Wisconsin Native Butterflies — Welcome!
Monarch Butterly
Danaus plexippus
Little Yellow Butterfly
Eurema lisa
Black Swallowtail Butterfly
Papilio polyxenes
Clouded Sulphur
Colias philodice
Northern Blue
Lycaeides idas
Karner Melissa Blue
Lycaeides melissa samuelis
Northern Crescent
Phyciodes selenis
Question Mark
Polygonia interrogationis
Silver Spotted Skipper
Epargyreus clarus
Wisconsin Native Butterflies provides a comprehensive resource on native butterflies.
The catalog includes detailed profiles, information on the preferred habitat, breeding
strategy and image.
Butterflies play an important role in pollinating flowers, particularly flowers that have a strong
scent, are red or yellow in color and produce a large amount of nectar. The importance of
butterfly pollination to plant reproduction may not be equal to that of honeybees but several
plant species, like milkweed and other wildflowers, depend on butterflies to transfer their pollen.
An abundance of butterflies is often an indication that an ecosystem is thriving. This is due to the
fact that butterflies are an important component of a food chain, as predators and prey. Adult
butterflies and caterpillars are an important source of food for other animals such as bats and
birds.
Find A Butterfly
There are 2 ways to find a butterfly — enter the all or part of the butterfly name in the
search box in the navigator bar or, refine your search by selecting the butterfly 'group'
from the drop-down list on the left!