30 butterflies were recorded flying in Mississippi in December in our iNaturalist sample; 0 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.
Top butterflies in December
Monarch
Gulf Fritillary
Cloudless Sulphur
Common Buckeye
Ocola Skipper
Sleepy Orange
Little Yellow
Red Admiral
Long-tailed Skipper
American Lady
Question Mark
Phaon Crescent
All butterflies flying in Mississippi in December
| # | Species | Scientific name | Family | Obs. | Peak in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monarch | Danaus plexippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 46 | Oct (past peak) |
| 2 | Gulf Fritillary | Dione vanillae | Brush-footed Butterflies | 30 | Oct (past peak) |
| 3 | Cloudless Sulphur | Phoebis sennae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 29 | Sep (past peak) |
| 4 | Common Buckeye | Junonia coenia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 26 | Oct (past peak) |
| 5 | Ocola Skipper | Panoquina ocola | Skippers | 19 | Oct (past peak) |
| 6 | Sleepy Orange | Eurema nicippe | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 11 | Aug (past peak) |
| 7 | Little Yellow | Eurema lisa | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 9 | Sep (past peak) |
| 8 | Red Admiral | Vanessa atalanta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 8 | Apr (past peak) |
| 9 | Long-tailed Skipper | Urbanus proteus | Skippers | 6 | Oct (past peak) |
| 10 | American Lady | Vanessa virginiensis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 5 | May (past peak) |
| 11 | Question Mark | Polygonia interrogationis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 5 | Jul (past peak) |
| 12 | Phaon Crescent | Phyciodes phaon | Brush-footed Butterflies | 5 | Sep (past peak) |
| 13 | Barred Yellow | Eurema daira | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 4 | Jul (past peak) |
| 14 | Southern Pearly-eye | Lethe portlandia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 4 | Mar (past peak) |
| 15 | Fiery Skipper | Hylephila phyleus | Skippers | 3 | Sep (past peak) |
| 16 | Common Checkered-Skipper | Burnsius communis | Skippers | 3 | Oct (past peak) |
| 17 | Zebra Longwing | Heliconius charithonia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 2 | Oct (past peak) |
| 18 | Great Purple Hairstreak | Atlides halesus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 2 | Sep (past peak) |
| 19 | Variegated Fritillary | Euptoieta claudia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 2 | Oct (past peak) |
| 20 | Clouded Skipper | Lerema accius | Skippers | 2 | Oct (past peak) |
| 21 | Eastern Gemmed-Satyr | Cyllopsis gemma | Brush-footed Butterflies | 2 | Mar (past peak) |
| 22 | Dainty Sulphur | Nathalis iole | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 1 | Sep (past peak) |
| 23 | Pearl Crescent | Phyciodes tharos | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Jul (past peak) |
| 24 | Small White | Pieris rapae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 1 | May (past peak) |
| 25 | Viceroy | Limenitis archippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Sep (past peak) |
| 26 | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Papilio glaucus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 1 | Aug (past peak) |
| 27 | Goatweed Leafwing | Anaea andria | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Aug (past peak) |
| 28 | Eastern Giant Swallowtail | Heraclides cresphontes | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 1 | Aug (past peak) |
| 29 | Tropical Checkered-Skipper | Burnsius oileus | Skippers | 1 | Oct (past peak) |
| 30 | White Checkered-Skipper | Burnsius albezens | Skippers | 1 | Jul (past peak) |