Butterflies of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania ---- Sightings in 2020

(2012 Lancaster butterfly photos)  (2011 photos)

Berks County Butterfly Sightings - 2020    Butterfly walks in Berks County - 2021

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    The butterfly species with dates have been seen in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania this year. There are records of 109 species for Lancaster County. The list below includes all those seen in 2009 through 2019, a total of 89 species.  New species seen in 2020, but not in 2009 through 2019 (No data recorded in 2014) will be added in red. No species were added to the list in 2019.   
If you have a reliable sighting not on this list for 2020, please send an email to . If you are not sure, but have a photograph, please send it. Contributors are vital to this data. We will appreciate your help. 
Beginning in 2009 and since 2016 covering 12 months
Sightings in 2020 - 53 species so far (November 11, October - 24, September - 30, August 38, July - 37, June - 29, May - 24, April - 5, March - 2, February - 0, January - 0)
(Latest new for year sightings: Ocola Skipper, Fiery Skipper.)
Updated 12-1-20 With more late dates.
THIS YEAR'S CONTRIBUTORS (7) are listed at the bottom of the page.
Some highlights for 2020.
First butterfly of the year: 9 March: 5 Eastern Commas by Fred Habegger.
The day of the first sighting is listed for each month.
Family HESPERIIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
1 Silver-spotted Skipper 29 4 1 1 2 3 Oct 3
2 Long-tailed Skipper
3 Hoary-edged Skipper
4 Southern Cloudywing 
5 Northern Cloudywing
6 Dreamy Duskywing 
7 Sleepy Duskywing
8 Juvenal's Duskywing 
9 Horace's Duskywing  29 7 1 4
10 Wild Indigo Duskywing 14 1 15
11 Common Checkered Skipper  5 13 9 3 4 5 Nov 10
12 Common Sootywing 9
13 Swarthy Skipper 8 15
14 Clouded Skipper
15 Least Skipper  25 7 2 1 3
16 European Skipper 
17 Fiery Skipper  9 28 4 8 Nov 9
18 Leonard's Skipper
19 Cobweb Skipper 
20 Indian Skipper
21 Peck's Skipper  23 4 11 1 2
22 Tawny-edged Skipper 25 9
23 Crossline Skipper
24 Long Dash 
25 Northern Broken Dash 
26 Little Glassy Wing 2
27 Sachem 11 2 2 1 Oct 22
28 Delaware Skipper  7
29 Mulberry Wing
30 Hobomok Skipper  20
31 Zabulon Skipper  23 1 1 4
32 Broad-winged Skipper
33 Black Dash 
34 Dun Skipper  11 15
35 Dusted Skipper 
36 Ocola Skipper 3
Family PAPILIONIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
37 Pipevine Swallowtail 
38 Zebra Swallowtail  5 5 11
39 Black Swallowtail  26 9 11 15 3 23 Oct 23
40 Giant Swallowtail 
41 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail  7 25 1 2 1 4
42 Spicebush Swallowtail 29 4 2 1 27 3 Oct 10
Family PIERIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
43 Cabbage Butterfly = Cabbage White  20 4 2 1 2 9 2 1 8 Nov 13
44 Falcate Orangetip
45 Clouded Sulphur  2 15 3 3 8 Nov 28
46 Orange Sulphur 2 1 3 1 4 Nov 29
47 Cloudless Sulphur 11 2 2 27 20 Oct 20
48 Little Yellow
49 Sleepy Orange  12 1 2 1 7 Nov 10
50 Dainty Sulphur 
Family LYCAENIDAE Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
51 Harvester 
52 American Copper 
53 Bronze Copper
54 Coral Hairstreak
55 Banded Hairstreak  27 3
56 Red-banded Hairstreak 8 8 2 2 Oct 27
57 Juniper Hairstreak 
58 Brown Elfin 
59 Henry's Elfin
60 Pine Elfin
61 White-m Hairstreak 
62 Gray Hairstreak  11 1 3 2
63 Eastern Tailed Blue 29 4 1 1 2 1 Oct 23
64 Spring Azure  1
65 Summer Azure  31 1 11 1 3
66 Appalachian Azure
Family NYMPHALIDAE
 Subfamily LIBYTHEINAE 		 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Last
67 Snout Butterfly  11 3
Subfamily HELICONIINAE
68 Variegated Fritillary 9 3 1 4 Nov 14
69 Great Spangled Fritillary 12 2 1 4
70 Regal Fritillary
71  Meadow Fritillary 12 1 8 11 9 27 1
72  Silvery Checkerspot 9 6
Subfamily NYMPHALINAE
73 Pearl Crescent 2 2 15 3 1 8 Nov 10
74 Baltimore 
75 Question Mark 17 9 4
76 Eastern Comma 9 7 5 11
77 Mourning Cloak  8
78 American Painted Lady  4 11 1
79 Painted Lady  16 1 3 3 4 Nov 4
80 Red Admiral 1 1 11 8 27 4
81 Buckeye  14 2 5 3 1 4 Nov 13
82 Red-spotted Purple  27 7 11 4
83 Viceroy 15 2
Subfamily APATURINAE
84 Hackberry Butterfly = Hackberry Emperor 23
85 Tawny Emperor  11 15
Subfamily SATYRINAE
86 Appalachian Eyed Brown  7 11 15 4
87 Little Wood Satyr  29 4
87 Common Wood Nymph  14
Subfamily DANAINAE
89 Monarch 14 1 1 1 2 1 9 Nov 9
Monthly Totals 0 0 2 5 18 29 37 38 30 24 11

Yearly butterfly sightings in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
2009 (67)
2010 (72)
2011 (70)
2012 (79)
2013 (75)
2014 (__)
2015 (60)
2016 (62)
2017 (61)
2018 (57)
2019 (58)
2020 (53)
2021 (61)
2022 (56+)
2023 (58)
2024 (--)
Contributors to this year's sightings are: Melodie Bechtel, Sarah Eden, Fred Habegger, Michele Laucks, Beth Katz, David Sonnen, and Warren Wolf.
For Berks County, PA butterfly sightings go to Berks Butterfly Sightings - 2020.

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/)