Identified Butterflies, Moths, & Etc.
All photographs taken by myself of butterflies/etc. found in Pike County, Indiana, unless otherwise noted.
All photographs are subject to copyright and intellectual property laws; absolutely NO reproduction without express written permission of the author.
Click on thumbnails to open larger images.
All photographs are subject to copyright and intellectual property laws; absolutely NO reproduction without express written permission of the author.
Click on thumbnails to open larger images.
River Cruiser, Royal or IllinoisLatin Name: Macromia taeniolata or Macromia illinoiensis
Notes: Waiting on identification Found this one deceased near the Patoka River. Easily the biggest dragonfly I've ever seen; wingspan about 5"-6", body about 4"-5". Halloween PennantLatin Name: Celighemis eponina
Notes: (ID by Jeffrey Belth) See these fairly often. SachemLatin Name: Atalopedes campestris huron
Notes: Top two photos female, bottom two photos male (ID by Jeffrey Belth) Lots of these near the white butterfly bushes in late afternoon MonarchLatin Name: Danaus plexippus
Identifying feature: no bar across hind wings Similar species: Viceroy, Queen Notes: Fearless, and seemed to be having too much fun flying in large circles to land for more than a second or two. Northern Pearly-EyeLatin Name: Lethe anthedon anthedon
Identifying feature: only 3 spots on upper wing in certain area, tail is shorter than the Question Mark Similar species: Question Mark, Gray Comma Notes: This one was spotted near Snakey Point Silver Spotted SkipperLatin Name: Epargyreus clarus
Identifying feature: white patch in center of hind wing Similar species: N/A Notes: Fairly common on our farm; but very fast, nearly impossibly to get a shot of wings open. American LadyLatin Name: Vanessa virginiensis
Identifying feature: two peacock-type spots on wings Similar species: Painted Lady Notes: Very shy; have seen a couple, mid-July. Looks a lot like the regular Painted Lady, but only has two of the peacock-looking spots on the hind wing. Red-Spotted PurpleLatin Name: Limenitis arthemis_astyanax
Identifying feature: The orange/red spots on upper wings Similar species: Black Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (black morph), Pipevine Swallowtail Notes: Just gorgeous in person; very friendly, walked onto my hand and stayed there for quite some time. Have seen two, mid- to late-July Cabbage WhiteLatin Name: Pieris rapae rapae
Identifying feature: male has 1 spot on underside of forewing, female has 2 Similar species: Notes: Shy; have only seen one. mid-July. Black SwallowtailLatin Name: Papilio polyxenes asterius
Identifying feature: Spotted bodies, two rows of yellow spots continue up forewings Similar species: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (black morph), Pipevine Swallowtail, Red-Spotted Purple, Spicebush Swallowtail Notes: VERY common Eastern Tailed BlueLatin Name: Cupido comyntas
Identifying feature: Little "tail" on hindwing Similar species: Notes: Somewhat common in our pasture; shy and difficult to photograph. Most frequent blue butterfly found in Indiana. ViceroyLatin Name: Limenitis archippus
Link for more info: Identifying feature: Bar crossing hind wings Similar species: Monarch, Queen Notes: Very common. Orange SulphurLatin Name: Colias eurytheme
Identifying feature: Grayish band on outer wings extends in past little black dots Similar species: Clouded Sulphur (VERY similar, possibly misidentification) Notes: These guys seem to be prevalent on a bed of coneflowers and black-eyed susans that gets very early sun, but don't see them much anywhere else during the rest of the day. Spicebush SwallowtailLatin Name: Papilio troilus
Identifying feature: One row of spots on upper wing, pale blue; on outer hindwing, orange row is broken by blue Similar species: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Pipevine Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail Notes: Puddle was seen in the Sugar Ridge FWA near Frog Pit; other examples from the farm. Rarity unsure. Flutters while feeding. Pipevine SwallowtailLatin Name: Battus philenor philenor
