They love warm weather, and you can bet when it's too hot for you, they'll be out and about in droves. Worldwide, there are nearly 250,000 different species of Lepidoptera, but only several thousand are classified as butterflies. The rest are various kinds of moths. In New Jersey, about 150 species of butterflies have been identified. Some species are common to our state like the Monarch, Cabbage White and Swallowtail and are recognized on sight by any school child.
Some species are rare, and others visit only occasionally.
Unfortunately, many butterfly species are losing ground to pesticides and loss of habitat. Many butterfly colonies occupy a single field, and never stray beyond it. Mow it, build on it, and they are gone. We've come a long way in our thinking about wild things and wild places in New Jersey, but we still have a long way to go if we are to preserve these delicate beings for future generations. Learning about our fluttery friends is the first step.