29 butterflies were recorded flying in North Carolina 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
Cloudless Sulphur
Gulf Fritillary
American Lady
Common Buckeye
Variegated Fritillary
Red Admiral
Question Mark
Monarch
Pipevine Swallowtail
Small White
American Snout
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
All butterflies flying in North Carolina in December
| # | Species | Scientific name | Family | Obs. | Peak in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cloudless Sulphur | Phoebis sennae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 34 | Sep (past peak) |
| 2 | Gulf Fritillary | Dione vanillae | Brush-footed Butterflies | 19 | Sep (past peak) |
| 3 | American Lady | Vanessa virginiensis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 16 | Jun (past peak) |
| 4 | Common Buckeye | Junonia coenia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 13 | Sep (past peak) |
| 5 | Variegated Fritillary | Euptoieta claudia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 11 | Sep (past peak) |
| 6 | Red Admiral | Vanessa atalanta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 7 | Jul (past peak) |
| 7 | Question Mark | Polygonia interrogationis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 7 | May (past peak) |
| 8 | Monarch | Danaus plexippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 5 | Sep (past peak) |
| 9 | Pipevine Swallowtail | Battus philenor | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 5 | Jul (past peak) |
| 10 | Small White | Pieris rapae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 4 | Jun (past peak) |
| 11 | American Snout | Libytheana carinenta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 4 | Jun (past peak) |
| 12 | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Papilio glaucus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 4 | Aug (past peak) |
| 13 | Sleepy Orange | Eurema nicippe | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 4 | Aug (past peak) |
| 14 | Common Checkered-Skipper | Burnsius communis | Skippers | 4 | Oct (past peak) |
| 15 | Fiery Skipper | Hylephila phyleus | Skippers | 3 | Jul (past peak) |
| 16 | Spicebush Swallowtail | Papilio troilus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 3 | Aug (past peak) |
| 17 | Great Purple Hairstreak | Atlides halesus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 3 | Sep (past peak) |
| 18 | Long-tailed Skipper | Urbanus proteus | Skippers | 3 | Oct (past peak) |
| 19 | Painted Lady | Vanessa cardui | Brush-footed Butterflies | 2 | Aug (past peak) |
| 20 | Pearl Crescent | Phyciodes tharos | Brush-footed Butterflies | 2 | Apr (past peak) |
| 21 | Hackberry Emperor | Asterocampa celtis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 2 | Sep (past peak) |
| 22 | Clouded Skipper | Lerema accius | Skippers | 2 | Sep (past peak) |
| 23 | Eastern Comma | Polygonia comma | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Mar (past peak) |
| 24 | Mourning Cloak | Nymphalis antiopa | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | May (past peak) |
| 25 | Viceroy | Limenitis archippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Sep (past peak) |
| 26 | Tawny Emperor | Asterocampa clyton | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Aug (past peak) |
| 27 | Carolina Satyr | Hermeuptychia sosybius | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Aug (past peak) |
| 28 | Silver-spotted Skipper | Epargyreus clarus | Skippers | 1 | Aug (past peak) |
| 29 | Red-banded Hairstreak | Calycopis cecrops | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 1 | Aug (past peak) |