31 butterflies were recorded flying in Maine in October in our iNaturalist sample; 1 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.
Top butterflies in October
Monarch
American Lady
Clouded Sulphur
Painted Lady
Small White
American Copper
Red Admiral
Orange Sulphur
Question Mark
Mourning Cloak
Milbert's Tortoiseshell
Eastern Comma
All butterflies flying in Maine in October
| # | Species | Scientific name | Family | Obs. | Peak in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monarch | Danaus plexippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 320 | Aug (past peak) |
| 2 | American Lady | Vanessa virginiensis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 167 | Aug (past peak) |
| 3 | Clouded Sulphur | Colias philodice | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 81 | Sep (past peak) |
| 4 | Painted Lady | Vanessa cardui | Brush-footed Butterflies | 51 | Aug (past peak) |
| 5 | Small White | Pieris rapae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 44 | Aug (past peak) |
| 6 | American Copper | Lycaena hypophlaeas | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 31 | Aug (past peak) |
| 7 | Red Admiral | Vanessa atalanta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 20 | Jul (past peak) |
| 8 | Orange Sulphur | Colias eurytheme | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 20 | Sep (past peak) |
| 9 | Question Mark | Polygonia interrogationis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 18 | Sep (past peak) |
| 10 | Mourning Cloak | Nymphalis antiopa | Brush-footed Butterflies | 15 | Apr (past peak) |
| 11 | Milbert's Tortoiseshell | Aglais milberti | Brush-footed Butterflies | 11 | Aug (past peak) |
| 12 | Eastern Comma | Polygonia comma | Brush-footed Butterflies | 9 | Jul (past peak) |
| 13 | Eastern Tailed-Blue | Everes comyntas | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 7 | Aug (past peak) |
| 14 | Northern Crescent | Phyciodes cocyta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 6 | Jun (past peak) |
| 15 | Peck's Skipper | Polites peckius | Skippers | 6 | Jul (past peak) |
| 16 | Common Buckeye | Junonia coenia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 5 | Sep (past peak) |
| 17 | Fiery Skipper | Hylephila phyleus | Skippers | 5 | Oct (peak) |
| 18 | Pearl Crescent | Phyciodes tharos | Brush-footed Butterflies | 4 | Jul (past peak) |
| 19 | Canadian Tiger Swallowtail | Papilio canadensis | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 4 | Jun (past peak) |
| 20 | Wild Indigo Duskywing | Erynnis baptisiae | Skippers | 4 | Aug (past peak) |
| 21 | Gray Comma | Polygonia progne | Brush-footed Butterflies | 3 | May (past peak) |
| 22 | Viceroy | Limenitis archippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 3 | Aug (past peak) |
| 23 | Great Spangled Fritillary | Argynnis cybele | Brush-footed Butterflies | 3 | Jul (past peak) |
| 24 | Pipevine Swallowtail | Battus philenor | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 2 | Sep (past peak) |
| 25 | Common Ringlet | Coenonympha california | Brush-footed Butterflies | 2 | Jun (past peak) |
| 26 | Harvester | Feniseca tarquinius | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 2 | Jun (past peak) |
| 27 | Ocola Skipper | Panoquina ocola | Skippers | 2 | Sep (past peak) |
| 28 | Tawny-edged Skipper | Polites themistocles | Skippers | 1 | Jun (past peak) |
| 29 | Dun Skipper | Euphyes vestris | Skippers | 1 | Jul (past peak) |
| 30 | Variegated Fritillary | Euptoieta claudia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Sep (past peak) |
| 31 | Bronze Copper | Tharsalea hyllus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 1 | Jun (past peak) |