Butterflies of Berks County, Pennsylvania ---- Sightings in 2012
Photos of Berks Butterflies from 2012  (2011 photos) (2010 photos)

Butterfly walks in Berks County - 2012

Return to Berks County Nature     Go to Lancaster Butterfly Sightings

    The butterfly species with dates have been seen in Berks County, Pennsylvania this year. There are records of 108 species for Berks County. The list below includes all those reported from 2003 through 2011, a total of 91. New species (not seen during 2003 - 2011) will be added in red. No new species were added in 2011. 

     Again this year we are recording the first sighting for each month in order to have data over the season. We have also added a last date for the year. If you have a later report than the "Last" date posted, please send it to the email below.

Contributors to this year's sightings are: Mike Slater, Paul Michaly, Gary Freed, Rudy Keller, Katrina Knight,  Ken Lebo, Jan Slater, Robert Noll,  Tony Schock, Joan Silagy, Ryan Woolwine, Tom Raub, Laurie Goodrich, Jay Drasher, Frank Di Stefano, Carol Polarine, and Karl Gardner.

If you have a reliable sighting not on this list for 2012, please send an email to. If you are not sure and have a photograph, send it also. We appreciate your help. 

Sightings in 2012 (78)  (Species in December  - 1, November  - 2) -- Updated 12/4/12.
Latest "new for year" species seen in 2012 - 
                   The day of the first sighting is listed for each month plus the last date for the year. 
Family HESPERIIDAE Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Last
1 Silver-spotted Skipper 17 4 2 1 1 1 Sep 28
2 Long-tailed Skipper 11 9 1 Oct 5
3 Hoary-edged Skipper 1
4 Northern Cloudywing
5 Dreamy Duskywing 5
6 Sleepy Duskywing 7
7 Juvenal's Duskywing  7 4
8 Horace's Duskywing  7 5 11 6
9 Wild Indigo Duskywing 27 3 23 1 4 1
10 Checkered Skipper  7 7 11 1 5 Oct 5
11 Common Sootywing 4 4
12 Swarthy Skipper 2 7 11 7
13 Least Skipper  9 5 4 1
14 European Skipper  15
15 Fiery Skipper  5 1 10-3 Oct 5
16 Leonard's Skipper  14
17 Cobweb Skipper 
18 Indian Skipper 
19 Peck's Skipper  11 9 1 1
20 Tawny-edged Skipper 13 15 14 4 1
21 Crossline Skipper  15 12
22 Long Dash  2
23 Northern Broken Dash 6 2
24 Little Glassywing 11 1 14
25 Sachem 30 1 4 1 1 Oct 6
26 Delaware Skipper  1
27 Mulberry Wing 
28 Hobomok Skipper  9 11
29 Zabulon Skipper  4 1 16 1 1
30 Broad-winged Skipper  4 4
31 Black Dash 
32 Dun Skipper  18 9 4 1
33 Dusted Skipper 
34 Ocola Skipper 
Family PAPILIONIDAE Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Last
35 Pipevine Swallowtail  7 24 1 4 1
36 Zebra Swallowtail  24 8 1
37 Black Swallowtail  28 5 5 5 2 9 1
38 Giant Swallowtail  19 15 4
39 Tiger Swallowtail  2 5 23 1 1 1 1 Oct 6
40 Spicebush Swallowtail  4 5 6 2 1 1 1
41 Palamedes Swallowtail
Family PIERIDAE 
42 Cabbage Butterfly = Cabbage White  Feb. 27 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
43 Clouded Sulphur  23 2 15 1 4 1 1
44 Orange Sulphur  Jan 1, 6 , 7, 10, 31, Feb 1, etc. 7 4 4 6 1 2 1 1 Dec 12
45 Cloudless Sulphur 5 9 4 1 Sep 10
46 Little Yellow  23 25 7 Sep 26
47 Sleepy Orange  15 4 4 1 1
Family LYCAENIDAE
48 Harvester  30
49 American Copper  8 5 11
50 Coral Hairstreak  7
51 Edward's Hairstreak 
52 Banded Hairstreak  31 8 1
53 Striped Hairstreak 14
54 Red-banded Hairstreak 7 4 21 2 1 1
55 Juniper Hairstreak  8
56 Brown Elfin  7 5
57 Pine Elfin  7
58 White-m Hairstreak 19 3 7
59 Gray Hairstreak  23 11 10
60 Eastern Tailed Blue 7 5 2 1 4 1 5 Oct 5
61 Spring Azure  25 3 23
62 Northern Spring Azure  20
63 Summer Azure  14 1 1 1 4 Sep 13
64 Appalachian Azure
Family NYMPHALIDAE
 Subfamily LIBYTHEINAE 
Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Last
65 Snout Butterfly  20 19 1 2 4
Subfamily HELICONIINAE
66 Variegated Fritillary 4 1 1 1
67 Great Spangled Fritillary 28 2 1 2 1 1
68  Aphrodite  7
69  Meadow Fritillary  7 7 3 7
Subfamily NYMPHALINAE
70 Pearl Crescent 3 9 15 1 2 1 1 Oct 5
71 Baltimore  7
72 Question Mark  4 1 2 7 3 1
73 Comma  14 5 1 4
74 Gray Comma 14 5
75 Compton's Tortoiseshell 
76 Mourning Cloak    Feb 1 8 4 11 9 2 6 1
77 Milbert's Tortoiseshell 
78 American Painted Lady  24 1 6 2 16 7 1
79 Painted Lady  16 12 15 1 1 1 1
80 Red Admiral  9 1 2 1 11 1 1 Nov 19
81 Buckeye  25 5 5 4 1 1 Oct 6
82 Red-spotted Purple  12 2 1 1 1 1 Oct 6
83 Viceroy 7 1 1
Subfamily APATURINAE
84 Hackberry Butterfly 27 7 1 1 4
85 Tawny Emperor  17 4
Subfamily SATYRINAE
86 Northern Pearly Eye  26 2
87 Appalachian (Eyed) Brown  20
88 Little Wood Satyr  13 2 5
89 Common Ringlet
90 Common Wood Nymph  5
Subfamily DANAINAE
91 Monarch 15 4 1 1 1 1 Oct 3
Monthly Totals   -
January = 1, February = 3, 9 32 33 40 59 51 42 24

Yearly butterfly sightings in Berks County, PA
2003 (63)
2004 (63)
2005 (62)
2006 (61)
2007 (64)
2008 (67)
2009 (73)
2010 (80)
2011 (72)
2012 (78)
2013 (74)
No data
2015 (71)
2016 (61)
2017 (62)
2018 (65)
2019 (67)
2020 (68)
2021 (63)
2022 (60)
2023 (58)
2024 (--)
.
Contributors to this year's sightings are: Mike Slater, Paul Michaly, Gary Freed, Rudy Keller, Katrina Knight,  Ken Lebo, Jan Slater, Robert Noll,  Tony Schock, Joan Silagy, Ryan Woolwine, Tom Raub, Laurie Goodrich, Jay Drasher, Frank Di Stefano, Carol Polarine, and Karl Gardner.
For Lancaster County, PA butterfly sightings go to Lancaster Butterfly Sightings - 2012.

A site with data on butterfly distributions by county (and photographs) for North America can be found at Butterflies and Moths of NA.   (http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/)

There is a small informal group of local butterfly collectors/observers in Berks Co., Pennsylvania If you are interested in butterflies and would like to meet this group, contact.

Return to Berks County Nature home page.