Types of Butterflies

Butterfly Pictures

I am sure you have seen many of the types of butterflies. The information and pictures here will help you distinguish the common types.
You will also, learn how to tell a butterfly from a moth.

The swallowtail extensions attract the attention of birds to keep them from pecking their head instead.

They are very large and beautiful. The Giant Swallowtail Butterfly is almost six inches with bright yellow and black markings on the top of the wings. The underside of the wings are pale yellow and black.

Giant Swallowtail Butterfly on lantana,
watercolor painting, art by Carol May
See more butterfly paintings.

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly

Palamedes Swallowtail Butterfly

Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on Carolina Jasmine
from an oil painting by Carol May

Spicebrush Swallowtail Butterfly

Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly

Sulphurs and Whites are the most common type of butterflies. They are just like their names imply, either white or sulphur yellow in color. They are smaller than the large swallowtails, but more numerous. They include the Alfalfa Butterfly and the Cabbage White.

Cabbage White I would always see the whites
in the farm fields of California. Many times in the alfalfa fields,
I guess they like alfalfa, too.

Great Southern White on Spanish nettle
Here in Florida I see the Great Southern White. You can tell it
by the distinctive blue tip on their antennas.
I see the whites many times on the roadside plants.
Plant some flowers for butterflies.

One time I saw a group of Sulphurs sitting around in a mud puddle that was drying up. There were so many that it looked like a bunch of brightly colored fall leaves. They were getting minerals from the soil.

Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly

I see the Cloudless Sulphur quite often flying across my back yard. They are fast flying and they don’t float or drift like most of the larger butterflies do. They are always flapping their wings.

Longwing Butterflies are a group of butterflies here in Florida.
Their wings are much longer then they are wide.
They actually are part of the group of Brush-footed Butterflies,
but who looks at their feet. Not the casual back yard admirer,
it is easier to see their long wings.

Zebra Longwing Butterfly

The Zebra Longwing is the Florida state butterfly. They live longer, several months, than other type of butterflies. Others just live a few weeks. They eat pollen as well as nectar. The pollen gives them added nutrition which extends their life. Maybe we should start eating pollen.
They sleep together at night-time in large groups.

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly on lantana
casein painting by Carol May

One of the most common types of butterflies here in Florida is the Gulf Fritillary another longwing. They have large silvery spots on the underside of their wings. The top-side of their wings look completely different.
They are orange with dark spots and without definite vein markings.
You may think they are two different types of butterflies
until you see them flying and landed.

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly, top side

The Julia longwing butterfly is
sometimes called the Orange Longwing

Virginia Lady Butterfly

The Painted Lady and the Virginia Lady are some more of the Brush-footed Butterfly group. The Virginia Lady has a large eye-spot on the back wings. And the Painted Lady lacks that eye-spot. They have very interesting patterns on the underside of their wings.

The under-side of the Virginia Lady

The Buckeye and the White Peacock are more in this
large group of Brush-footed Butterflies.

The White Peacock Butterfly is seen all year in south Florida.

Buckeye Butterfly I see these in the grass often when
I am mowing. I caught photo of some on my blooming Chrysanthemums
and I did a painting of one.

The Red Admiral is another brush-foot.
I was stunned by the brilliant red on them
the first time I saw one.

The Monarch Butterfly is in the group of Milkweed Butterflies.
They eat off of milkweeds. They get a chemical from the milkweeds that make them taste bad to predators.

Monarch Butterflies on daisies
oil painting by Carol May

Read about the famous Monarch Butterfly.

The Queen is another milkweed butterfly.
The underside closely resembles the Monarch,
but the top side lacks the black veins of the Monarch.

Skippers are small type of butterfly they ‘skip’ in a hurry from flower to flower. Because of the relatively small wings in proportion to their body they have to fly in a hurry. Many of them are dark or dull in color.

Silver-spotted Skipper

Long-tailed Skipper

Tropical Checkered Skipper Butterfly

Moths and butterflies are very similar, but different. Moths have furry wings and obviously furry bodies. Their bodies are thicker and heavier then butterfly bodies. They rest with their wings out stretched. Butterflies generally hold their wings up over their bodies after they land.
Many moths have duller colors that butterflies,
The Luna Moth is a beautiful green color.

Luna Moth

Whether you know the names and types of butterflies when you see them is not as important as enjoying them. But it is fun to learn.