Butterflies Flying in Washington in April (45 Species)

45 butterflies were recorded flying in Washington in April in our iNaturalist sample; 5 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct

Top butterflies in April

Echo Azure525 obs.

California Tortoiseshell372 obs.

Painted Lady289 obs.

Small White228 obs.

Mourning Cloak219 obs.

Satyr Comma208 obs.

Margined White160 obs.

Gray Hairstreak133 obs.

Anise Swallowtail130 obs.

Red Admiral100 obs.

Propertius Duskywing83 obs.

Brown Elfin81 obs.

All butterflies flying in Washington in April

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Echo Azure	Celastrina echo	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	525	Apr (peak)
2	California Tortoiseshell	Nymphalis californica	Brush-footed Butterflies	372	Jul (rising)
3	Painted Lady	Vanessa cardui	Brush-footed Butterflies	289	May (rising)
4	Small White	Pieris rapae	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	228	Jul (rising)
5	Mourning Cloak	Nymphalis antiopa	Brush-footed Butterflies	219	Apr (peak)
6	Satyr Comma	Polygonia satyrus	Brush-footed Butterflies	208	Apr (peak)
7	Margined White	Pieris marginalis	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	160	Jul (rising)
8	Gray Hairstreak	Strymon melinus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	133	Aug (rising)
9	Anise Swallowtail	Papilio zelicaon	Swallowtails and Parnassians	130	Jul (rising)
10	Red Admiral	Vanessa atalanta	Brush-footed Butterflies	100	Jul (rising)
11	Propertius Duskywing	Erynnis propertius	Skippers	83	May (rising)
12	Brown Elfin	Callophrys augustinus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	81	May (rising)
13	Silvery Blue	Glaucopsyche lygdamus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	71	May (rising)
14	Western Pine Elfin	Callophrys eryphon	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	64	May (rising)
15	Green Comma	Polygonia faunus	Brush-footed Butterflies	60	Sep (rising)
16	Becker's White	Pontia beckerii	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	58	Jul (rising)
17	West Coast Lady	Vanessa annabella	Brush-footed Butterflies	43	May (rising)
18	Mylitta Crescent	Phyciodes mylitta	Brush-footed Butterflies	41	Jul (rising)
19	Sagebrush Checkerspot	Chlosyne acastus	Brush-footed Butterflies	38	May (rising)
20	Juba Skipper	Hesperia juba	Skippers	27	May (rising)
21	Hoary Comma	Polygonia gracilis	Brush-footed Butterflies	24	Aug (rising)
22	Milbert's Tortoiseshell	Aglais milberti	Brush-footed Butterflies	24	Jul (rising)
23	Boisduval's Blue	Icaricia icarioides	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	24	May (rising)
24	Common Ringlet	Coenonympha california	Brush-footed Butterflies	22	May (rising)
25	Common Checkered-Skipper	Burnsius communis	Skippers	16	Jul (rising)
26	Clouded Sulphur	Colias philodice	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	13	Aug (rising)
27	Western Tailed-blue	Everes amyntula	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	9	May (rising)
28	Lotus Hairstreak	Callophrys dumetorum	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	9	Apr (peak)
29	Edith's Checkerspot	Euphydryas editha	Brush-footed Butterflies	7	Jul (rising)
30	Pale Swallowtail	Papilio eurymedon	Swallowtails and Parnassians	6	Jun (rising)
31	Orange Sulphur	Colias eurytheme	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	6	Sep (rising)
32	Two-tailed Swallowtail	Papilio multicaudata	Swallowtails and Parnassians	6	Jul (rising)
33	Western Tiger Swallowtail	Papilio rutulus	Swallowtails and Parnassians	5	Jun (rising)
34	Juniper Hairstreak	Callophrys gryneus	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	5	May (rising)
35	Western White	Pontia occidentalis	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	5	Jul (rising)
36	Acmon Blue	Icaricia acmon	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	4	May (rising)
37	Lorquin's Admiral	Limenitis lorquini	Brush-footed Butterflies	3	Jun (rising)
38	Lupine Blue	Icaricia lupini	Gossamer-winged Butterflies	3	Jun (rising)
39	Monarch	Danaus plexippus	Brush-footed Butterflies	2	Aug (rising)
40	Common Sootywing	Pholisora catullus	Skippers	2	May (rising)
41	Snowberry Checkerspot	Euphydryas colon	Brush-footed Butterflies	2	Jul (rising)
42	American Lady	Vanessa virginiensis	Brush-footed Butterflies	1	Sep (rising)
43	Field Skipper	Atalopedes campestris	Skippers	1	Sep (rising)
44	Checkered White	Pontia protodice	Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs	1	Apr (peak)
45	Northern Cloudywing	Cecropterus pylades	Skippers	1	May (rising)