Breeding Butterflies of NIOC Sugar Grove, WV
A total of 128 species of butterfly have been recorded in West
Virginia. Ongoing exhaustive searches (2006-2007) within the boundaries of NIOC
Sugar Grove have recorded all species on the wing, some of which were photographed.
Hold cursor over common name to see scientific name. Click on underlined text
to see images.
| Flying Months Codes | | M | March |
| A | April |
| m | May |
| J | June |
| j | July |
| a | August |
| Relative Abundance Codes | | C | Common: easily observed in preferred habitat. |
| U | Uncommon: generally observed in preferred habitat during the breeding season, generally in low numbers or present only in some areas of its preferred habitat |
| R | Rare: only rarely detected in its preferred habitat. *-migratory species that may be abundant in some years or abundant only in limited, specific habitat areas. |
| Habitat Codes | | F | Forest & Woodland |
| S | Semi-open woodland, brushy, clearings in forest |
| E | Edges/roads of forests & woodlands; R-Riparian/wetland |
| O | Open areas, fields & pastures, man-made corridors, & disturbed; M-meadows, grassy, brushy, hillsides |
| A | Acid Bog |
| H | Heath |
| B | Shale barren |
| C | Cedars |
| A period (.) indicates modified by proceeding description. A dash (-) indicates combination of habitat codes (e.g. R-F denotes riparian forest. | |
| SWALLOWTAILS | | Sighted? | Common Name | Months | RA | Habitat |
| X | Pipevine Swallowtail | J-a | C | EFMR |
| | Zebra Swallowtail | | C | EFMR |
| | Black Swallowtail | | C | OR |
| | Giant Swallowtail | | U | ERS |
| X | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | J-j | C | FOR |
| X | Can Tiger Swallowtail | J-j | C | EF |
| | Spicebush Swallowtail | | U | EOS |
| SULPHURS | | Sighted? | Common Name | Months | RA | Habitat |
| X | Clouded Sulphur | J-j | C | MO |
| X | Orange Sulphur | J-j | C | O |
| | Pink-edged Sulphur | | U | EO |
| | Cloudless Sulphur | | R | O |
| | Little Yellow | | R | O |
| | Sleepy Orange* | | U | O RM. |
| HARVESTERS | | Sighted? | Common Name | Months | RA | Habitat |
| | Harvester | | U | EFR |
| COPPERS | | Sighted? | Common Name | Months | RA | Habitat |
| | American Copper | | C | O |
| | Bronze Copper | | R | RM. |
| | Bog Copper | | R | A |
| METALMARKS | | Sighted? | Common Name | Months | RA | Habitat |
| | Northern Metalmark | | R | BERS |
| HELICONIANS AND FRITILARIES | | Sighted? | Common Name | Months | RA | Habitat |
| | Variegated Fritillary | | U | MO |
| | Diana Fritillary | | U | EFS |
| X | Great Spangled Fritillary | J-j | C | MOR |
| X | Aphrodite Fritillary | J-j | C | BOS |
| | Regal Fritillary | | R | MR |
| | Atlantis Fritillary | | U | EMO |
| | Silver-bordered Fritillary | | U | RM. |
| | Meadow Fritillary | | C | MO |
| ADMIRALS AND RELATIVES | | Sighted? | Common Name | Months | RA | Habitat |
| X | Red-spotted Purple | J-j | C | EF |
| X | Viceroy | A | U | RS |
| EMPERORS AND RELATIVES | | Sighted? | Common Name | Months | RA | Habitat |
| | Hackberry Emperor | | U | BER |
| | Tawny Emperor | | U | EOR |
| SATYRS | | Sighted? | Common Name | Months | RA | Habitat |
| X | Northern Pearly-eye | J | U | R.FE. |
| | Eyed Brown | | R | MR |
| | Appalachian Brown | | U | MR |
| | Gemmed Satyr | | R | RS |
| | Carolina Satyr* | | U | ERS |
| X | Little Wood-Satyr | J-j | C | EMS |
| X | Common Wood-Nymph | j | C | EMR |
| | Dull-Eyed Grayling | | R | EMR |
| MONARCHS | | Sighted? | Common Name | Months | RA | Habitat |
| X | Monarch | j | C | MOR |
| SPREAD-WING SKIPPERS | | Sighted? | Common Name | Months | RA | Habitat |
| X | Silver-Spotted Skipper | J-j | C | FO |
| | Long-tailed Skipper** | | R | EOS |
