Maine is home to 40 species in 19 genera. If you know which species you have or are interested in learning about, click on the appropriate link from the species list below. Otherwise, to determine which genus your butterfly belongs to, refer to the table below the species list.
Aglais (1 species)
Aglais milberti - Milbert’s tortoiseshell
Boloria (5 species)
Boloria eunomia - bog fritillary
Boloria selene - silver-boardered fritillary
Boloria bellona - meadow fritillary
Boloria frigga - Frigga fritillary
Boloria chariclea - purple lesser fritillary
Cercyonis (1 species)
Cercyonis pegala - common wood nymph
Chlosyne (2 species)
Chlosyne nycteis - silvery checkerspot
Chlosyne harrisii - Harris’s checkerspot
Coenonympha (1 species)
Coenonympha tullia - inornate ringlet
Danaus (1 species)
Danaus plexippus - monarch
Euphydryas (1 species)
Euphydryas phaeton - Baltimore checkerspot
Euptoieta (1 species)
Euptoieta claudia - variegated fritillary
Junonia (1 species)
Junonia coenia - common buckeye
Lethe (3 species)
Lethe anthedon - northern pearly-eye
Lethe eurydice - eyed brown
Lethe appalachia - Appalachian brown
Libytheana (1 species)
Libytheana carinenta - American snout
Limenitis (2 species)
Limenitis arthemis - white admiral
Limenitis archippus - viceroy
Megisto (1 species)
Megisto cymela - little wood satyr
Nymphalis (2 species)
Nymphalis I-album - Compton tortoiseshell
Nymphalis antiopa - mourning cloak
Oeneis (2 species)
Oeneis jutta - Jutta arctic
Oeneis polixenes - Katahdin arctic
Phyciodes (2 species)
Phyciodes tharos - pearl crescent
Phyciodes cocyta - northern crescent
Polygonia (6 species)
Polygonia interrogationis - question mark
Polygonia comma - eastern comma
Polygonia satyrus - satyr comma
Polygonia faunus - green comma
Polygonia gracilis - hoary comma
Polygonia progne - gray comma
Speyeria (4 species)
Speyeria cybele - great spangled fritillary
Speyeria aphrodite - Aphrodite fritillary
Speyeria idalia - regal fritillary
Speyeria atlantis - Atlantis fritillary
Vanessa (3 species)
Vanessa atalanta - red admiral
Vanessa cardui - painted lady
Vanessa virginiensis - American lady
red font = character state unique or nearly so | char. 1 | char. 2 | char. 3 | char. 4 | char. 5 |
Aglais | |||||
Boloria | |||||
Cercyonis | |||||
Chlosyne | |||||
Coenonympha | |||||
Danaus | |||||
Euphydryas | |||||
Euptoieta | |||||
Junonia | |||||
Lethe | |||||
Libytheana | |||||
Limenites | |||||
Megiste | |||||
Nymphalis | |||||
Oeneis | |||||
Phyciodes | |||||
Polygonia | |||||
Speyeria | |||||
Vanessa |
Aglais (tortoiseshell)
[information to be added]
Aglais milberti (Milbert’s tortoiseshell) - [information to be added]
Boloria (elfin)
[information to be added]
red font = character state unique or nearly so | char. 1 | char. 2 | char. 3 | char. 4 | char. 5 |
B. eunomia | |||||
B. selene | |||||
B. bellona | |||||
B. frigga | |||||
B. chariclea |
Boloria eunomia (bog fritillary) - One subspecies (dawsoni has been reported from Maine.
Boloria selene (silver-bordered fritillary) - Two subspecies (atrocostalis and myrina have been reported from Maine.
Boloria bellona (meadow fritillary) - One subspecies (toddi has been reported from Maine.
Boloria frigga (Frigga fritillary) - One subspecies (saga has been reported from Maine.
Boloria chariclea (purple lesser fritillary) - One subspecies (grandis has been reported from Maine.
Cercyonis (wood nymph)
[information to be added]
Cercyonis pegala (common wood nymph) - Twp subspecies (nephele and alope have been reported from Maine.
Chlosyne (checkerspot)
[information to be added]
char. 1 | char. 2 | char. 3 | char. 4 | char. 5 | |
C. nycteis | |||||
C. harrisii |
Chlosyne nycteis (silvery checkerspot) - [information to be added]
Chlosyne harrisii (Harris’s checkerspot) - One subspecies (albimontana has been reported from Maine.
Coenonympha (ringlet)
[information to be added]
Coenonympha tullia (inornate ringlet) - One subspecies (inornata has been reported from Maine.
