Berks County Butterflies

Updated: April 28, 2019 with 2 more sightings

Berks County, Pennsylvania Butterfly Sightings in 2018

Butterfly walks in Berks County - 2018

Photos of Berks Butterflies from 2012 (2011 photos)

Lancaster County Butterfly Sightings Here

The butterfly species with dates recorded 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 2017 plus this year, a total of 93. New species (not seen during 2003 - 2017) will be added in red . One species was added in 2013 and another in 2015. No data was collected in 2014.

Again this year we are recording the first sighting for each month plus a last date for the year in order to have data over the season.
If you have a reliable sighting not on this list for 2018, please send an email to . If you are not sure and have a photograph, please send it. We appreciate your help.

Sightings in 2018 - 65 species, (December 1, November 5, October 17, September 35, August 45, July - 49, June - 20, May - 21, April - 9, March - 0, February - 1, January - 0)
(Latest new for year sightings: ----- .)
(Last species seen: Comma on December 21.) Last updated 4/28/19

THIS YEAR'S CONTRIBUTORS (18) are listed at the bottom of the page.

Some highlights for 2018.
Tony Schoch observed a Monarch on 7 May 2018 (Last year 1st date was 3 June).
Ryan Woolwine spotted a Dusted Skipper seen by 8 others at the Green Hills Preserve on June 2, 2018. This was on a Mengel/Baird sponsored Butterfly Walk. This walk will be held again on June 1, 2019.
Ryan Woolwine found a Silvery Checkerspot at his home on 4 August 2018. This is the first sighting in Berks since the sightings page was started in 2003 and the "Monroe and Wright" field guide map shows no sightings in the past 20 years.
Mike Slater and others observed a Harvester at Nolde Forest EEC on Susan Munch's Botany Walk on August 29, 2018. It landed on the observers and was sipping perspiration. The last Harvester recorded in Berks was October 6, 2015.
Lois Vedock photographed an Ocola Skipper in her habitat garden on October 2. The last sighting of this butterfly in Berks County was October 12, 2015.
The last butterfly seen this year (as of Dec 21) is a Comma seen December 21 by Lisa Miller at Nolde Forest. This is a new late date for this species for Berks County. For a few days it was also the latest date for Pennsylvania as well.

The day of the first sighting is listed for each month plus the last date for the year.

