Butterflies of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania ---- Sightings in 2016
(Updated January 11, 2017 (All data entered, but still accepting more records.)
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 2015, a total of 89 species.  New species seen in 2016, but not in 2009 through 2015 (No data recorded in 2014) will be added in red. No species were added to the list in 2015.    
      We are recording the first sighting for each month plus the last date for the year in order to have data over the season. If you have a later report than the "Last" date posted, please send it to the email below. 
      If you have a reliable sighting not on this list for 2016, please send an email to . If you are not sure of the species, but have a photograph, please send the data and photo.  Contributors are vital to this data page. We appreciate your help.  
Now expanded to 12 months
Sightings for 2016 - 64 species-   (November 9 species, (July is complete.))
DATE of LATEST sighting Nov. 19
Most recent sightings: Buckeye, Variegated Fritillary 

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

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: Don Billet, Jon Campbell, Karl Gardner, Pamela Fisher, Fred Habegger, Nathan Lewis, Mike Slater, David Sonnen, and Ray Uhlig.
For Berks County, PA butterfly sightings go to Berks Butterfly Sightings - 2016.
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/)