Identifying feature: No spots on upper wing; underside of hindwing has single row of orange spots Similar species: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail Notes: Not sure on the ID of this one, but it's my closest educated guess considering the lack of markings on the upper wings. Didn't get a body shot before it flew off. This may also be a female Eastern Tiger (dark morph), almost looks like the faint Tiger striping, but the lack of anything on the upper front wings and lack of orange tail spot has left me undecided. (Edited: pictured is indeed a Tiger, ID'ed by Jeffrey Belth. I did indeed see a real Pipevine recently and will add its photo here soon) Clymene MothLatin Name: Haploa clymene
Identifying feature: upside-down cross on wings Similar species: Notes: Single sighting |
Widow SkimmerLatin Name: Libellula luctuosa
Notes: Waiting on identification Super common; see these ALL the time, everywhere. Mydas FlyLatin Name: Mydas clavatus (possibly)
Notes: Waiting on identification Not sure what this was. Very iridescent wings, didn't appear to have a stinger or come at me when I poked it. Question MarkLatin Name: Polygonia interrogationis
Identifying feature: 4 spots on upper wing in certain area Similar species: Eastern Comma, Gray Comma Notes: Yes, that's it's real name!Spotted on Maxey Trail. Eastern CommaLatin Name: Polygonia comma
Identifying feature: only 3 spots on upper wing in certain area, tail is shorter than the Question Mark Similar species: Question Mark, Gray Comma Notes: This one was spotted near Snakey Point Red AdmiralLatin Name: Vanessa atalanta rubria
Identifying feature: Similar species: Notes: Spotted at Maxey Trail Great Spangled FritillaryLatin Name: Speyeria cybele cybele
Identifying feature: underside of hind wing, tan row touches inner row of white spots Similar species: Aphrodite Fritillary, Atlantis Fritillary Notes: Pretty common around our coneflowers. Some can be rather fearless. Five-spotted Hawkmoth/Tobacco Hornworm MothLatin Name: Manduca quinquemaculata
Identifying feature: Worm has straight white lines, instead of v-shaped on tomato hornworm moth (straight like a cigarette for tobacco, v-shaped like a vine-ripened tomato for the tomato worm). Horn is red. Moth has 5 spots on wings. Similar species: Tomato Hornworm Moth Notes: Have not yet had the opportunity to observe one of these in its later forms. Eastern Pondhawk DragonflyLatin Name:
Identifying feature: Similar species: Notes: Very common on farm, in refuge, and on roadsides. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (male)Latin Name: Papilio glaucus
Identifying feature: Males have very little blue Similar species: Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail Notes: VERY common; there are at least a half-dozen in our yard at any given (daylight) time. Can get quite close to some. See tabs at top of page for separate Swallowtail gallery. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (female, yellow morph)Latin Name: Papilio glaucus
Identifying feature: Females have lots of blue Similar species: Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail Notes: VERY common; there are at least a half-dozen in our yard at any given (daylight) time. Can get quite close to some. See tabs at top of page for separate Swallowtail gallery. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (female, black morph)Latin Name: Papilio glaucus
Identifying feature: Similar species: Black Swallowtail, Pipevine Swallowtail, Red-Spotted Purple, Spicebush Swallowtail Notes: VERY common; there are at least a half-dozen in our yard at any given (daylight) time. Can get quite close to some. See tabs at top of page for separate Swallowtail gallery. Doesn't flutter constantly while feeding. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (female)Latin Name:
Notes: Haven't seen as many as previous years; they like to visit our Trumpet Vine near the barn. This is the first time I've seen them visit the butterfly bush, and she was gone before I had a chance to get the camera settings correct. Pearl CrescentLatin Name: Phyciodes tharos tharos
Identifying feature: Similar species: Silver Checkerspot Notes: Very shy. Will replace with better pictures when available. Snowberry Clearwing MothLatin Name: Hermaris diffinis
Identifying feature: Yellow and black striped body Similar species: Notes: Very common here; seems to concentrate on the butterfly bushes, especially the light purple ones. Cloudless SulphurCommon BuckeyeHayhurst's Scallopwing |