33 butterflies were recorded flying in Wisconsin in April in our iNaturalist sample; 2 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.
Top butterflies in April
Red Admiral
Mourning Cloak
American Lady
Eastern Comma
Small White
Juvenal's Duskywing
Spring Azure
Gray Comma
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Eastern Pine Elfin
Question Mark
Black Swallowtail
All butterflies flying in Wisconsin in April
| # | Species | Scientific name | Family | Obs. | Peak in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Admiral | Vanessa atalanta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 475 | Jul (rising) |
| 2 | Mourning Cloak | Nymphalis antiopa | Brush-footed Butterflies | 280 | Jun (rising) |
| 3 | American Lady | Vanessa virginiensis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 185 | May (rising) |
| 4 | Eastern Comma | Polygonia comma | Brush-footed Butterflies | 172 | Jul (rising) |
| 5 | Small White | Pieris rapae | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 110 | Aug (rising) |
| 6 | Juvenal's Duskywing | Erynnis juvenalis | Skippers | 55 | May (rising) |
| 7 | Spring Azure | Celastrina ladon | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 39 | Apr (peak) |
| 8 | Gray Comma | Polygonia progne | Brush-footed Butterflies | 27 | Jul (rising) |
| 9 | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | Papilio glaucus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 18 | Aug (rising) |
| 10 | Eastern Pine Elfin | Callophrys niphon | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 15 | May (rising) |
| 11 | Question Mark | Polygonia interrogationis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 12 | Jul (rising) |
| 12 | Black Swallowtail | Papilio polyxenes | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 11 | Aug (rising) |
| 13 | Common Buckeye | Junonia coenia | Brush-footed Butterflies | 6 | Jul (rising) |
| 14 | Painted Lady | Vanessa cardui | Brush-footed Butterflies | 6 | Aug (rising) |
| 15 | Orange Sulphur | Colias eurytheme | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 6 | Sep (rising) |
| 16 | Meadow Fritillary | Boloria bellona | Brush-footed Butterflies | 6 | Aug (rising) |
| 17 | Clouded Sulphur | Colias philodice | Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs | 5 | Sep (rising) |
| 18 | Brown Elfin | Callophrys augustinus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 5 | May (rising) |
| 19 | Harvester | Feniseca tarquinius | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 5 | Jul (rising) |
| 20 | Henry's Elfin | Callophrys henrici | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 5 | May (rising) |
| 21 | Eastern Tailed-Blue | Everes comyntas | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 3 | Aug (rising) |
| 22 | Monarch | Danaus plexippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 2 | Jul (rising) |
| 23 | Wild Indigo Duskywing | Erynnis baptisiae | Skippers | 1 | Jul (rising) |
| 24 | Northern Crescent | Phyciodes cocyta | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Jun (rising) |
| 25 | Viceroy | Limenitis archippus | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Aug (rising) |
| 26 | Red-spotted Admiral | Limenitis arthemis | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Jun (rising) |
| 27 | Summer Azure | Celastrina neglecta | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 1 | Jul (rising) |
| 28 | Zebra Swallowtail | Eurytides marcellus | Swallowtails and Parnassians | 1 | Aug (rising) |
| 29 | Juniper Hairstreak | Callophrys gryneus | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 1 | Jul (rising) |
| 30 | White M Hairstreak | Parrhasius m-album | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 1 | Apr (peak) |
| 31 | Common Checkered-Skipper | Burnsius communis | Skippers | 1 | Oct (rising) |
| 32 | American Copper | Lycaena hypophlaeas | Gossamer-winged Butterflies | 1 | Jul (rising) |
| 33 | Great Spangled Fritillary | Argynnis cybele | Brush-footed Butterflies | 1 | Jun (rising) |