Butterflies Flying in California in April (60 Species)

60 butterflies were recorded flying in California in April in our iNaturalist sample; 11 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top butterflies in April

Monarch5,291 obs.

Painted Lady5,186 obs.

Variable Checkerspot4,836 obs.

Mourning Cloak3,689 obs.

Gray Buckeye3,029 obs.

Umber Skipper2,642 obs.

Anise Swallowtail2,340 obs.

Western Tiger Swallowtail2,321 obs.

Common Ringlet1,863 obs.

Sara Orangetip1,859 obs.

Small White1,830 obs.

Silvery Blue1,706 obs.

All butterflies flying in California in April

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Monarch	Danaus plexippus	Brush-footed Butterflies	5,291	Jul (rising)
2	Painted Lady	Vanessa cardui	Brush-footed Butterflies	5,186	Apr (peak)
3	Variable Checkerspot	Euphydryas chalcedona	Brush-footed Butterflies	4,836	May (rising)
4	Mourning Cloak	Nymphalis antiopa	Brush-footed Butterflies	3,689	Apr (peak)
5	Gray Buckeye	Junonia grisea	Brush-footed Butterflies	3,029	Jun (rising)
6	Umber Skipper	Lon melane	Skippers	2,642	May (rising)
7	Anise Swallowtail	Papilio zelicaon	Swallowtails and Parnassians	2,340	Jun (rising)
8	Western Tiger Swallowtail	Papilio rutulus	Swallowtails and Parnassians	2,321	Jun (rising)
9	Common Ringlet	Coenonympha california	Brush-footed Butterflies	1,863	Apr (peak)
10	Sara Orangetip	Anthocharis sara	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	1,859	Apr (peak)
11	Small White	Pieris rapae	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	1,830	Jul (rising)
12	Silvery Blue	Glaucopsyche lygdamus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	1,706	Mar (past peak)
13	West Coast Lady	Vanessa annabella	Brush-footed Butterflies	1,704	Apr (peak)
14	Red Admiral	Vanessa atalanta	Brush-footed Butterflies	1,498	Apr (peak)
15	Fiery Skipper	Hylephila phyleus	Skippers	1,493	Sep (rising)
16	Gulf Fritillary	Dione vanillae	Brush-footed Butterflies	1,330	Sep (rising)
17	Lotus Hairstreak	Callophrys dumetorum	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	1,291	Apr (peak)
18	Lorquin's Admiral	Limenitis lorquini	Brush-footed Butterflies	1,284	Jun (rising)
19	Acmon Blue	Icaricia acmon	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	1,237	Jul (rising)
20	California Sister	Adelpha californica	Brush-footed Butterflies	1,203	Jun (rising)
21	Behr's Metalmark	Apodemia virgulti	Metalmark Butterflies	1,154	May (rising)
22	Echo Azure	Celastrina echo	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	1,122	Jun (rising)
23	Pale Swallowtail	Papilio eurymedon	Swallowtails and Parnassians	1,099	Jun (rising)
24	Checkered White	Pontia protodice	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	1,075	Jun (rising)
25	Propertius Duskywing	Erynnis propertius	Skippers	993	Apr (peak)
26	Marine Blue	Leptotes marina	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	861	Jul (rising)
27	Gray Hairstreak	Strymon melinus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	843	Aug (rising)
28	Brown Elfin	Callophrys augustinus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	684	Apr (peak)
29	Funereal Duskywing	Erynnis funeralis	Skippers	682	Mar (past peak)
30	Mournful Duskywing	Erynnis tristis	Skippers	622	Aug (rising)
31	Margined White	Pieris marginalis	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	610	Mar (past peak)
32	Orange Sulphur	Colias eurytheme	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	609	Oct (rising)
33	Western Pygmy-Blue	Brephidium exilis	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	591	Oct (rising)
34	Mylitta Crescent	Phyciodes mylitta	Brush-footed Butterflies	563	Jun (rising)
35	California Tortoiseshell	Nymphalis californica	Brush-footed Butterflies	535	May (rising)
36	Northern Checkerspot	Chlosyne palla	Brush-footed Butterflies	520	May (rising)
37	Common Checkered-Skipper	Burnsius communis	Skippers	446	Oct (rising)
38	Western Giant Swallowtail	Heraclides rumiko	Swallowtails and Parnassians	365	Sep (rising)
39	American Lady	Vanessa virginiensis	Brush-footed Butterflies	353	Jul (rising)
40	Queen	Danaus gilippus	Brush-footed Butterflies	317	Oct (rising)
41	California Patch	Chlosyne californica	Brush-footed Butterflies	315	Oct (rising)
42	Sagebrush Checkerspot	Chlosyne acastus	Brush-footed Butterflies	281	Apr (peak)
43	Field Crescent	Phyciodes pulchella	Brush-footed Butterflies	276	Jun (rising)
44	Boisduval's Blue	Icaricia icarioides	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	259	Jun (rising)
45	White Checkered-Skipper	Burnsius albezens	Skippers	230	Oct (rising)
46	Edith's Checkerspot	Euphydryas editha	Brush-footed Butterflies	219	May (rising)
47	Western Tailed-blue	Everes amyntula	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	216	Apr (peak)
48	Northern White-Skipper	Heliopetes ericetorum	Skippers	176	Jun (rising)
49	Dainty Sulphur	Nathalis iole	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	165	Sep (rising)
50	Satyr Comma	Polygonia satyrus	Brush-footed Butterflies	160	Jun (rising)