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Buy and Apply
- Recreational
  - Fishing & Hunting
    - How to Order
    - Do I Need a License?
    - Limited Entry/Quota Hunts
  - Public Land Use
  - Accessibility Accommodations
- Commercial
  - Commercial Licenses
    - Commercial Saltwater
    - Commercial Freshwater
    - CLS Online Login
  - Charter Licenses
  - Vessel Pier Licenses
- Wildlife
  - Wildlife Permits
  - Nuisance Wildlife Permits
  - Captive Wildlife Permits
- More ...
  - Application Forms
  - Boating & Navigation
Resolve a Wildlife Conflict
- Wildlife Alert
  - Report a Violation
  - Know the Rules
    - Captive Wildlife
    - Saltwater Recreational Regulations
    - Freshwater Recreational Regulations
    - Hunting Regulations
    - Boating Regulations
    - See All
- Resolve Wildlife Conflict
  - Learn to Unhook Seabirds
  - Living with Wildlife
    - Bear
    - Bats
    - Coyote
    - Alligators and Crocodiles
    - Shorebirds/Seabirds
    - Snakes
    - See All
- Report Issues
  - Report fish kills, wildlife emergencies, sightings, etc.
    - Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program
    - Report Fish Kills
    - Red Tide Status
    - Report Sightings of Nonnative Species
    - Report injured, orphaned or dead manatees
    - See All
Engaging in Conservation
- Conservation
  - Value of Conservation
  - Living with Wildlife
  - Freshwater Programs
  - Saltwater Programs
  - Terrestrial Programs
  - Stash the trash
  - Special Initiatives
    - Coastal Wildlife
    - State Wildlife Action Plan
    - See All
- Wildlife and Habitats
  - Wildlife Conservation
  - Nonnative Species
  - Species Profiles
    - Alligator
    - Bald Eagle
    - Bear
    - Gopher Tortoise
    - Manatee
    - Panther
    - Sea Turtle
    - See All
- How You Can Conserve
  - Install Wildlife Lighting
  - Exotic Pet Amnesty
  - Habitat Management
    - Working with Private Landowners
    - Invasive Plants
    - Prescribed Fire
    - Management Plans
    - Aquatic Habitat Conservation
    - See All
  - Education
    - Educators
    - Outdoor Skills
    - Learn about Wildlife
    - See All
- Research
  - Freshwater
  - GIS and Mapping
  - Habitat
  - Manatee
  - Red Tide
  - Saltwater
  - Wildlife
  - Publications
  - About
Things To Do
- Fishing
  - Freshwater Fishing
    - Recreational Regulations
    - Commercial Regulations
    - Fish Identification
    - Fishing Education
    - Sites & Forecasts
    - See All
  - Saltwater Fishing
    - Recreational Regulations
    - Commercial Regulations
    - Fish Identification
    - Saltwater Fishing Clinics
    - Provide Comments
    - See All
- Hunting
  - Regulations
    - WMA Brochures
    - Season Dates
    - Hunter Safety
    - Limited Entry Hunts
  - New Hunter
  - Public Shooting Ranges
  - Alligator
  - Deer
  - Dove
  - Turkey
  - Quail
  - Waterfowl
  - Wild Hog
- Wildlife Recreation
  - Wildlife Viewing
    - Where to View Wildlife
    - How to View Wildlife
    - Backyards and Beyond
    - Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail
    - See All
  - Recreation on Wild Lands
    - What are WMAS?
    - Explore by name
    - Explore by map
    - What to Do
    - See All
- Boating
  - Regulations
  - Safety & Education
    - Safety Equipment
    - ID Cards
    - Courses
    - See All
  - Boat Ramps & Access
  - Derelict Vessels
  - Stash the trash
  - Wear It Florida
  - Wildlife Alert
Places To Go
- WMAs
  - WMA Brochures
    - Area Opened/Closed Status
  - What are Wildlife Management Areas?
    - Explore By Name
    - Explore the Map
    - See All
- Recreation
  - Where to Go
    - Hunting
    - Fishing
    - Wildlife Viewing
    - Hiking
    - See All
  - Outfitters and Guides
- Public Shooting Ranges
  - Range Safety Rules
  - Safety & Education
  - Map of public shooting ranges
- Go Outdoors Florida!
  - Discover Wildlands
  - Fishing Sites & Forecasts
  - Boating Ramps & Access
  - Great Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail
  - Florida Youth Conservation Centers Network
  - Calendar of Events
  - Artificial Reefs
About Us
- About
  - Inside FWC
    - Research Institute
    - Hunting and Game Management
    - Freshwater Fisheries Management
    - Law Enforcement
    - Habitat and Species Conservation
    - Marine Fisheries Management
    - See All
- Commission
  - Commission Meetings
  - Commissioners
  - Agency Overview
  - Strategic Planning
  - Rules & Regulations
  - News
    - Sign up for news releases
- Contact
  - Social Media
  - FWC Offices
  - Law Enforcement
  - Wildlife Alert
  - Tell Us What You Think
  - Rule Change Comments
  - Public Records Requests
  - Order Publications
  - Signs
  - Participation at Your Event
- Get Involved
  - Volunteer
  - Internships
  - Employment
    - Law Enforcement
    - Career Opportunities
  - Support FWC
    - Gift Ideas
    - Youth Programs and Activities
    - Donate
    - Buy-a-Plate

