Butterflies and Moths

Monsoon season 2021 brought near record rains. Because of the amazing grasses and flowers that blanketed our desert grounds, we experienced an array of butterflies and moths rarely seen in our area. Below are some of my favorite photos.

ID’s are made, to the best of my knowledge, through the iNaturalist app and www.inaturalist.org.

Variegated Fritillary Butterfly

Euptoieta claudia 9/15/2021

White-lined Sphinx caterpillar

8/20/2021

White-lines Sphinx moth

Hyles lineata 9/25/2021

Also called the hummingbird month because of their birdlike size (2-3 inch wingspan) and flight pattern. When they are flying, they look like a small hummingbird.

Red Admiral Butterfly

Vanessa atalanta 11/26/2021

Previously called the Red Admirable

Orange Sulphur Butterfly

Colias eurytheme 10/9/2021

Also known as the alfalfa butterfly

Queen caterpillar

Danaus gilippus 8/15/2021

Queen Butterfly

Danaus gilippus 8/1/2021

American Snout Butterfly

Libytheana carinenta 10/31/2021

Southern Dogface Butterfly

Zerene cesonia 10/15/2021

Fatal Metalmark Butterfly

Calephelis nemesis 6/19/2021

Also called dusky metalmark

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly

Battus philenor 9/18/2021

Also called Blue Swallowtail Butterfly

Western Giant Swallowtail Butterfly

Papilio rumiko 10/2/2021

Checkered White Butterfly

Pontia protodice 10/15/2021

Also called the Southern Cabbage Butterfly

Western Pygmy-Blue Butterfly

Brephidium exilis or Brephidium exile 11/25/2021

This butterfly is one of the smallest butterflies in the world and the smallest in North America.

West Coast Lady Butterfly

Vanessa annabella 11/27/2021

This butterfly is one of three North American species of the brush-footed butterflies known colloquially as the “painted ladies”. The other two species are the cosmopolitan Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady) and the eastern Vanessa virginiensis (American painted lady).