Butterflies of Berks County, Pennsylvania ---- Sightings in 2021
Butterfly walks in Berks County - 2021

Photos of Berks Butterflies from 2012    (2011 photos)

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    The butterfly species with dates recorded have been seen in Berks County, Pennsylvania this year. There are records of 107 species for Berks County. The list below includes all those reported from 2003 through 2020 plus this year, a total of 94. New species (not seen during 2003 - 2020) will be added in red. One species was added in 2013, 2015, and 2018. No data was collected in 2014.

We record 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 later report than the "Last" date posted, please send it to the email below. 
       If you have a reliable sighting not on this list for 2021, please send an email to . If you are not sure and have a photograph, please send it. We appreciate your help. 
Sightings in 2021 - 63 species so far (November 6, October 23, September 34, August - 44, July - 45, June - 36, May - 29, April - 21, March - 4, February - 0, January - 0)
Updated 1/2/22
THIS YEAR'S CONTRIBUTORS (16) are listed at the bottom of the page.
Some highlights for 2021.
First butterflies of the year: Eastern Comma by Linda Ingram, Cabbage White by Rick Shultz, and Mourning Cloak by Bill Uhrich. All on March 11.

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

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: Mark Bankes, Jim Eckert, Jim Henning, Linda Ingram, Dan Knarr, Robert Noll, Rebecca Reppert, Rick Schultz, Mike Slater, David Sonnen, Bill Uhrich, Todd Underwood, Lois Vedock, Ryan Woolwine, Peter Wolfe, and Karl Gardner.
For Lancaster County, PA butterfly sightings go to Lancaster Butterfly Sightings - 2021.

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.