20 12 11
58 Brown Elfin 
59 Henry's Elfin
60 Pine Elfin 30
61 White-m Hairstreak  8 Oct 8
62 Gray Hairstreak  11 26 3 7 Oct 20
63 Eastern Tailed Blue 9 14 1 1 5 4 Nov 3
64 Spring Azure  6
65 Summer Azure  27 14 1 1 1
66 Appalachian Azure
Family NYMPHALIDAE
 Subfamily LIBYTHEINAE 		 Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Last
67 Snout Butterfly  28 9 21
Subfamily HELICONIINAE
68 Variegated Fritillary 15 7 1 4 4 Nov 15
69 Great Spangled Fritillary 30 15 1 1 1
70 Regal Fritillary
71  Meadow Fritillary 29 9 1 11 1 1 4 Oct 22
72  Silvery Checkerspot 28 12 1 6
Subfamily NYMPHALINAE
73 Pearl Crescent 9 22 1 1 1 4 Nov 3
74 Baltimore 
75 Question Mark 12 15 7 11 1 6 Oct 21
76 Eastern Comma 15 9 7 1 1 4 6 Nov 16
77 Mourning Cloak  5 11
78 American Painted Lady  19 25 7 Oct 7
79 Painted Lady  18 31 14 Oct 20
80 Red Admiral 18 1 1 1 2 6 Nov 15
81 Buckeye  30 11 11 5 5 Dec 6
82 Red-spotted Purple  24 7 1 4 3
83 Viceroy 11 15 7
Subfamily APATURINAE 1
84 Hackberry Butterfly/Emperor 1 11 1
85 Tawny Emperor  1 1
Subfamily SATYRINAE
86 Appalachian Eyed Brown  25
87 Little Wood Satyr  20 14
87 Common Wood Nymph 
Subfamily DANAINAE
89 Monarch 15 26 22 1 1 1 4 Oct 21
Monthly Totals 0 15 36 29 40 40 34 24
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 for Lancaster County are: Bruce Carl, Pamela Fisher, Fred Habegger, Alison Mallon, Denis Quinn, Tom Raub, Ron Roscioli, Ray Uhlig, and Carol Welsh.
For Berks County, PA butterfly sightings go to Berks Butterfly Sightings - 2015.
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/)