Butterflies Flying in Massachusetts in May (60 Species)

60 butterflies were recorded flying in Massachusetts in May in our iNaturalist sample; 8 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov

Top butterflies in May

American Copper545 obs.

Red Admiral529 obs.

American Lady499 obs.

Juvenal's Duskywing478 obs.

Eastern Pine Elfin451 obs.

Zabulon Skipper366 obs.

Small White315 obs.

Pearl Crescent242 obs.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail218 obs.

Eastern Tailed-Blue217 obs.

Mourning Cloak214 obs.

Common Ringlet183 obs.

All butterflies flying in Massachusetts in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Copper	Lycaena hypophlaeas	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	545	Jul (rising)
2	Red Admiral	Vanessa atalanta	Brush-footed Butterflies	529	Jul (rising)
3	American Lady	Vanessa virginiensis	Brush-footed Butterflies	499	Jul (rising)
4	Juvenal's Duskywing	Erynnis juvenalis	Skippers	478	May (peak)
5	Eastern Pine Elfin	Callophrys niphon	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	451	May (peak)
6	Zabulon Skipper	Lon zabulon	Skippers	366	Aug (rising)
7	Small White	Pieris rapae	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	315	Jul (rising)
8	Pearl Crescent	Phyciodes tharos	Brush-footed Butterflies	242	Jul (rising)
9	Eastern Tiger Swallowtail	Papilio glaucus	Swallowtails and Parnassians	218	Aug (rising)
10	Eastern Tailed-Blue	Everes comyntas	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	217	Jul (rising)
11	Mourning Cloak	Nymphalis antiopa	Brush-footed Butterflies	214	Apr (past peak)
12	Common Ringlet	Coenonympha california	Brush-footed Butterflies	183	Jun (rising)
13	Spring Azure	Celastrina ladon	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	166	Apr (past peak)
14	Peck's Skipper	Polites peckius	Skippers	166	Aug (rising)
15	Spicebush Swallowtail	Papilio troilus	Swallowtails and Parnassians	144	Jul (rising)
16	Brown Elfin	Callophrys augustinus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	141	May (peak)
17	Little Wood Satyr	Megisto cymela	Brush-footed Butterflies	133	Jun (rising)
18	Sleepy Duskywing	Erynnis brizo	Skippers	98	May (peak)
19	Baltimore Checkerspot	Euphydryas phaeton	Brush-footed Butterflies	96	Jun (rising)
20	Question Mark	Polygonia interrogationis	Brush-footed Butterflies	93	Jul (rising)
21	Painted Lady	Vanessa cardui	Brush-footed Butterflies	73	Sep (rising)
22	Silvery Blue	Glaucopsyche lygdamus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	69	May (peak)
23	Canadian Tiger Swallowtail	Papilio canadensis	Swallowtails and Parnassians	68	Jun (rising)
24	Monarch	Danaus plexippus	Brush-footed Butterflies	62	Aug (rising)
25	Wild Indigo Duskywing	Erynnis baptisiae	Skippers	62	Jul (rising)
26	Red-spotted Admiral	Limenitis arthemis	Brush-footed Butterflies	55	Jun (rising)
27	Juniper Hairstreak	Callophrys gryneus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	54	May (peak)
28	Henry's Elfin	Callophrys henrici	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	54	May (peak)
29	Gray Hairstreak	Strymon melinus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	53	Aug (rising)
30	Clouded Sulphur	Colias philodice	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	47	Sep (rising)
31	Hobomok Skipper	Lon hobomok	Skippers	46	Jun (rising)
32	Viceroy	Limenitis archippus	Brush-footed Butterflies	44	Jul (rising)
33	Dreamy Duskywing	Erynnis icelus	Skippers	40	May (peak)
34	Long Dash	Limochores mystic	Skippers	40	Jun (rising)
35	Red-banded Hairstreak	Calycopis cecrops	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	35	Aug (rising)
36	Eastern Comma	Polygonia comma	Brush-footed Butterflies	30	Jul (rising)
37	Silver-spotted Skipper	Epargyreus clarus	Skippers	28	Jul (rising)
38	American Silver-bordered Fritillary	Boloria myrina	Brush-footed Butterflies	26	Jul (rising)
39	Harvester	Feniseca tarquinius	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	22	Aug (rising)
40	Tawny-edged Skipper	Polites themistocles	Skippers	19	Aug (rising)
41	Southern Cloudywing	Cecropterus bathyllus	Skippers	18	Jun (rising)
42	White M Hairstreak	Parrhasius m-album	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	16	Aug (rising)
43	Huron Skipper	Atalopedes huron	Skippers	13	Sep (rising)
44	Orange Sulphur	Colias eurytheme	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	12	Sep (rising)
45	Northern Cloudywing	Cecropterus pylades	Skippers	12	Jun (rising)
46	Black Swallowtail	Papilio polyxenes	Swallowtails and Parnassians	11	Sep (rising)
47	Common Buckeye	Junonia coenia	Brush-footed Butterflies	10	Sep (rising)
48	Eastern Giant Swallowtail	Heraclides cresphontes	Swallowtails and Parnassians	9	Aug (rising)
49	Common Sootywing	Pholisora catullus	Skippers	8	Jul (rising)
50	Northern Crescent	Phyciodes cocyta	Brush-footed Butterflies	7	Jul (rising)