Butterflies Flying in California in March (60 Species)

60 butterflies were recorded flying in California in March in our iNaturalist sample; 3 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 March

Painted Lady4,891 obs.

Monarch3,500 obs.

Mourning Cloak2,298 obs.

Silvery Blue2,132 obs.

California Tortoiseshell1,659 obs.

Anise Swallowtail1,601 obs.

Variable Checkerspot1,566 obs.

Sara Orangetip1,449 obs.

Gray Buckeye1,302 obs.

Lotus Hairstreak1,251 obs.

Western Tiger Swallowtail1,131 obs.

Echo Azure1,131 obs.

All butterflies flying in California in March

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Painted Lady	Vanessa cardui	Brush-footed Butterflies	4,891	Apr (rising)
2	Monarch	Danaus plexippus	Brush-footed Butterflies	3,500	Jul (rising)
3	Mourning Cloak	Nymphalis antiopa	Brush-footed Butterflies	2,298	Apr (rising)
4	Silvery Blue	Glaucopsyche lygdamus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	2,132	Mar (peak)
5	California Tortoiseshell	Nymphalis californica	Brush-footed Butterflies	1,659	May (rising)
6	Anise Swallowtail	Papilio zelicaon	Swallowtails and Parnassians	1,601	Jun (rising)
7	Variable Checkerspot	Euphydryas chalcedona	Brush-footed Butterflies	1,566	May (rising)
8	Sara Orangetip	Anthocharis sara	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	1,449	Apr (rising)
9	Gray Buckeye	Junonia grisea	Brush-footed Butterflies	1,302	Jun (rising)
10	Lotus Hairstreak	Callophrys dumetorum	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	1,251	Apr (rising)
11	Western Tiger Swallowtail	Papilio rutulus	Swallowtails and Parnassians	1,131	Jun (rising)
12	Echo Azure	Celastrina echo	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	1,131	Jun (rising)
13	Funereal Duskywing	Erynnis funeralis	Skippers	1,131	Mar (peak)
14	West Coast Lady	Vanessa annabella	Brush-footed Butterflies	1,096	Apr (rising)
15	Small White	Pieris rapae	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	1,080	Jul (rising)
16	Gulf Fritillary	Dione vanillae	Brush-footed Butterflies	969	Sep (rising)
17	Red Admiral	Vanessa atalanta	Brush-footed Butterflies	881	Apr (rising)
18	Umber Skipper	Lon melane	Skippers	869	May (rising)
19	Acmon Blue	Icaricia acmon	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	819	Jul (rising)
20	Margined White	Pieris marginalis	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	804	Mar (peak)
21	Checkered White	Pontia protodice	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	674	Jun (rising)
22	Mylitta Crescent	Phyciodes mylitta	Brush-footed Butterflies	648	Jun (rising)
23	Propertius Duskywing	Erynnis propertius	Skippers	610	Apr (rising)
24	Common Ringlet	Coenonympha california	Brush-footed Butterflies	608	Apr (rising)
25	Gray Hairstreak	Strymon melinus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	602	Aug (rising)
26	Behr's Metalmark	Apodemia virgulti	Metalmark Butterflies	581	May (rising)
27	Fiery Skipper	Hylephila phyleus	Skippers	568	Sep (rising)
28	Mournful Duskywing	Erynnis tristis	Skippers	481	Aug (rising)
29	Orange Sulphur	Colias eurytheme	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	477	Oct (rising)
30	Pale Swallowtail	Papilio eurymedon	Swallowtails and Parnassians	456	Jun (rising)
31	Brown Elfin	Callophrys augustinus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	426	Apr (rising)
32	Western Pygmy-Blue	Brephidium exilis	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	415	Oct (rising)
33	California Sister	Adelpha californica	Brush-footed Butterflies	373	Jun (rising)
34	American Lady	Vanessa virginiensis	Brush-footed Butterflies	275	Jul (rising)
35	Marine Blue	Leptotes marina	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	260	Jul (rising)
36	Common Checkered-Skipper	Burnsius communis	Skippers	237	Oct (rising)
37	Queen	Danaus gilippus	Brush-footed Butterflies	222	Oct (rising)
38	Lorquin's Admiral	Limenitis lorquini	Brush-footed Butterflies	218	Jun (rising)
39	Sagebrush Checkerspot	Chlosyne acastus	Brush-footed Butterflies	214	Apr (rising)
40	White Checkered-Skipper	Burnsius albezens	Skippers	213	Oct (rising)
41	California Patch	Chlosyne californica	Brush-footed Butterflies	191	Oct (rising)
42	Satyr Comma	Polygonia satyrus	Brush-footed Butterflies	176	Jun (rising)
43	Western Giant Swallowtail	Heraclides rumiko	Swallowtails and Parnassians	158	Sep (rising)
44	Western Tailed-blue	Everes amyntula	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	137	Apr (rising)
45	Great Purple Hairstreak	Atlides halesus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	110	Oct (rising)
46	Cloudless Sulphur	Phoebis sennae	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	95	Sep (rising)
47	Dainty Sulphur	Nathalis iole	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	95	Sep (rising)
48	Edith's Checkerspot	Euphydryas editha	Brush-footed Butterflies	91	May (rising)
49	Pipevine Swallowtail	Battus philenor	Swallowtails and Parnassians	71	May (rising)
50	Eufala Skipper	Lerodea eufala	Skippers	68	Sep (rising)