Butterflies of the Great Lakes Region

The Great Lakes region is home to over 1,000 species of lepidoptera - butterflies and moths. This is because there is a vast diversity of habitats that can be found in this incredibly critical area which is both the location of more than 20% of the earth's fresh surface water and home to nearly 60 million people. Pollinator conservation depends upon knowing the species, knowing the habitats, and knowing the native plants that sustain these species.

This section of our website will link to our pages featuring some of the butterflies and moths that you can find here

Great Lakes Butterflies and Moths (Partial list)

Monarch Danaus plexipus
Mourning Cloak
Red Admiral
Red-spotted Purple
White Admiral
Viceroy
Painted Lady
American Painted Lady
Great Spangled Fritillary
Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
Baltimore
Question Mark
Grey Comma
Eastern Tailed Blue (Cupido comytas)
Spring Azure

Pearly Eye
Eyed Brown
Little Wood Satyr
Silver Spotted Skipper
Least Skipper
European Skipper
Alfalfa
Clouded Sulfer
Common Sulfer
Cabbage
Pipevine Swallowtail
Tiger Swallowtail
Eastern Black Swallowtail
Spicebush Swallowtail
Zebra Swallowtail