34 butterflies were recorded flying in North Dakota in September 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.
Top butterflies in September
Monarch
Painted Lady
Common Checkered-Skipper
Melissa Blue
Clouded Sulphur
Red Admiral
Viceroy
Orange Sulphur
Eastern Comma
Black Swallowtail
Variegated Fritillary
Small White
All butterflies flying in North Dakota in September
| # | Species | Scientific name | Family | Obs. | Peak in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monarch | Danaus plexippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 109 | Aug (past peak) |
| 2 | Painted Lady | Vanessa cardui | Brush-footed Butterflies | 99 | Aug (past peak) |
| 3 | Common Checkered-Skipper | Burnsius communis | Skippers | 35 | Sep (peak) |
| 4 | Melissa Blue | Plebejus melissa | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 34 | Jun (past peak) |
| 5 | Clouded Sulphur | Colias philodice | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 26 | Aug (past peak) |
| 6 | Red Admiral | Vanessa atalanta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 25 | Jun (past peak) |
| 7 | Viceroy | Limenitis archippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 20 | Aug (past peak) |
| 8 | Orange Sulphur | Colias eurytheme | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 19 | Aug (past peak) |
| 9 | Eastern Comma | Polygonia comma | Brush-footed Butterflies | 13 | Apr (past peak) |
| 10 | Black Swallowtail | Papilio polyxenes | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 13 | Aug (past peak) |
| 11 | Variegated Fritillary | Euptoieta claudia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 13 | Jul (past peak) |
| 12 | Small White | Pieris rapae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 12 | Aug (past peak) |
| 13 | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Papilio glaucus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 8 | Aug (past peak) |
| 14 | Western White | Pontia occidentalis | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 8 | Aug (past peak) |
| 15 | Pearl Crescent | Phyciodes tharos | Brush-footed Butterflies | 6 | Sep (peak) |
| 16 | Checkered White | Pontia protodice | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 6 | Aug (past peak) |
| 17 | Mourning Cloak | Nymphalis antiopa | Brush-footed Butterflies | 4 | May (past peak) |
| 18 | Eastern Tailed-Blue | Everes comyntas | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 4 | Aug (past peak) |
| 19 | Sagebrush Checkerspot | Chlosyne acastus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 4 | Jun (past peak) |
| 20 | American Lady | Vanessa virginiensis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 3 | Jun (past peak) |
| 21 | Fiery Skipper | Hylephila phyleus | Skippers | 3 | Sep (peak) |
| 22 | Gray Comma | Polygonia progne | Brush-footed Butterflies | 3 | Jul (past peak) |
| 23 | Aphrodite Fritillary | Argynnis aphrodite | Brush-footed Butterflies | 3 | Aug (past peak) |
| 24 | Milbert's Tortoiseshell | Aglais milberti | Brush-footed Butterflies | 2 | Apr (past peak) |
| 25 | Silver-spotted Skipper | Epargyreus clarus | Skippers | 2 | Jun (past peak) |
| 26 | Bronze Copper | Tharsalea hyllus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 2 | Aug (past peak) |
| 27 | Huron Skipper | Atalopedes huron | Skippers | 2 | Sep (peak) |
| 28 | Gulf Fritillary | Dione vanillae | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Sep (peak) |
| 29 | Meadow Fritillary | Boloria bellona | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Jul (past peak) |
| 30 | Question Mark | Polygonia interrogationis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Jul (past peak) |
| 31 | Long-tailed Skipper | Urbanus proteus | Skippers | 1 | Sep (peak) |
| 32 | American Branded Skipper | Hesperia colorado | Skippers | 1 | Sep (peak) |
| 33 | Ocola Skipper | Panoquina ocola | Skippers | 1 | Sep (peak) |
| 34 | Purplish Copper | Tharsalea helloides | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 1 | Aug (past peak) |