Butterflies of Northwest Arkansas

When hiking in the spring and summer, it is common to see butterflies. Not a lot is known about butterfly behavior. They feed with straw-like tubes called proboscis and drink water (known as wicking) from various sources including mud puddles and dung for minerals and electrolytes. They are cold-blooded and so they rely on the temperature in their environment to warm their muscles. They may orient their bodies  with wings open to the sun (dorsal basking) or closed and 90 degrees to the sun (lateral basking). 

To help you identify some of the most common butterflies in Northwest Arkansas, we have listed a few below along with some resources to learn more about these amazing and very important pollinators.

Appalacian Azure (Celastrina neglectamajor)

Byssus Skipper (Problema byssus)

Diana fritillary (Speyeria diana)

Dreamy Dustwing (Erynnis icelus)

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

Hickory Hairstreak (Satyrium caryaevorus)

Leonard's Skipper (Hesperia leonardus)

Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)

Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilo troilus)

 

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