Black Butterflies Catch Our Eye
Black butterflies are often large and very noticeable. Sometimes, it takes careful observation to decide what species it is. This page has photos of the most common dark colored butterflies in most regions of the United States to help you in identifying them.
In identifying butterflies or any animal or plant, remember that there are variations among individuals. For members of a species are not clones of one another, just as humans look differently, at least to us. Try to narrow down you identification to size and family, first.
If the dark-colored butterfly you seek to identify has the distinctive long tail on the hind wing like the swallowtails, you have a place to start.
There are many black Swallowtails such as Black Swallowtail, Tiger Swallowtail, Giant Swallowtail, and Pipevine Swallowtail.
The most common black butterflies I see in the eastern United States are Red-spotted Purple, Mourning Cloak, and Spicebush Swallowtail.
These are also the most common in almost all regions of the United States.
If you live in the Northwest, Arizona, California, Nevada or the Mountainous West, the swallowtails maybe the black butterflies you see.
Other black butterflies include Zebra Heliconian and Admirals such as, White Admiral, Western Admiral or Lorquin's Admiral.
If you don't see the black butterfly you are trying to identify, at least you have established what it is not. Butterfly field guides are the next step.
Butterflies are arranged from small to large.
Photo by Donna Long
| Common name: | Red Admiral | | Scientific name: | Vanessa atalanta | | Wingspan: | average: 2.1 inches | | Family: | Nymphalids (Brush-Footed) | | Range: | All regions of U.S. | | Habitat: | Nearly any open space | | Host plant(s): | Mostly nettles | | Adult food: | Sap, decaying matter, nectar | | Notes: | Fast, zig-zagging flight |
Photo courtesy Ha_Pe_Gera on Flickr.com
| Common name: | Mourning Cloak | | Scientific name: | Nymphalis antiopa | | Wingspan: | Averages 3.0 inches | | Family: | Nymphalids (Brush-Footed) | | Range: | All regions of United States | | Habitat: | Wandering and adaptable in woodlands, parks, suburbs,swamp edges, river bank edges | | Host plant(s): | Varies widely: Willows, elms, cottonwoods, aspens,birches, hackberry and other broadleaf trees. | | Adult food: | Sap and decaying matter; occasionally nectar duringsummer | | Note: | Broad yellow wing edges |
Photo courtesy Cathy Keifer/iStockphoto.
Photo shows under (top) and upper (bottom) wings.
| Common name: | Red-spotted Purple | | Scientific name: | Limenitis arthemis astyanax | | Wingspan: | Averages 3.2 inches | | Family: | Nymphalids ( Brush-footed) | | Range: | East, South, Southeast, Midwest, Texas and New Mexico. | | Habitat: | Moist, broadleaf, mixed deciduous forests, coastalplains and river bottoms | | Host plant(s) | Varies widely. Wild cherry, aspens, poplars,cottonwoods, birches, willows, hawthorn, serviceberry, basswood anddeerberry. | | Adult food: | Nectar, visits mud puddles for minerals | | Note: | Blue on hind wind, no tails. Looks like a PipevineSwallowtail. |
Photo by Donna Long
| Common name: | Spicebush Swallowtail | | Scientific name: | Papilio troilus | | Wingspan: | Average 4.1 inches | | Family: | Swallowtails | | Range: | East, South, Southeast, Midwest, Texas and New Mexico. | | Habitat: | Woods, parks, roadsides, fields, pine barrens and swamps | | Host plant(s): | Uses primarily Spicebush (Linden benzoin) but alsoSassafras. | | Adult food: | Nectar from tall flowers | | Note: | Many swallowtails look similar |
Swallowtail Butterflies
More Butterfly Information
Butterfly Life Cycle
egg
larva
chrysalis
adult
Where to find them
The most common butterfly species
Seven butterfly families
Spring butterflies
Attracting Butterflies
Top nectar plants
Top host plants
Field Guides
Black Butterflies
Mourning Cloak Butterfly
Swallowtail Butterflies
From Black Butterflies Return to Butterflies
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