Danaus (monarch)
[information to be added]
Danaus plexippus (monarch) - The host plant and especially its younger leaves for this species is milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). The images below (left to right) show a larvam a chrysalis, and an adult male [note the black spot on each hind wing] on milkweed.
(click on an image to enlarge)
Euphydryas (checkerspot)
[information to be added]
Euphydryas phaeton (Baltimore checkerspot) - [information to be added]
Euptoieta (fritillary)
[information to be added]
Euptoieta claudia (variegated fritillary) - [information to be added]
Junonia (buckeye)
[information to be added]
Junonia coenia (common buckeye) - [information to be added]
Lethe (pearly-eye / brown)
[information to be added]
red font = character state unique or nearly so | char. 1 | char. 2 | char. 3 | char. 4 | char. 5 |
L. anthedon | |||||
L. eurydice | |||||
L. appalachia |
Lethe anthedon (northern pearly-eye) - One subspecies (borealis has been reported from Maine.
(photo by Carol Muth; click on image to enlarge)
Lethe eurydice (eyed brown) - [information to be added]
Lethe appalachia (Appalachian brown) - [information to be added]
Libytheana (snout)
[information to be added]
Libytheana carinenta (American snout) - One subspecies (bachmanii has been reported from Maine.
Limenitis ([?])
[information to be added]
char. 1 | char. 2 | char. 3 | char. 4 | char. 5 | |
L. arthemis | |||||
L. archippus |
Limenitis arthemis (white admiral) - [information to be added]
(click on image to enlarge)
Limenitis archippus (viceroy) - [information to be added]
Megisto (wood satyr)
[information to be added]
Megisto cymela (little wood satyr)
[information to be added]
Nymphalis (tortoiseshell)
[information to be added]
char. 1 | char. 2 | char. 3 | char. 4 | char. 5 | |
N. i-album | |||||
N. antiopa |
Nymphalis i-album (Compton tortoiseshell) - One subspecies (j-album has been reported from Maine.
Nymphalis antiopa (mourning cloak) - [information to be added]
Oeneis (arctic)
[information to be added]
char. 1 | char. 2 | char. 3 | char. 4 | char. 5 | |
O. jutta | |||||
O. polixenes |
Oeneis jutta (Jutta arctic)
[information to be added]
Oeneis polixenes (Katahdin arctic) - One subspecies (katahdin has been reported from Maine.
Phyciodes (crescent)
[information to be added]
char. 1 | char. 2 | char. 3 | char. 4 | char. 5 | |
P. tharos | |||||
P. cocyta |
Phyciodes throes (pearl crescent) - [information to be added]
Phyciodes cocyta (northern crescent) - [information to be added]
Polygonia ([?])
[information to be added]
red font = character state unique or nearly so | char. 1 | char. 2 | char. 3 | char. 4 | char. 5 |
P. interrogationis | |||||
P. comma | |||||
P. satyrus | |||||
P. faunus | |||||
P. gracilis | |||||
P. progne |
Polygonia interrogationis (question mark)
(photo by Carol Muth; click on image to enlarge)
Polygonia comma (eastern comma)
(photo by Amy Gagnon; click on image to enlarge)
Polygonia satyrus (satyr comma) - One subspecies (neomarsyas has been reported from Maine.
Polygonia faunus (green comma) - [information to be added]
Polygonia gracilis (hoary comma) - [information to be added]
Polygonia progne (gray comma) - [information to be added]
Speyeria (fritillary)
[information to be added]
red font = character state unique or nearly so | char. 1 | char. 2 | char. 3 | char. 4 | char. 5 |
S. cybele | |||||
S. aphrodite | |||||
S. idalia | |||||
S. atlantis |
Speyeria cybele (great spangled fritillary) - Two subspecies (cybele and novascotiae have been reported from Maine.
Speyeria aphrodite (Aphhrodite fritillary) - Two subspecies (aphrodite and winni have been reported from Maine.
(click on image to enlarge)
Speyeria idalia (regal fritillary) - [information to be added]
Speyeria atlantis (Atlantis fritillary) - [information to be added]
Vanessa ([?])
[information to be added]
red font = character state unique or nearly so | char. 1 | char. 2 | char. 3 | char. 4 | char. 5 |
V. atalanta | |||||
V. cardui | |||||
V. virginiensis |
Vanessa atalanta (red admiral) - One subspecies (rubra has been reported from Maine.
(click on image to enlarge)
Vanessa cardui (painted lady) - [information to be added]
(click on image to enlarge)
Vanessa virginiensis (American lady) - [information to be added]
(click on image to enlarge)