36 butterflies were recorded flying in Alabama in December in our iNaturalist sample; 0 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.
Top butterflies in December
Gulf Fritillary
Monarch
Common Buckeye
Cloudless Sulphur
Long-tailed Skipper
Fiery Skipper
Sleepy Orange
Red Admiral
Small White
Little Yellow
Carolina Satyr
Variegated Fritillary
All butterflies flying in Alabama in December
| # | Species | Scientific name | Family | Obs. | Peak in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gulf Fritillary | Dione vanillae | Brush-footed Butterflies | 51 | Sep (past peak) |
| 2 | Monarch | Danaus plexippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 48 | Oct (past peak) |
| 3 | Common Buckeye | Junonia coenia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 30 | Sep (past peak) |
| 4 | Cloudless Sulphur | Phoebis sennae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 29 | Sep (past peak) |
| 5 | Long-tailed Skipper | Urbanus proteus | Skippers | 13 | Oct (past peak) |
| 6 | Fiery Skipper | Hylephila phyleus | Skippers | 8 | Aug (past peak) |
| 7 | Sleepy Orange | Eurema nicippe | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 8 | Aug (past peak) |
| 8 | Red Admiral | Vanessa atalanta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 5 | Aug (past peak) |
| 9 | Small White | Pieris rapae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 5 | May (past peak) |
| 10 | Little Yellow | Eurema lisa | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 5 | Sep (past peak) |
| 11 | Carolina Satyr | Hermeuptychia sosybius | Brush-footed Butterflies | 4 | Aug (past peak) |
| 12 | Variegated Fritillary | Euptoieta claudia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 4 | Sep (past peak) |
| 13 | American Lady | Vanessa virginiensis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 3 | May (past peak) |
| 14 | Eastern Comma | Polygonia comma | Brush-footed Butterflies | 3 | Sep (past peak) |
| 15 | American Snout | Libytheana carinenta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 3 | Jun (past peak) |
| 16 | Question Mark | Polygonia interrogationis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 3 | Sep (past peak) |
| 17 | Painted Lady | Vanessa cardui | Brush-footed Butterflies | 2 | Sep (past peak) |
| 18 | Pipevine Swallowtail | Battus philenor | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 2 | Sep (past peak) |
| 19 | Dainty Sulphur | Nathalis iole | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 2 | Oct (past peak) |
| 20 | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Papilio glaucus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 2 | Aug (past peak) |
| 21 | Silver-spotted Skipper | Epargyreus clarus | Skippers | 2 | Aug (past peak) |
| 22 | Red-banded Hairstreak | Calycopis cecrops | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 2 | Sep (past peak) |
| 23 | White Checkered-Skipper | Burnsius albezens | Skippers | 2 | Sep (past peak) |
| 24 | Zebra Longwing | Heliconius charithonia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Oct (past peak) |
| 25 | Cassius Blue | Leptotes cassius | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 1 | Aug (past peak) |
| 26 | Pearl Crescent | Phyciodes tharos | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Sep (past peak) |
| 27 | Little Wood Satyr | Megisto cymela | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | May (past peak) |
| 28 | Checkered White | Pontia protodice | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 1 | Jun (past peak) |
| 29 | Hackberry Emperor | Asterocampa celtis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Sep (past peak) |
| 30 | Goatweed Leafwing | Anaea andria | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Apr (past peak) |
| 31 | White M Hairstreak | Parrhasius m-album | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 1 | Aug (past peak) |
| 32 | Clouded Skipper | Lerema accius | Skippers | 1 | Oct (past peak) |
| 33 | Eastern Gemmed-Satyr | Cyllopsis gemma | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Sep (past peak) |
| 34 | Ocola Skipper | Panoquina ocola | Skippers | 1 | Oct (past peak) |
| 35 | Tropical Checkered-Skipper | Burnsius oileus | Skippers | 1 | Oct (past peak) |
| 36 | Southern Skipperling | Oarisma minima | Skippers | 1 | Aug (past peak) |