As you explore this site, hover your mouse over titles, plant and insect names, and photo captions – many of them are linked to sites with additional information!
Butterflies are organized by family-here are quick links to each section:
- Brush-footed (Family Nymphalidae)
- Metalmarks (Family Riodinidae)
- Skippers (Family Hesperidae)
- Swallowtails (Family Papilonidae)
- Sulphurs and Whites (Family Pieridae)
- Blues and Hairstreaks (Family Lycaenidae)
Or you can search for a word on this page:
Brush-footed (Family Nymphalidae)
- Snouts: subfamily Libytheinae
- Milkweed butterflies: subfamily Danainae
- Longwings: subfamily Heliconiinae
- Admirals and relatives: subfamily Limenitidinae
- Emperors: subfamily Apaturinae
- Tropical brushfoots: subfamily Biblidinae
- True brushfoots: subfamily Nymphalinae
- Leafwings: subfamily Charaxinae
- Satyrs and Wood-nymphs: subfamily Satyrinae
- Morphos: subfamily Morphinae
“Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called brush-footed butterflies or four-footed butterflies, because they are known to stand on only four legs while the other two are curled up; in some species, these forelegs have a brush-like set of hairs, which gives this family its other common name. Many species are brightly coloured and include popular species such as the emperors, monarch butterfly, admirals, tortoiseshells, and fritillaries. However, the under wings are, in contrast, often dull and in some species look remarkably like dead leaves, or are much paler, producing a cryptic effect that helps the butterflies blend into their surroundings.”
Click on the butterfly name in a photo to learn more; larval host plants are listed under the name.

Globemallows, Western Mugwort, Sonoran Everlasting, Groundsel


Desert Hackberry, Canyon Hackberry


Parish’s Goldeneye, Common Sunflower


Acanthus family
photo © Michael J Plagens

Desert Hackberry, Canyon Hackberry


Aster and Machaeranthera spp
photo © Danielle Carlock

Paintbrush in Figwort family
photo © Danielle Carlock

Ruellia spp, Snapdragon Vine, Frog Fruit, Monkeyflower, Whitewhooly Twintip


Passionvine



Milkweeds


Violet spp.
photo © Elliott Gordon

Willows, Cottonwoods, Birches, Aspen, Hackberry


Arizona Thistle, Desert Cotton, Globemallows, Western Betony, Mexican Sunflower Bush, Yarrow, Western Mugwort


Aster spp.
photo © Elliott Gordon

Milkweeds





New Mexico Hops, Nettles family

Nettle spp
photo © Danielle Carlock

Chuparosa, Justicia spp, Hairy Fournwort

Figwort family
photo © Michael J Plagens

Passionvine


Cottonwoods, Willows, Poplar, Aspens, Cherry, Apple, Plum

Aspen, Cottonwood, Willows, Shadbush
photo © Danielle Carlock

Globemallows
Metalmarks (Family Riodinidae)
- True metalmarks: subfamily Riodininae
“The colouration ranges from muted colours in the temperate zone species to iridescent blue and green wings and transparent wings in tropical species. The golden or silvery metallic spots on the wings in many species of the Americas gave them the English common name “metalmarks”.”

Seepwillow, Clematis

Photo © Michael J Plagens

Mesquites

Mesquites, Catclaw Acacia
Photo © Michael J Plagens
Skippers (Family Hesperiidae)
- Spread-wing skippers: subfamily Pyrginae
- Grass skippers: subfamily Hesperiinae
- Giant skippers: subfamily Megathyminae
“Skippers have the antennae clubs hooked backward like a crochet hook, while the typical butterflies have club-like tips to their antennae, and moth-butterflies have feathered or pectinate (comb-shaped) antennae similar to moths. Skippers also have generally stockier bodies and larger compound eyes than the other two groups, with stronger wing muscles in the plump thorax, in this resembling many moths more than the other two butterfly lineages do.”

