40 butterflies were recorded flying in Iowa in April in our iNaturalist sample; 5 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.
Top butterflies in April
Red Admiral
Eastern Comma
Small White
Black Swallowtail
American Lady
Mourning Cloak
Spring Azure
Henry's Elfin
Pearl Crescent
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Painted Lady
Juvenal's Duskywing
All butterflies flying in Iowa in April
| # | Species | Scientific name | Family | Obs. | Peak in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Admiral | Vanessa atalanta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 195 | Jul (rising) |
| 2 | Eastern Comma | Polygonia comma | Brush-footed Butterflies | 39 | Sep (rising) |
| 3 | Small White | Pieris rapae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 34 | Jul (rising) |
| 4 | Black Swallowtail | Papilio polyxenes | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 33 | Aug (rising) |
| 5 | American Lady | Vanessa virginiensis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 30 | Jun (rising) |
| 6 | Mourning Cloak | Nymphalis antiopa | Brush-footed Butterflies | 26 | Jun (rising) |
| 7 | Spring Azure | Celastrina ladon | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 20 | Apr (peak) |
| 8 | Henry's Elfin | Callophrys henrici | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 20 | Apr (peak) |
| 9 | Pearl Crescent | Phyciodes tharos | Brush-footed Butterflies | 19 | Sep (rising) |
| 10 | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Papilio glaucus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 19 | Aug (rising) |
| 11 | Painted Lady | Vanessa cardui | Brush-footed Butterflies | 17 | Sep (rising) |
| 12 | Juvenal's Duskywing | Erynnis juvenalis | Skippers | 16 | Apr (peak) |
| 13 | Gray Comma | Polygonia progne | Brush-footed Butterflies | 13 | Jul (rising) |
| 14 | Meadow Fritillary | Boloria bellona | Brush-footed Butterflies | 12 | Jul (rising) |
| 15 | Eastern Tailed-Blue | Everes comyntas | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 6 | Aug (rising) |
| 16 | Orange Sulphur | Colias eurytheme | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 5 | Sep (rising) |
| 17 | Question Mark | Polygonia interrogationis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 5 | Jul (rising) |
| 18 | Common Buckeye | Junonia coenia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 4 | Sep (rising) |
| 19 | Monarch | Danaus plexippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 4 | Aug (rising) |
| 20 | Gray Hairstreak | Strymon melinus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 4 | Aug (rising) |
| 21 | Juniper Hairstreak | Callophrys gryneus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 4 | Apr (peak) |
| 22 | Checkered White | Pontia protodice | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 3 | Sep (rising) |
| 23 | Silver-spotted Skipper | Epargyreus clarus | Skippers | 3 | Aug (rising) |
| 24 | Zebra Swallowtail | Eurytides marcellus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 3 | Jun (rising) |
| 25 | Common Checkered-Skipper | Burnsius communis | Skippers | 3 | Jul (rising) |
| 26 | Wild Indigo Duskywing | Erynnis baptisiae | Skippers | 2 | Aug (rising) |
| 27 | American Snout | Libytheana carinenta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 2 | Jul (rising) |
| 28 | Goatweed Leafwing | Anaea andria | Brush-footed Butterflies | 2 | Jun (rising) |
| 29 | Gorgone Checkerspot | Chlosyne gorgone | Brush-footed Butterflies | 2 | Jun (rising) |
| 30 | American Copper | Lycaena hypophlaeas | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 2 | Jun (rising) |
| 31 | Great Spangled Fritillary | Argynnis cybele | Brush-footed Butterflies | 2 | Jun (rising) |
| 32 | Horace's Duskywing | Erynnis horatius | Skippers | 1 | Jul (rising) |
| 33 | Sleepy Duskywing | Erynnis brizo | Skippers | 1 | Apr (peak) |
| 34 | Clouded Sulphur | Colias philodice | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 1 | Sep (rising) |
| 35 | Funereal Duskywing | Erynnis funeralis | Skippers | 1 | Jul (rising) |
| 36 | Variegated Fritillary | Euptoieta claudia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Jul (rising) |
| 37 | Hackberry Emperor | Asterocampa celtis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Jun (rising) |
| 38 | Harvester | Feniseca tarquinius | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 1 | Jul (rising) |
| 39 | Peck's Skipper | Polites peckius | Skippers | 1 | Sep (rising) |
| 40 | Huron Skipper | Atalopedes huron | Skippers | 1 | Aug (rising) |