# Wildlife Gardening/Location/West Virginia/Rhopalocera

Native butterflies of West Virginia :
| Taxon | Amphibians and fishes | Birds | Mammals | Reptiles | Invertebrates | Plants and fungi | Notes |
| Battus philenor, the pipevine swallowtail. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 3 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Boloria bellona, the meadow fritillary butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Celastrina ladon, the spring azure butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Cercyonis pegala, the common wood-nymph butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Colias eurytheme, the orange sulphur butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Colias philodice, the clouded sulphur butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Cupido comyntas, the eastern tailed blue butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Danaus plexippus, the monarch butterfly. Adult female pictured. | 4 ! | 3 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 6 ! | Beautiful orange butterfly filled with chemicals most birds find foul tasting or poisonous. Although dependent on milkweed as the sole host for its caterpillars, it will pollinate a large variety of flowering plants as an adult. Monarch numbers have declined in recent years, attracting widespread attention from backyard conservationists. It is also West Virginia's official state butterfly. |
| Epargyreus clarus, the silver-spotted skipper butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Erynnis brizo, the sleepy duskywing butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Erynnis icelus, the dreamy duskywing butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Erynnis juvenalis, the Juvenal's duskywing butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Limenitis archippus, the viceroy butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 3 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Limenitis arthemis, the red-spotted purple butterfly. Adult L. a. astyanax pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | Two subspecies inhabit the state. The most common is L. a. astyanax, which is a striking dark blue color, imitating the poisonous pipevine swallowtail despite being harmless itself. The second is L. a. arthemis, found in the eastern part of the state, which is darker and bears a prominent white band across the wings. Unlike most butterflies, adults prefer rotting fruit, tree sap, and dung to nectar, making this species a visually striking but substandard pollinator. |
| Megisto cymela, the little wood satyr butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Nymphalis antiopa, the mourning cloak butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Papilio glaucus, the eastern tiger swallowtail. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Papilio polyxenes, the black swallowtail. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Papilio troilus, the spicebush swallowtail. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Phyciodes tharos, the American painted lady butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Pieris virginiensis, the West Virginia white butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Poanes hobomok, the Hobomok skipper butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Polites mystic, the long dash skipper butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Polites peckius, the Peck's skipper butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Polites origenes, the crossline skipper butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Polites themistocles, the tawny-edged skipper butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Polygonia c-album, the comma butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Polygonia interrogationis, the question mark butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Pompeius verna, the little glassywing butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Protographium marcellus, the zebra swallowtail. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 3 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Speyeria aphrodite, the Aphrodite fritillary. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Speyeria cybele, the great spangled fritillary. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Thymelicus lineola, the European skipper butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Vanessa atalanta, the red admiral. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
| Vanessa virginiensis, the American painted lady butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 6 ! | Beautiful orange butterfly. |
| Wallengrenia egeremet, the northern broken dash butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |
Native butterflies of West Virginia :
| Taxon | Amphibians and fishes | Birds | Mammals | Reptiles | Invertebrates | Plants and fungi | Notes |
| Pieris rapae, the cabbage white butterfly. Adult pictured. | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | 4 ! | |