Butterflies

Hobomok Skipper on a sunlit green leaf

Hobomok Skipper — a compact orange-and-brown skipper resting on a broad leaf
Hobomok Skipper in filtered sunlight

Hobomok Skipper in Filtered Sun — warm orange wings against fresh green foliage
Hobomok Skipper resting low on a broad green leaf

Hobomok Skipper at Rest — a low, alert posture typical of grass skippers
Monarch butterfly nectaring on yellow prairie flowers beneath a blue sky

Monarch Among Prairie Flowers
Monarch butterfly flying near purple thistle flowers

Monarch Approaching Thistle
Monarch butterfly nectaring on yellow flowers

Monarch on Yellow Flowers
Common Ringlet butterfly resting among tall green grasses

Common Ringlet among Grasses
Pearly-eye butterfly resting on green leaves with underside eyespots visible

Pearly-eye on Leaves

Butterflies bring color, movement, and small moments of stillness to the field: wings opening in sunlight, skippers tucked low on leaves, and brief flashes of pattern along trails, flowers, and woodland edges.

Butterfly Galleries

This section gathers butterfly encounters by species and field setting, from small skippers resting on foliage to larger, more familiar butterflies moving through meadows, gardens, and woodland openings. Each gallery focuses on posture, behavior, habitat, and the visual details that make these insects worth a closer look.

Hobomok Skipper on a sunlit green leaf Hobomok Skipper
A small orange-and-brown skipper rests on a broad green leaf in filtered sunlight.
Compact, fuzzy-bodied, and quick to launch, this skipper has the hooked antennae and alert posture that separate skipper butterflies from moths at a glance.
Monarch butterfly placeholder image Monarch
Placeholder gallery for Monarch butterfly photos.
Use this tile for orange-and-black Monarch images, especially adults on flowers, milkweed habitat, caterpillars, or migration-season encounters.
Common Ringlet butterfly placeholder image Common Ringlet
Placeholder gallery for Common Ringlet butterfly photos.
This future gallery can feature the soft tan and orange tones of the Common Ringlet, often seen tucked low in grassy habitat with its small eyespots and subtle wing pattern.
Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly placeholder image Great Spangled Fritillary
Placeholder gallery for Great Spangled Fritillary photos.
Use this tile for images of the Great Spangled Fritillary, known for its bright orange wings with black markings.
Pearly-eye butterfly placeholder image Pearly-eye
Placeholder gallery for Pearly-eye butterfly photos.
This future gallery can highlight woodland-edge butterflies with soft brown wings, eye spots, and the shaded habitats where pearly-eyes are often encountered.
Red-spotted Purple butterfly placeholder image Red-spotted Purple
Placeholder gallery for Red-spotted Purple photos.
Use this tile for dark-winged adults with blue iridescence, red-orange spots, and the striking pattern that makes this woodland butterfly stand out in shade and sun.
Yellow Swallowtail butterfly placeholder image Yellow Swallowtail
Placeholder gallery for Yellow Swallowtail photos.
This future gallery can feature large yellow swallowtails nectaring on flowers, gliding through open habitat, or showing the tails and bold striping that make them unmistakable in the field.