Butterflies and Moths of Kansas

666 Species Recorded in Kansas

Top 20 Species Checklist All Photographs

Featured Species

100 Most Recent Sightings in Kansas

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Most Recent Sightings in Kansas

See more recent sightings in Kansas

Common Buckeye
Junonia coenia

Observed: Nov 11, 2024

Submitted by: James Steen

Verified: Nov 11, 2024

Verified by: James Steen

Details

Gray Hairstreak
Strymon melinus

Observed: Nov 11, 2024

Submitted by: James Steen

Verified: Nov 11, 2024

Verified by: James Steen

Details

Common Checkered-Skipper
Burnsius communis

Observed: Nov 11, 2024

Submitted by: James Steen

Verified: Nov 11, 2024

Verified by: James Steen

Details

Ocola Skipper
Panoquina ocola

Observed: Nov 11, 2024

Submitted by: James Steen

Verified: Nov 11, 2024

Verified by: James Steen

Details

Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui

Observed: Oct 31, 2024

Submitted by: James Steen

Verified: Oct 31, 2024

Verified by: James Steen

Details

Eufala Skipper
Lerodea eufala

Observed: Oct 31, 2024

Submitted by: James Steen

Verified: Oct 31, 2024

Verified by: James Steen

Details

Monarch
Danaus plexippus

Observed: Oct 31, 2024

Submitted by: James Steen

Verified: Oct 31, 2024

Verified by: James Steen

Details

Variegated Fritillary
Euptoieta claudia

Observed: Oct 26, 2024

Submitted by: James Steen

Verified: Oct 26, 2024

Verified by: James Steen

Details

Bordered Patch
Chlosyne lacinia

Observed: Oct 26, 2024

Submitted by: James Steen

Verified: Oct 26, 2024

Verified by: James Steen

Details

Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui

Observed: Oct 26, 2024

Submitted by: James Steen

Verified: Oct 26, 2024

Verified by: James Steen

Details

Orange Sulphur
Colias eurytheme

Observed: Oct 26, 2024

Submitted by: James Steen

Verified: Oct 26, 2024

Verified by: James Steen

Details

Fiery Skipper
Hylephila phyleus

Observed: Oct 26, 2024

Submitted by: James Steen

Verified: Oct 26, 2024

Verified by: James Steen

Details

Top 10 Commonly Reported Butterflies and Moths of Kansas

Monarch Danaus plexippus	Upperside of male is bright orange with wide black borders and black veins; hindwing has a patch of scent scales. Upperside of female is orange-brown with wide black borders and blurred black veins. Both sexes have white spots on borders and apex. The Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) is a Mullerian mimic; it has similar coloration and is also distasteful.
Painted Lady Vanessa cardui	Upperside is orange-brown with darker wing bases; forewing with black apex patch and white bar on leading edge; hindwing submarginal row of 5 small black spots sometimes has blue scales. Underside has a black, brown, and gray pattern with 4 small submarginal eyespots.
Black Swallowtail Papilio polyxenes	Upper surface of wings mostly black; on inner edge of hindwing is a black spot centered in larger orange spot. Male has yellow band near edge of wings; female has row of yellow spots. Female hindwing with iridescent blue band. In the Southwest, yellow forms predominate in the subspecies P. coloro.
Orange Sulphur Colias eurytheme	Quite variable. Upperside of male yellow with orange overlay, yellow veins, wide black border, and dark black cell spot. Female yellow or white with irregular black border surrounding light spots. Underside hindwing spot silver with 2 concentric dark rings, and a spot above it.
Common Buckeye Junonia coenia	Upperside is brown. Forewing with 2 orange cell bars and 2 eyespots; part of white subapical band appears in the largest, lower eyespot. Hindwing has 2 eyespots; upper one is largest and contains a magenta crescent. Underside of hindwing is brown or tan in the wet season (summer) form and rose-red in the dry season (fall) form.
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Papilio glaucus	Male is yellow with dark tiger stripes. Female has 2 forms: one yellow like the male and the other black with shadows of dark stripes. Hindwing of both female forms has a row of striking blue chevrons and an iridescent blue wash over parts of the interior hindwing. The upperside hindwing has a prominent orange marginal spot that is generally larger than the row of pale marginal spots. On the underside of forewing of spring individuals the row of marginal spots may be merged into a continuous band, thus appearing similar to the Canadian Tiger Swallowtail.
Gray Hairstreak Strymon melinus	One tail on hindwing. Upperside blue-gray with large red spot near tail. Underside of spring/fall form is dark gray, summer form is paler gray. Relatively straight postmedian line is white, bordered with orange on the inside edge.
Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta	Upperside is black with white spots near the apex; forewing with red median band, hindwing with red marginal band. The winter form is smaller and duller, summer form larger and brighter with an interrupted forewing band.
Pearl Crescent Phyciodes tharos	Quite variable. Males usually have black antennal knobs. Upperside is orange with black borders; postmedian and submarginal areas are crossed by fine black marks. Underside of hindwing has a dark marginal patch containing a light-colored crescent. Spring and fall broods (form marcia) have a gray mottled hindwing below.
Hackberry Emperor Asterocampa celtis	Extremely variable geographically. Upperside is reddish brown. Forewing has 1 submarginal eyespot, a jagged row of white spots, and the cell has 1 solid black bar and 2 separate black spots.