	Family HESPERIIDAE	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Last
1	Silver-spotted Skipper					10	1	3	1	1	2			Oct 7
2	Long-tailed Skipper
3	Hoary-edged Skipper
4	Northern Cloudywing						19
5	Dreamy Duskywing						2
6	Sleepy Duskywing				28
7	Juvenal's Duskywing
8	Horace's Duskywing							20	6
9	Wild Indigo Duskywing						2	14	1	1				Sep 1
10	Common Checkered Skipper					26		14	26		1
11	Common Sootywing							14	16
12	Swarthy Skipper
13	Least Skipper						17	2	1	1
14	European Skipper
15	Fiery Skipper										9			Oct 10
16	Leonard's Skipper
17	Cobweb Skipper
18	Indian Skipper
19	Peck's Skipper							15	1	2				Sep 2
20	Tawny-edged Skipper							28	1	4				Sep 4
21	Crossline Skipper						28
22	Long Dash
23	Northern Broken Dash
24	Little Glassy Wing							1						Jul 16
25	Sachem					25	11	15	1	1	6	4		Nov 4
26	Delaware Skipper							15	3					Aug 3
27	Mulberry Wing
28	Hobomok Skipper						3							Jun 3
29	Zabulon Skipper					26	2	1	6	1				Sep 16
30	Broad-winged Skipper								11					Aug 11
31	Black Dash
32	Dun Skipper							1	1	2				Sep 3
33	Dusted Skipper						2							Jun 2
34	Ocola Skipper										2			Oct 10
35	Pepper and Salt Skipper
	Family PAPILIONIDAE	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Last
36	Pipevine Swallowtail									4				Sep 4
37	Zebra Swallowtail							3						Jul 9
38	Black Swallowtail					3	2	14	8	2				Sep 2
39	Giant Swallowtail					15			11	1				Sep 4
40	Eastern Tiger Swallowtail					5	1	1	1	1				Sep 12
41	Spicebush Swallowtail					10	2	3	1	1				Sep 16
42	Palamedes Swallowtail
	Family PIERIDAE	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Last
43	Cabbage Butterfly=Cabbage White				12	1	1	1	1	1	2	6		Nov 6
44	Falcate Orangetip
45	Clouded Sulphur					23	17	14	1	1	2			Oct 2
46	Orange Sulphur					25	28	2	1	1	3	6		Nov 25
47	Cloudless Sulphur
48	Little Yellow
49	Sleepy Orange								7					Aug 7
	Family LYCAENIDAE	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Last
50	Harvester								29					Aug 29
51	American Copper				28		20	14	6	24				Sep 24
52	Coral Hairstreak
53	Edward's Hairstreak
54	Banded Hairstreak						26	11						Jul 11
55	Striped Hairstreak							3						Jul 3
56	Red-banded Hairstreak					19	11	10	6	2				Sep 19
57	Juniper Hairstreak							19						Jul 19
58	Brown Elfin				28
59	Pine Elfin
60	White-m Hairstreak
61	Gray Hairstreak				28			3	6	2				Sep 7
62	Eastern Tailed Blue						2	14	1	1	6
63	Spring Azure				14	1		1
64	Northern Spring Azure
65	Summer Azure						12	2	1	1				Sep 7
66	Appalachian Azure
	Family NYMPHALIDAE Subfamily LIBYTHEINAE	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Last
67	Snout Butterfly							10	4					Aug 5
	Subfamily HELICONIINAE
68	Variegated Fritillary						15	7	5	18
69	Great Spangled Fritillary						18	1	1	1	6			Oct 6
70	Aphrodite							14
71	Meadow Fritillary					3	21	14	4	16	7			Oct 7
	Subfamily NYMPHALINAE
72	Pearl Crescent					25		4	1	1	1			Oct 10
--	Silvery Checkerspot - New to list								4					Aug 4
73	Baltimore							14
74	Question Mark							14	4	28		25		Nov 25
75	Comma		21		13	3			4	1	3			Dec 21
76	Gray Comma
77	Compton's Tortoiseshell
78	Mourning Cloak				13			6	18	19
79	Milbert's Tortoiseshell
80	American Painted Lady					26		8	3	3	12			Oct 12
81	Painted Lady								22
82	Red Admiral				28	25	1	2	8	11
83	Buckeye										9			Oct 9
84	Red-spotted Purple					23	1	6	1	1				Sep 6
85	Viceroy							7	25	6
	Subfamily APATURINAE
86	Hackberry Butterfly/Emperor						14	1	1	2				Sep 7
87	Tawny Emperor							10	23					Jul 20
	Subfamily SATYRINAE
88	Northern Pearly Eye							2
89	Appalachian (Eyed) Brown						26	5	10	1
90	Little Wood Satyr					20	1	2						Jul 20
91	Common Ringlet
92	Common Wood Nymph							14						Jul 14
	Subfamily DANAINAE
93	Monarch					7	5	1	1	1	2	1		Nov 8
	Monthly Totals	0	1	0	9	21	30	49	45	35	17	5

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: Mark Bankes, Jay Drasher, Janis Good, Rudy Keller, Ken Lebo, Lisa Miller, Ollie McComsey, Peter Montgomery, Robert Noll, Jay Ressler, Tony Schoch, Mike Slater, Dave Sonnen, Jo Spilde, Todd Underwood, Lois Vedock, Sue Wolfe, Ryan Woolwine, Karl Gardner.

For Lancaster County, PA butterfly sightings go to Lancaster Butterfly Sightings - 2018.

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 Karl Gardner maintains this page.

Return to Berks County Nature home page.