60 butterflies were recorded flying in Alabama in September in our iNaturalist sample; 25 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.
Top butterflies in September

Gulf Fritillary

Cloudless Sulphur

Common Buckeye

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Monarch

Long-tailed Skipper
Hackberry Emperor

Fiery Skipper

Red-banded Hairstreak
Sleepy Orange

Pipevine Swallowtail

Clouded Skipper
All butterflies flying in Alabama in September
| # | Species | Scientific name | Family | Obs. | Peak in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gulf Fritillary | Dione vanillae | Brush-footed Butterflies | 3,106 | Sep (peak) |
| 2 | Cloudless Sulphur | Phoebis sennae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 1,295 | Sep (peak) |
| 3 | Common Buckeye | Junonia coenia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1,020 | Sep (peak) |
| 4 | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Papilio glaucus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 971 | Aug (past peak) |
| 5 | Monarch | Danaus plexippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 562 | Oct (rising) |
| 6 | Long-tailed Skipper | Urbanus proteus | Skippers | 546 | Oct (rising) |
| 7 | Hackberry Emperor | Asterocampa celtis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 533 | Sep (peak) |
| 8 | Fiery Skipper | Hylephila phyleus | Skippers | 500 | Aug (past peak) |
| 9 | Red-banded Hairstreak | Calycopis cecrops | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 485 | Sep (peak) |
| 10 | Sleepy Orange | Eurema nicippe | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 475 | Aug (past peak) |
| 11 | Pipevine Swallowtail | Battus philenor | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 431 | Sep (peak) |
| 12 | Clouded Skipper | Lerema accius | Skippers | 389 | Oct (rising) |
| 13 | Pearl Crescent | Phyciodes tharos | Brush-footed Butterflies | 388 | Sep (peak) |
| 14 | Variegated Fritillary | Euptoieta claudia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 365 | Sep (peak) |
| 15 | Silver-spotted Skipper | Epargyreus clarus | Skippers | 336 | Aug (past peak) |
| 16 | Viceroy | Limenitis archippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 260 | Sep (peak) |
| 17 | Spicebush Swallowtail | Papilio troilus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 230 | Aug (past peak) |
| 18 | Eastern Tailed-Blue | Everes comyntas | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 210 | Sep (peak) |
| 19 | Little Yellow | Eurema lisa | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 195 | Sep (peak) |
| 20 | Ocola Skipper | Panoquina ocola | Skippers | 190 | Oct (rising) |
| 21 | Carolina Satyr | Hermeuptychia sosybius | Brush-footed Butterflies | 187 | Aug (past peak) |
| 22 | Eastern Giant Swallowtail | Heraclides cresphontes | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 173 | Sep (peak) |
| 23 | Question Mark | Polygonia interrogationis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 167 | Sep (peak) |
| 24 | Gray Hairstreak | Strymon melinus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 151 | Sep (peak) |
| 25 | Red-spotted Admiral | Limenitis arthemis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 145 | Sep (peak) |
| 26 | Painted Lady | Vanessa cardui | Brush-footed Butterflies | 133 | Sep (peak) |
| 27 | Tawny Emperor | Asterocampa clyton | Brush-footed Butterflies | 127 | Sep (peak) |
| 28 | Palamedes Swallowtail | Papilio palamedes | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 109 | Sep (peak) |
| 29 | Whirlabout | Hedone vibex | Skippers | 98 | Aug (past peak) |
| 30 | Red Admiral | Vanessa atalanta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 90 | Aug (past peak) |
| 31 | Zabulon Skipper | Lon zabulon | Skippers | 79 | Aug (past peak) |
| 32 | Tropical Checkered-Skipper | Burnsius oileus | Skippers | 69 | Oct (rising) |
| 33 | Southern Pearly-eye | Lethe portlandia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 59 | Sep (peak) |
| 34 | Horace's Duskywing | Erynnis horatius | Skippers | 57 | Aug (past peak) |
| 35 | American Lady | Vanessa virginiensis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 56 | May (past peak) |
| 36 | Huron Skipper | Atalopedes huron | Skippers | 52 | Aug (past peak) |
| 37 | Great Purple Hairstreak | Atlides halesus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 50 | Sep (peak) |
| 38 | American Snout | Libytheana carinenta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 49 | Jun (past peak) |
| 39 | Least Skipper | Ancyloxypha numitor | Skippers | 45 | Sep (peak) |
| 40 | Eastern Gemmed-Satyr | Cyllopsis gemma | Brush-footed Butterflies | 37 | Sep (peak) |
| 41 | Silvery Checkerspot | Chlosyne nycteis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 34 | Aug (past peak) |
| 42 | Small White | Pieris rapae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 32 | May (past peak) |
| 43 | Eastern Comma | Polygonia comma | Brush-footed Butterflies | 30 | Sep (peak) |
| 44 | Summer Azure | Celastrina neglecta | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 30 | Jun (past peak) |
| 45 | Zebra Swallowtail | Eurytides marcellus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 26 | Apr (past peak) |
| 46 | Common Wood-Nymph | Cercyonis pegala | Brush-footed Butterflies | 24 | Sep (peak) |
| 47 | Northern Pearly-eye | Lethe anthedon | Brush-footed Butterflies | 20 | May (past peak) |
| 48 | Dun Skipper | Euphyes vestris | Skippers | 18 | Aug (past peak) |
| 49 | Common Checkered-Skipper | Burnsius communis | Skippers | 18 | Oct (rising) |
| 50 | Common Sootywing | Pholisora catullus | Skippers | 16 | Sep (peak) |