Butterflies

Lepidoptera

Species Status Native Imperiled
View All Species

Listing Status

Federal Status:
FL Status:
FNAI Ranks:
IUCN Status:

Appearance

Many butterflies in Florida are found nowhere else in North America. Over 160 butterfly species breed here and about 200 species migrate through the state. Some are rare such as the large, colorful Schaus swallowtail that is making a comeback from near extinction. The well-known monarch butterfly commutes through Florida’s Gulf Coast on its way to wintering in Mexico. The bright yellow cloudless sulfur and the Gulf fritillary are commonly sighted. Where you are in Florida may determine what butterflies you see.

In sandhill habitat around Tampa Bay and along the Atlantic Coast beaches south of Jacksonville, look for the yucca or cofaqui giant-skippers. They fly as fast as 40 mph, dart through dunes in search of mates and plants and are on the wing for only a few days in spring or fall.
Throughout Florida, small, brightly colored butterflies like the ceraunus blue and gray hairstreak may be spotted around flowers and near the ground.
In the Florida Keys, if one finds a long twining balloon vine at the edge of a tropical hardwood hammock, you may catch sight of a silver-banded hairstreak. Also known as the St. Christopher's hairstreak, this small butterfly has a brilliant iridescent violet upper side in males and black and grayish blue upper side in female. Their underside is a beautifully yellowish-green with a conspicuous silvery white line on all four wings, with only one tail on each hindwing and a reddish patch at its base.
Widely distributed across the state are 10 swallowtail species, among the largest butterflies in Florida. One of the most familiar is the yellow and black striped eastern tiger swallowtail, which flies from the Georgia border south to the Big Cypress Swamp, and includes some females that are melanic (dark colored). Others include the eastern black swallowtail, white and black striped zebra swallowtail, black and yellow spotted polydamas swallowtail, the pipevine swallowtail - whose wings shimmer in a bright iridescent bluish-purple, the black and yellow palamedes swallowtail, bluish-black spicebush swallowtail, and boldly patterned giant swallowtail. Rarer is the Bahamian swallowtail found primarily in Biscayne National Park.
Look also for the gorgeous atala butterfly, a resident of south Florida with males that are black with brilliant metallic green on the forewing and a narrow greenish line along the outer border of the hindwing. Females are also black but have a streak of blue along the rear margin of the forewing. Both sexes have a bright red abdomen, and the underside of the hindwing is black with bright blue spots and a red patch.

Habitat

While a wide variety of Florida habitats supports butterflies, the loss or degradation of some habitats has contributed to major declines of some butterfly species. Threats to butterfly habitats also include use of pesticides, hurricanes, and introduction of invasive species. The Miami blue, for example, once fluttered up the west coast as far as Tampa and the east coast to Daytona Beach, but now is detected only on small islands in the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. People can help by creating butterfly gardens in their backyards or community common areas and using native plants that feed the caterpillars and provide nectar for adults.

Behavior

Behaviors are as individual as the butterflies. One example: Bartram's scrub-hairstreak has bold markings on the underside that include a red patch near the base of the tails and a white line and spots. As the butterfly perches on a branch or flower, it twitches its hindwings back and forth, waving the two long tails in the breeze like tiny antennae in front of giant red eyes with covering white lines. This false eyespot, known as a deflection pattern, is effective with insect-eating birds and lizards that apparently are responsible for hairstreaks with missing tails or parts of the hindwing. These are parts the butterflies can lose without injuring their flight or shortening their lifespan, compared to losing their real head at the other end of their body!

Additional Information

Butterfly viewing
Identifying butterflies in the field
Visit theMcGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversityand its butterfly rainforest
Butterfly gardening
Wings Over Floridafor butterfly watchers

Image Credit: Andy Wraithmell

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Tag » When Is Butterfly Season In Florida

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How You Can Conserve

Research

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WMAs

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Go Outdoors Florida!

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