47 butterflies were recorded flying in District of Columbia in July in our iNaturalist sample; 10 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.
Top butterflies in July
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Huron Skipper
Silver-spotted Skipper
Red Admiral
Monarch
Least Skipper
Small White
Spicebush Swallowtail
Eastern Tailed-Blue
Zebra Swallowtail
Pearl Crescent
Zabulon Skipper
All butterflies flying in District of Columbia in July
| # | Species | Scientific name | Family | Obs. | Peak in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Papilio glaucus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 312 | Aug (rising) |
| 2 | Huron Skipper | Atalopedes huron | Skippers | 182 | Sep (rising) |
| 3 | Silver-spotted Skipper | Epargyreus clarus | Skippers | 139 | Aug (rising) |
| 4 | Red Admiral | Vanessa atalanta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 92 | Jul (peak) |
| 5 | Monarch | Danaus plexippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 75 | Sep (rising) |
| 6 | Least Skipper | Ancyloxypha numitor | Skippers | 68 | Jul (peak) |
| 7 | Small White | Pieris rapae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 64 | Jun (past peak) |
| 8 | Spicebush Swallowtail | Papilio troilus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 58 | Aug (rising) |
| 9 | Eastern Tailed-Blue | Everes comyntas | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 48 | Sep (rising) |
| 10 | Zebra Swallowtail | Eurytides marcellus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 36 | Jul (peak) |
| 11 | Pearl Crescent | Phyciodes tharos | Brush-footed Butterflies | 33 | Sep (rising) |
| 12 | Zabulon Skipper | Lon zabulon | Skippers | 27 | Aug (rising) |
| 13 | Silvery Checkerspot | Chlosyne nycteis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 26 | Jul (peak) |
| 14 | Red-banded Hairstreak | Calycopis cecrops | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 21 | Aug (rising) |
| 15 | Question Mark | Polygonia interrogationis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 19 | May (past peak) |
| 16 | Viceroy | Limenitis archippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 17 | Jul (peak) |
| 17 | Red-spotted Admiral | Limenitis arthemis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 15 | Aug (rising) |
| 18 | Summer Azure | Celastrina neglecta | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 15 | Jun (past peak) |
| 19 | Peck's Skipper | Polites peckius | Skippers | 13 | Sep (rising) |
| 20 | Horace's Duskywing | Erynnis horatius | Skippers | 12 | Sep (rising) |
| 21 | Fiery Skipper | Hylephila phyleus | Skippers | 12 | Sep (rising) |
| 22 | Common Buckeye | Junonia coenia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 11 | Sep (rising) |
| 23 | Painted Lady | Vanessa cardui | Brush-footed Butterflies | 11 | Sep (rising) |
| 24 | Gray Hairstreak | Strymon melinus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 11 | Sep (rising) |
| 25 | Broad-winged Skipper | Poanes viator | Skippers | 11 | Jun (past peak) |
| 26 | Black Swallowtail | Papilio polyxenes | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 11 | Jul (peak) |
| 27 | American Lady | Vanessa virginiensis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 10 | May (past peak) |
| 28 | Eastern Comma | Polygonia comma | Brush-footed Butterflies | 10 | Apr (past peak) |
| 29 | Variegated Fritillary | Euptoieta claudia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 9 | Sep (rising) |
| 30 | Appalachian Brown | Lethe appalachia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 9 | Aug (rising) |
| 31 | Pipevine Swallowtail | Battus philenor | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 8 | Sep (rising) |
| 32 | Orange Sulphur | Colias eurytheme | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 7 | Oct (rising) |
| 33 | Sleepy Orange | Eurema nicippe | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 5 | Aug (rising) |
| 34 | Gulf Fritillary | Dione vanillae | Brush-footed Butterflies | 4 | Jul (peak) |
| 35 | Wild Indigo Duskywing | Erynnis baptisiae | Skippers | 3 | Sep (rising) |
| 36 | Common Sootywing | Pholisora catullus | Skippers | 3 | Aug (rising) |
| 37 | Dun Skipper | Euphyes vestris | Skippers | 3 | Aug (rising) |
| 38 | American Snout | Libytheana carinenta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 3 | May (past peak) |
| 39 | Tawny Emperor | Asterocampa clyton | Brush-footed Butterflies | 3 | Jul (peak) |
| 40 | Common Wood-Nymph | Cercyonis pegala | Brush-footed Butterflies | 3 | Jul (peak) |
| 41 | Cloudless Sulphur | Phoebis sennae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 2 | Sep (rising) |
| 42 | Little Glassywing | Vernia verna | Skippers | 2 | Aug (rising) |
| 43 | Clouded Sulphur | Colias philodice | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 1 | Oct (rising) |
| 44 | Harvester | Feniseca tarquinius | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 1 | Apr (past peak) |
| 45 | Eastern Giant Swallowtail | Heraclides cresphontes | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 1 | Jul (peak) |
| 46 | White M Hairstreak | Parrhasius m-album | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 1 | Apr (past peak) |
| 47 | Great Spangled Fritillary | Argynnis cybele | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Jun (past peak) |