| | Golden-banded Skipper | | R | EFRS |
| | Hoary Edge | | U | ES |
| | Southern Cloudywing | | C | MO |
| | Northern Cloudywing | | C | EMOS |
| | Confused Cloudywing** | | R | MOS |
| | Hayhurst's Scallopwing | | R | OR |
| | Dreamy Duskywing | | C | ES |
| | Sleepy Duskywing | | C | BEF |
| X | Juvenal's Duskywing | J-j | C | ES |
| X | Horace's Duskywing | J-j | U | EOS |
| | Persius Duskywing | | R | FO |
| | Grizzled Skipper | | R | BO |
| | Common Checkered-Skipper | | U | MOR |
| | Common Sootywing | | U | O |
| | Mottled Duskywing | | R | FS |
| | Columbine Duskywing | | R | BE |
| | Wild Indigo Duskywing | | U | OS |
| WHITES | | Sighted? | Common Name | Months | RA | Habitat |
| | Checkered White | | R | O |
| | West Virginia White | | C | EFM |
| X | Cabbage White | J-j | C | MOS |
| | Olympia Marble | | U | BS |
| | Falcate Orangetip | | U | BMRS |
| HAIRSTREAKS | | Sighted? | Common Name | Months | RA | Habitat |
| | Great Purple Hairstreak | | R | EFR |
| | Coral Hairstreak | | U | E |
| | Edward's Hairstreak | | U | BE |
| | Banded Hairstreak | | C | BES |
| | Hickory Hairstreak | | R | EFS |
| | Striped Hairstreak | | U | ERS |
| | Southern Hairstreak | | R | BEF |
| | Brown Elfin | | U | HO |
| | Hoary Elfin | | R | BE |
| | Frosted Elfin | | R | ES |
| | Henry's Elfin | | U | BFO |
| | Eastern Pine Elfin | | U | BOS |
| | 'Olive' Juniper Hairstreak | | U | C |
| | Early Hairstreak | | R | EFOR |
| X | Gray Hairstreak | A | U | EOM |
| | Red-banded Hairstreak | | U | ES |
| TRUE BRUSH-FOOTS | | Sighted? | Common Name | Months | RA | Habitat |
| | Gorgone Checkerspot** | | R | ORS |
| X | Silvery Checkerspot | M-j | U | RS |
| | HarrisŐ Checkerspot | | U | ER |
| X | Pearl Crescent | J-j | C | O |
| | Northern Crescent | | U | BRS |
| | Tawny Crescent** | | R | M |
| | Baltimore Checkerspot | | U | RM. |
| | Question Mark | | C | ERS |
| X | Eastern Comma | J-j | C | RS |
| | Green Comma | | R | EFR |
| | Gray Comma | | U | EFS |
| | Compton Tortoiseshell | | R | EF |
| | Milbert's Tortoiseshell | | R | R.EMO. |
| | Mourning Cloak | | C | EOR |
| | American Lady | | C | O |
| X | Painted Lady | J | U | O |
| X | Red Admiral | J-j | C | EORS |
| | Common Buckeye | | R | O |
| GRASS SKIPPERS | | Sighted? | Common Name | Months | RA | Habitat |
| X | Swarthy Skipper | J-j | R | O |
| | Clouded Skipper | | R | ER |
| X | Least Skipper | J-j | C | RM. |
| X | European Skipper | J-j | C | O |
| | Fiery Skipper | | R | O |
| | Leonard's Skipper | | U | O RM. |
| | Cobweb Skipper | | R | BO |
| | Indian Skipper | | U | OS |
| | Peck's Skipper | | C | MOR |
| | Tawny-edged Skipper | | C | R.MO. |
| | Crossline Skipper | | C | MOS |
| | Long Dash | | C | R.EM. |
| | Whirlabout | | R | OR |
| | Northern Broken-Dash | | C | EO |
| X | Little Glassywing | J | C | ORS |
| | Sachem* | | U | O |
| | Delware Skipper | | U | R.MO. |
| | Hobomok Skpper | | C | ERS |
| | Black Dash | | R | MR |
| | Two-spotted Skipper | | R | R |
| | Dun Skipper | | C | R.FO. |
| | Dusted Skipper | | R | OS |
| | Pepper and Salt Skipper | | R | ER |
| | Common Roadside-Skip | | U | BEFOR |
| | Ocola Skipper | | R | R |
| X | Zabulon Skipper | J-j | U | ER |
| SNOUTS | | Sighted? | Common Name | Months | RA | Habitat |
| | American Snout | | R | ERS |
A project funded by the US Naval Facility Engineering Command. Photographs
supplied by Matt Schaap and Anna Jackson. Website and database developed by
Teryk Morris and Phil Nott. Taxonomy after Allen (1997).
Allen, Thomas J. 1997. The Butterflies of West Virginia and Their Caterpillars. Pitt Series in Nature and Natural History, Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. 350 pp.