Abutilon spp, Baldderpod

Abutilon spp, Globemallows

Bladderpod, Mallows

Bermuda Grass, Sugarcane


Wild indigo (Indigofera suffruticosa and I. lindheimeriana) photo © Elliott Gordon

Bermuda Grass, St Augustine Grass



Butterfly Pea, Baby Bonnets, Wright’s Milkpea, Slender Janusia, Shrubby Deervetch, New Mexico Locust


New Mexico Locust, Hog Peanut
photo ©Michael J Plagens

Chenopodium, Lamb’s Quarters
photo ©Michael J Plagens
photo © Michael J Plagens

Abutilon spp, Bladderpod, Globemallows

Green Sprangletop, Bamboo Muhly, Bermuda Grass, Sideoats Grama

Apache Red Grass


Bermuda Grass, Green Sprangletop

Abutilon spp, Globemallows

Swallowtails (Family Papilionidae)
- Parnassians: subfamily Parnassiinae
- Swallowtails: subfamily Papilioninae
“Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species… The genera of extant swallowtails are usually classified into three subfamilies, Baroniinae, Parnassiinae, and Papilioninae, the latter two being further divided into tribes. In swallowtails, besides morphological characteristics, the choice of food plants and ecological lifestyle reflect phylogeny and classification.”

Host: Rue of the Mountains, Parsley, Wild Carrot



Host: Pipevine


American elm, red elm, hackberry, Japanese hop, nettles, and false nettle
photo © Elliott Gordon

Hoptree, Common Rue,
Citrus spp

Aspen, Cottonwood, Willows, Cherry, Ash
photo © Danielle Carlock
Sulphurs and Whites (Family Pieridae)
- Whites: subfamily Pierinae
- Sulphurs: subfamily Coliadinae
“The Pieridae family consists of a large number of small to medium size butterflies, characterized by orange, white or yellow wings.
Identification can be difficult for many nature lovers, like us! Many species of Sulphurs are quite similar in size, color, markings and flight characteristics. Plus some interbreed and hybridize which makes identification even more difficult.”

Perennial Rockcress, Perennial Mustard, California Mustard, Watercress

Pea Family (Fabaceae)

Senna spp, Desert Rosemallow, Heart Leaved Hibiscus, Paleface Hibiscus


Arizona Beggarticks, Wright Thimblehead, Odora, Dogweed, Desert Marigold, Paralenna



Mustard spp including Rockcress
photo © Elliott Gordon

Desert Fern, Pea Family


Acacia spp, Senegalia spp, Vachellia spp, New Mexico Locust, Senna spp


Texas Ebony

Senna spp, Arizona Beggarticks, Cassia spp


False Indigo, Dalea spp, Parry’s False Prairie Clover, Senna spp

Mesquites, Senna spp
Blues and Hairstreaks (Family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-wing Butterflies)
- Coppers: subfamily Lycaeninae
- Hairstreaks: subfamily Theclinae
- Blues: subfamily Polyommatinae
“The Lycaenidae are members of the Superfamily Papilionoidea, the true butterflies… The adults are typically small to tiny and often brilliantly colored–iridescent blues, bright reds, and oranges. Adults of both sexes have three pairs of walking legs, though most males have fused segments in their front legs.”
“Most adults visit flowers for nectar, but some harvesters feed on wooly aphid honeydew and some hairstreaks feed on aphid honeydew or bird droppings. Females lay single, sea urchin shaped eggs on host leaves or flower buds; the resulting caterpillars are typically slug-shaped. In many species, caterpillars depend on ants for protection, so caterpillars produce sugary secretions that are collected by the ants. Most species overwinter in either the egg or pupal stage.”

Buckwheats (Eriogonum), lupine
photo © Michael J Plagens

Eastern Mojave Buckwheat, Mesquite spp, Pink Fairy Duster, Sonoran Kidneywood, Fernball Acacia, Cooley Bundleflower, Texas Ebony, Tenaza

Cinquefoils
photo © Elliott Gordon

Host: Ceanothus spp

Host: Beargrass, California Buckthorn, Dalea spp, Desert Cotton, False Indigo, Globemallows, Hibiscus

Host: Misteltoe

Juniper spp

Mesquites
photo © Terrence Cox

Mallow family, Hibiscus
photo © Michael J Plagens

Fairy Dusters, Senegalia spp (Catclaw Acacia), Desert Plumbago, False Indigo, Kidneywood, Leadwort, Mesquites, Palo Blanco, Santa Rita Acacia, Tenaza, Wright’s Milpea

photo © Elliott Gordon

Mimosa spp, Vachellia spp, Catclaw Acacia, Dalea spp, Mesquite spp

Flowers and developing seeds of Texas and Woodland beargrass (photo © Elliott Gordon)

Dwarf Mistletoes that grow on juniper, pine, fir
photo © Danielle Carlock

Host: Saltbush spp
All photos © George Roark unless otherwise noted
Resources:
Butterflies of the Central Arizona Highlands, by Philip McNally, PHD
Butterflies and Moths of North America
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