Butterflies Flying in Montana in May (52 Species)

52 butterflies were recorded flying in Montana 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

Top butterflies in May

Mourning Cloak94 obs.

Green Comma88 obs.

Echo Azure63 obs.

Painted Lady58 obs.

Western Pine Elfin58 obs.

Anise Swallowtail56 obs.

Satyr Comma51 obs.

Common Ringlet51 obs.

Silvery Blue45 obs.

Pale Swallowtail38 obs.

Hoary Comma32 obs.

Brown Elfin31 obs.

All butterflies flying in Montana in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Mourning Cloak	Nymphalis antiopa	Brush-footed Butterflies	94	Aug (rising)
2	Green Comma	Polygonia faunus	Brush-footed Butterflies	88	May (peak)
3	Echo Azure	Celastrina echo	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	63	May (peak)
4	Painted Lady	Vanessa cardui	Brush-footed Butterflies	58	Jul (rising)
5	Western Pine Elfin	Callophrys eryphon	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	58	May (peak)
6	Anise Swallowtail	Papilio zelicaon	Swallowtails and Parnassians	56	Jul (rising)
7	Satyr Comma	Polygonia satyrus	Brush-footed Butterflies	51	Aug (rising)
8	Common Ringlet	Coenonympha california	Brush-footed Butterflies	51	Jun (rising)
9	Silvery Blue	Glaucopsyche lygdamus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	45	Jun (rising)
10	Pale Swallowtail	Papilio eurymedon	Swallowtails and Parnassians	38	Jun (rising)
11	Hoary Comma	Polygonia gracilis	Brush-footed Butterflies	32	Aug (rising)
12	Brown Elfin	Callophrys augustinus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	31	May (peak)
13	California Tortoiseshell	Nymphalis californica	Brush-footed Butterflies	24	Jul (rising)
14	Milbert's Tortoiseshell	Aglais milberti	Brush-footed Butterflies	24	Jul (rising)
15	Boisduval's Blue	Icaricia icarioides	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	24	Jun (rising)
16	Small White	Pieris rapae	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	22	Jul (rising)
17	Juniper Hairstreak	Callophrys gryneus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	20	Jun (rising)
18	Two-tailed Swallowtail	Papilio multicaudata	Swallowtails and Parnassians	18	Jul (rising)
19	Clouded Sulphur	Colias philodice	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	16	Aug (rising)
20	Edith's Checkerspot	Euphydryas editha	Brush-footed Butterflies	14	Jul (rising)
21	Melissa Blue	Plebejus melissa	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	13	Aug (rising)
22	Western White	Pontia occidentalis	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	11	Aug (rising)
23	Lorquin's Admiral	Limenitis lorquini	Brush-footed Butterflies	10	Jul (rising)
24	Margined White	Pieris marginalis	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	9	Jul (rising)
25	Lupine Blue	Icaricia lupini	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	9	Jul (rising)
26	Western Tiger Swallowtail	Papilio rutulus	Swallowtails and Parnassians	8	Jun (rising)
27	Rocky Mountain Parnassian	Parnassius smintheus	Swallowtails and Parnassians	8	Jul (rising)
28	Snowberry Checkerspot	Euphydryas colon	Brush-footed Butterflies	8	Jun (rising)
29	Sagebrush Checkerspot	Chlosyne acastus	Brush-footed Butterflies	6	May (peak)
30	Gorgone Checkerspot	Chlosyne gorgone	Brush-footed Butterflies	6	May (peak)
31	Common Checkered-Skipper	Burnsius communis	Skippers	6	Aug (rising)
32	West Coast Lady	Vanessa annabella	Brush-footed Butterflies	5	Sep (rising)
33	Juba Skipper	Hesperia juba	Skippers	5	May (peak)
34	Gray Hairstreak	Strymon melinus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	4	Jul (rising)
35	Canadian Tiger Swallowtail	Papilio canadensis	Swallowtails and Parnassians	4	Jul (rising)
36	Dreamy Duskywing	Erynnis icelus	Skippers	4	Jun (rising)
37	Purplish Copper	Tharsalea helloides	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	4	Sep (rising)
38	Common Sootywing	Pholisora catullus	Skippers	3	Jun (rising)
39	Western Tailed-blue	Everes amyntula	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	3	Jul (rising)
40	Mylitta Crescent	Phyciodes mylitta	Brush-footed Butterflies	2	Aug (rising)
41	Field Crescent	Phyciodes pulchella	Brush-footed Butterflies	2	Jul (rising)
42	Becker's White	Pontia beckerii	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	2	Jul (rising)
43	Greenish Blue	Icaricia saepiolus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	2	Jul (rising)
44	American Silver-bordered Fritillary	Boloria myrina	Brush-footed Butterflies	2	Jul (rising)
45	Red Admiral	Vanessa atalanta	Brush-footed Butterflies	1	Aug (rising)
46	Eastern Comma	Polygonia comma	Brush-footed Butterflies	1	May (peak)
47	Orange Sulphur	Colias eurytheme	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	1	Jul (rising)
48	Viceroy	Limenitis archippus	Brush-footed Butterflies	1	Jul (rising)
49	Checkered White	Pontia protodice	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	1	Jul (rising)
50	Weidemeyer's Admiral	Limenitis weidemeyerii	Brush-footed Butterflies	1	Jul (rising)