Butterflies and Moths of North America

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666 Species Recorded in Kansas

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100 Most Recent Sightings in Kansas

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Most Recent Sightings in Kansas

Common Buckeye
Junonia coenia

Gray Hairstreak
Strymon melinus

Common Checkered-Skipper
Burnsius communis

Ocola Skipper
Panoquina ocola

Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui

Eufala Skipper
Lerodea eufala

Monarch
Danaus plexippus

Variegated Fritillary
Euptoieta claudia

Bordered Patch
Chlosyne lacinia

Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui

Orange Sulphur
Colias eurytheme

Fiery Skipper
Hylephila phyleus

Monarch
Danaus plexippus

Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui

Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes

Orange Sulphur
Colias eurytheme

Common Buckeye
Junonia coenia

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio glaucus

Gray Hairstreak
Strymon melinus

Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta

Pearl Crescent
Phyciodes tharos

Hackberry Emperor
Asterocampa celtis

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Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Butterflies and Moths of Kansas

666 Species Recorded in Kansas

Featured Species

100 Most Recent Sightings in Kansas

Please donate!

Advertise with us!

Most Recent Sightings in Kansas

Common BuckeyeJunonia coenia

Gray HairstreakStrymon melinus

Common Checkered-SkipperBurnsius communis

Ocola SkipperPanoquina ocola

Painted LadyVanessa cardui

Eufala SkipperLerodea eufala

MonarchDanaus plexippus

Variegated FritillaryEuptoieta claudia

Bordered PatchChlosyne lacinia

Painted LadyVanessa cardui

Orange SulphurColias eurytheme

Fiery SkipperHylephila phyleus

MonarchDanaus plexippus

Painted LadyVanessa cardui

Black SwallowtailPapilio polyxenes

Orange SulphurColias eurytheme

Common BuckeyeJunonia coenia

Eastern Tiger SwallowtailPapilio glaucus

Gray HairstreakStrymon melinus

Red AdmiralVanessa atalanta

Pearl CrescentPhyciodes tharos

Hackberry EmperorAsterocampa celtis

Common Buckeye
Junonia coenia

Gray Hairstreak
Strymon melinus

Common Checkered-Skipper
Burnsius communis

Ocola Skipper
Panoquina ocola

Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui

Eufala Skipper
Lerodea eufala

Monarch
Danaus plexippus

Variegated Fritillary
Euptoieta claudia

Bordered Patch
Chlosyne lacinia

Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui

Orange Sulphur
Colias eurytheme

Fiery Skipper
Hylephila phyleus

Monarch
Danaus plexippus

Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui

Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes

Orange Sulphur
Colias eurytheme

Common Buckeye
Junonia coenia

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio glaucus

Gray Hairstreak
Strymon melinus

Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta

Pearl Crescent
Phyciodes tharos

Hackberry Emperor
Asterocampa celtis