28 butterflies were recorded flying in South Carolina in January 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 January
Cloudless Sulphur
Monarch
Gulf Fritillary
Common Buckeye
American Lady
Red Admiral
Sleepy Orange
Zebra Longwing
Question Mark
American Snout
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Palamedes Swallowtail
All butterflies flying in South Carolina in January
| # | Species | Scientific name | Family | Obs. | Peak in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cloudless Sulphur | Phoebis sennae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 25 | Sep (rising) |
| 2 | Monarch | Danaus plexippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 16 | Oct (rising) |
| 3 | Gulf Fritillary | Dione vanillae | Brush-footed Butterflies | 13 | Sep (rising) |
| 4 | Common Buckeye | Junonia coenia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 6 | Sep (rising) |
| 5 | American Lady | Vanessa virginiensis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 6 | May (rising) |
| 6 | Red Admiral | Vanessa atalanta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 6 | May (rising) |
| 7 | Sleepy Orange | Eurema nicippe | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 6 | Sep (rising) |
| 8 | Zebra Longwing | Heliconius charithonia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 4 | Oct (rising) |
| 9 | Question Mark | Polygonia interrogationis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 4 | May (rising) |
| 10 | American Snout | Libytheana carinenta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 3 | Apr (rising) |
| 11 | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Papilio glaucus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 3 | Aug (rising) |
| 12 | Palamedes Swallowtail | Papilio palamedes | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 3 | Apr (rising) |
| 13 | Whirlabout | Hedone vibex | Skippers | 2 | Sep (rising) |
| 14 | Fiery Skipper | Hylephila phyleus | Skippers | 1 | Jul (rising) |
| 15 | Cassius Blue | Leptotes cassius | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 1 | Sep (rising) |
| 16 | Small White | Pieris rapae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 1 | May (rising) |
| 17 | Black Swallowtail | Papilio polyxenes | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 1 | Aug (rising) |
| 18 | Spicebush Swallowtail | Papilio troilus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 1 | Jul (rising) |
| 19 | Clouded Sulphur | Colias philodice | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 1 | Sep (rising) |
| 20 | Little Wood Satyr | Megisto cymela | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Apr (rising) |
| 21 | Barred Yellow | Eurema daira | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 1 | Sep (rising) |
| 22 | Long-tailed Skipper | Urbanus proteus | Skippers | 1 | Oct (rising) |
| 23 | Variegated Fritillary | Euptoieta claudia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Sep (rising) |
| 24 | Ceraunus Blue | Hemiargus ceraunus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 1 | Sep (rising) |
| 25 | Summer Azure | Celastrina neglecta | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 1 | May (rising) |
| 26 | Eastern Giant Swallowtail | Heraclides cresphontes | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 1 | Aug (rising) |
| 27 | Eastern Gemmed-Satyr | Cyllopsis gemma | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Sep (rising) |
| 28 | White Checkered-Skipper | Burnsius albezens | Skippers | 1 | Sep (rising) |