24 butterflies were recorded flying in Rhode Island in October in our iNaturalist sample; 1 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.
Top butterflies in October
Monarch
American Lady
Small White
American Copper
Orange Sulphur
Huron Skipper
Red Admiral
Common Buckeye
Painted Lady
Gray Hairstreak
Question Mark
Clouded Sulphur
All butterflies flying in Rhode Island in October
| # | Species | Scientific name | Family | Obs. | Peak in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monarch | Danaus plexippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 105 | Aug (past peak) |
| 2 | American Lady | Vanessa virginiensis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 39 | Sep (past peak) |
| 3 | Small White | Pieris rapae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 36 | Jul (past peak) |
| 4 | American Copper | Lycaena hypophlaeas | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 30 | Jul (past peak) |
| 5 | Orange Sulphur | Colias eurytheme | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 17 | Oct (peak) |
| 6 | Huron Skipper | Atalopedes huron | Skippers | 16 | Sep (past peak) |
| 7 | Red Admiral | Vanessa atalanta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 15 | Jul (past peak) |
| 8 | Common Buckeye | Junonia coenia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 11 | Sep (past peak) |
| 9 | Painted Lady | Vanessa cardui | Brush-footed Butterflies | 7 | Sep (past peak) |
| 10 | Gray Hairstreak | Strymon melinus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 7 | Aug (past peak) |
| 11 | Question Mark | Polygonia interrogationis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 7 | Jul (past peak) |
| 12 | Clouded Sulphur | Colias philodice | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 6 | Sep (past peak) |
| 13 | Eastern Tailed-Blue | Everes comyntas | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 5 | Sep (past peak) |
| 14 | Spicebush Swallowtail | Papilio troilus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 4 | Aug (past peak) |
| 15 | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Papilio glaucus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 3 | Aug (past peak) |
| 16 | Red-banded Hairstreak | Calycopis cecrops | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 3 | Aug (past peak) |
| 17 | Cloudless Sulphur | Phoebis sennae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 2 | Sep (past peak) |
| 18 | Eastern Comma | Polygonia comma | Brush-footed Butterflies | 2 | Apr (past peak) |
| 19 | Mourning Cloak | Nymphalis antiopa | Brush-footed Butterflies | 2 | Apr (past peak) |
| 20 | Pipevine Swallowtail | Battus philenor | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 1 | Jul (past peak) |
| 21 | Fiery Skipper | Hylephila phyleus | Skippers | 1 | Sep (past peak) |
| 22 | Black Swallowtail | Papilio polyxenes | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 1 | Jul (past peak) |
| 23 | Silver-spotted Skipper | Epargyreus clarus | Skippers | 1 | Jul (past peak) |
| 24 | Ocola Skipper | Panoquina ocola | Skippers | 1 | Jul (past peak) |