48 butterflies were recorded flying in West Virginia in April in our iNaturalist sample; 7 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.
Top butterflies in April
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Zebra Swallowtail
Juvenal's Duskywing
Pipevine Swallowtail
Eastern Comma
Falcate Orangetip
Sleepy Duskywing
Spicebush Swallowtail
Small White
Red Admiral
Mourning Cloak
Eastern Tailed-Blue
All butterflies flying in West Virginia in April
| # | Species | Scientific name | Family | Obs. | Peak in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Papilio glaucus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 207 | Aug (rising) |
| 2 | Zebra Swallowtail | Eurytides marcellus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 120 | Jun (rising) |
| 3 | Juvenal's Duskywing | Erynnis juvenalis | Skippers | 97 | Apr (peak) |
| 4 | Pipevine Swallowtail | Battus philenor | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 94 | Jul (rising) |
| 5 | Eastern Comma | Polygonia comma | Brush-footed Butterflies | 67 | Sep (rising) |
| 6 | Falcate Orangetip | Anthocharis midea | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 57 | Apr (peak) |
| 7 | Sleepy Duskywing | Erynnis brizo | Skippers | 55 | Apr (peak) |
| 8 | Spicebush Swallowtail | Papilio troilus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 43 | Aug (rising) |
| 9 | Small White | Pieris rapae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 42 | Jun (rising) |
| 10 | Red Admiral | Vanessa atalanta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 38 | Jul (rising) |
| 11 | Mourning Cloak | Nymphalis antiopa | Brush-footed Butterflies | 33 | Jun (rising) |
| 12 | Eastern Tailed-Blue | Everes comyntas | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 33 | Jul (rising) |
| 13 | Pearl Crescent | Phyciodes tharos | Brush-footed Butterflies | 32 | Aug (rising) |
| 14 | Meadow Fritillary | Boloria bellona | Brush-footed Butterflies | 32 | Sep (rising) |
| 15 | Silver-spotted Skipper | Epargyreus clarus | Skippers | 32 | Jul (rising) |
| 16 | American Lady | Vanessa virginiensis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 29 | May (rising) |
| 17 | Juniper Hairstreak | Callophrys gryneus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 14 | Apr (peak) |
| 18 | Spring Azure | Celastrina ladon | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 12 | Mar (past peak) |
| 19 | Silvery Blue | Glaucopsyche lygdamus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 10 | Apr (peak) |
| 20 | Brown Elfin | Callophrys augustinus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 9 | Apr (peak) |
| 21 | Dreamy Duskywing | Erynnis icelus | Skippers | 8 | May (rising) |
| 22 | Orange Sulphur | Colias eurytheme | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 8 | Jun (rising) |
| 23 | Summer Azure | Celastrina neglecta | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 8 | Jun (rising) |
| 24 | Eastern Pine Elfin | Callophrys niphon | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 7 | Apr (peak) |
| 25 | Question Mark | Polygonia interrogationis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 6 | Sep (rising) |
| 26 | Red-banded Hairstreak | Calycopis cecrops | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 6 | Aug (rising) |
| 27 | Clouded Sulphur | Colias philodice | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 5 | Jun (rising) |
| 28 | Eastern Gemmed-Satyr | Cyllopsis gemma | Brush-footed Butterflies | 5 | Aug (rising) |
| 29 | Zabulon Skipper | Lon zabulon | Skippers | 5 | Aug (rising) |
| 30 | American Copper | Lycaena hypophlaeas | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 5 | Jul (rising) |
| 31 | Monarch | Danaus plexippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 4 | Aug (rising) |
| 32 | Gray Hairstreak | Strymon melinus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 3 | Aug (rising) |
| 33 | Wild Indigo Duskywing | Erynnis baptisiae | Skippers | 3 | Aug (rising) |
| 34 | Black Swallowtail | Papilio polyxenes | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 3 | Aug (rising) |
| 35 | Harvester | Feniseca tarquinius | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 2 | Jul (rising) |
| 36 | Henry's Elfin | Callophrys henrici | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 2 | Mar (past peak) |
| 37 | White M Hairstreak | Parrhasius m-album | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 2 | Aug (rising) |
| 38 | Common Checkered-Skipper | Burnsius communis | Skippers | 2 | Oct (rising) |
| 39 | Common Buckeye | Junonia coenia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Sep (rising) |
| 40 | Painted Lady | Vanessa cardui | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Aug (rising) |
| 41 | Horace's Duskywing | Erynnis horatius | Skippers | 1 | Aug (rising) |
| 42 | Baltimore Checkerspot | Euphydryas phaeton | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Jun (rising) |
| 43 | Sleepy Orange | Eurema nicippe | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 1 | Aug (rising) |
| 44 | Variegated Fritillary | Euptoieta claudia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Sep (rising) |
| 45 | Hackberry Emperor | Asterocampa celtis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Aug (rising) |
| 46 | Appalachian Brown | Lethe appalachia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Jul (rising) |
| 47 | Peck's Skipper | Polites peckius | Skippers | 1 | Aug (rising) |
| 48 | Hobomok Skipper | Lon hobomok | Skippers | 1 | Jun (rising) |