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Monarch
Danaus plexippus
Monarchs are a migratory species which pass through the Amistad area each year on their way to wintering roost sites in Mexico.
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Queen
Danaus gilippus
Queen butterflies are often mistaken for Monarchs. Queens have smaller black lines and less white than Monarchs.
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Gulf Fritillary
Agraulis vanillae
The Gulf Fritillary does not migrate in the winter and can die if the weather gets too cold. They have a rich, deep orange color on top, and incredibly intricate underwing patterns. Gulf Fritillary are common to the Rio Grande area, and especially enjoy feeding on lantana flowers.
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Variegated Fritillary
Euptoieta hegesia
Variegated fritillarys also have a beautiful underwing pattern, though they are less colorful than the Gulf Fritillary. In flight they look like a blur of beige or tan. These do migrate, and head north in the spring.
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Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui
Painted Ladies can be found throughout the United States and Mexico. They often feed on thistles.
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Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta
Red Admiral butterflies are very widely disbursed. They can be seen from Guatemala to Alaska and Iceland.
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Empress Leilia
Asterocampa leilia
This butterfly is found landed on the ground much more often than other Empress species.
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Common Buckeye
Junonia coenia
Note the prominent eye spots and two large orange bars on the wings.
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Texas Border Patch
Chlosyne lacinia
Border Patch butterflies are found in grassy scrubland areas. They can be found sunning on large rocks during cool days.
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Snout Butterfly
Libytheana bachmanii
Snout butterflies have a unique profile. The antennae protude forward giving the butterfly a slanted profile.
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Reakirt's Blue
Hemiargus isola
There are dozens of kinds of small blue butterflies simply called "blues."
They are all very tiny, about the size of a nickel, and hard to identify without
careful examination. Up close, they are also some of the most beautiful butterflies. |
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Gray Hairstreak
Strymon melinus
Gray Hairstreaks have a
distinctive dashed line above two eye spots on the back wing. Hairstreaks are
similar to "blues" in size and behavior. |
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Giant Swallowtail
Heraclides cesphontes
Adult Giant Swallowtail often fly the same routes in search of flowers several times a day.
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Pipevine Swallowtail
Battus philenor
Pipevine Swallowtail have two different wing patterns. The underside of the wing is multicolored with large dots, while the tope of the wings are muted shades of blue and black. The wings have an
iridescent quality.
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Large Orange Sulfur
Phoebis agarithe
The Orange Sulfur contains a faint brown line across the edges of both wings. Other sulfur species contain variations of spots.
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Dainty Sulfur
Nathalis iole
The Dainty Sulfur appears more green than yellow. It has a low flight pattern and is only the size of a dime.
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Southern Dogface
Zerene cesonia
Dogface butterflies are found all over Texas and Mexico. Most have a black spot or ring along the top wing.
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Sleepy Orange
Eurema nicippe
The Sleepy Orange changes color in the winter
to a peach orange, and back to yellow in the spring. |
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Theona Checkerspot
Thessalia theona
Theona Checkerspots are often mistaken for Fritillary. They have a wide variety of colors and patterns which can show up depending on the environment.
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Checkered White
Pontia protodice
Checkered Whites are about the same size as the Sleepy Orange and have a similar flight pattern.
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Common Checkered-Skipper
Pyrgus communis
Checkered Whites are about the same size as the Sleepy Orange and have a similar flight pattern.
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Dotted Skipper
Hesperia attalus
Skippers are generally very fast flying and are sometimes confused with moths. Their unique smaller wings are similar in shape to the space shuttle!
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Texan Crescent
Phyciodes texana
Texan Crescent butterflies prefer open woodland area and thorny scrubland environments. Males often fly less than one foot off the ground.
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