Flight period histograms for each species may be viewed by selecting the common name below. Histograms are based on modern record dates (1996 to present) unless there are no modern records (histogram will be annotated accordingly). The interactive phenology tool allows the user to determine the sample interval and will also display flight periods of several species simultaneously for comparison. PHENOLOGY TOOL1
Scientific Name | Common Name |
Family Hesperiidae | Skippers |
Subfamily Eudaminae | Dicot Skippers |
Thorybes bathyllus (J. E. Smith) | Southern Cloudywing |
Thorybes pylades pylades (Scudder) | Northern Cloudywing |
Urbanus proteus proteus (Linnaeus)* | Long-tailed Skipper |
Epargyreus clarus clarus (Cramer) | Silver-spotted Skipper |
Subfamily Pyriginae | Spread-winged Skippers |
Pholisora catullus (Fabricius) | Common Sootywing |
Erynnis icelus (Scudder & Burgess) | Dreamy Duskywing |
Erynnis brizo brizo (Boisduval & Le Conte) | Sleepy Duskywing |
Erynnis juvenalis juvenalis (Fabricius) | Juvenal’s Duskywing |
Erynnis baptisiae (W. Forbes)* | Wild Indigo Duskywing |
Subfamily Heteropterinae | Skipperlings |
Carterocephalus mandan (W. H. Edwards) | Arctic Skipper |
Subfamily Hesperiinae | Grass Skippers |
Euphyes conspicua orono (Scudder)* | Black Dash |
Euphyes bimacula bimacula (Grote & Robinson) | Two-spotted Skipper |
Euphyes vestris metacomet (T. Harris) | Dun Skipper |
Anatrytone logan logan (W. H. Edwards) | Delaware Skipper |
Hylephila phyleus phyleus (Drury)* | Fiery Skipper |
Polites origenes origenes (Fabricius) | Crossline Skipper |
Polites mystic mystic (W. H. Edwards) | Long Dash Skipper |
Polites themistocles themistocles (Latreille) | Tawny-edged Skipper |
Polites peckius peckius (W. Kirby) | Peck’s Skipper |
Polites egeremet (Scudder) | Northern Broken Dash |
Vernia verna (W. H. Edwards) | Little Glassywing Skipper |
Hesperia colorado laurentina (Lyman) | Common Branded Skipper (Laurentian Skipper) |
Hesperia leonardus leonardus T. Harris | Leonard’s Skipper |
Hesperia metea metea Scudder | Cobweb Skipper |
Hesperia sassacus sassacus T. Harris | Sassacus Skipper |
Poanes massasoit massasoit (Scudder)* | Mulberry Wing |
Poanes viator zizaniae Shapiro | Broadwinged Skipper |
Lon hobomok hobomok (T. Harris) | Hobomok Skipper |
Atrytonopsis hianna hianna (Scudder)* | Dusted Skipper |
Amblyscirtes hegon (Scudder) | Pepper and Salt Skipper |
Amblyscirtes vialis (W. H. Edwards) | Common Roadside Skipper |
Thymelicus lineola lineola (Ochsenheimer) | European Skipper |
Panoquina ocola ocola (W. H. Edwards)* | Ocola Skipper |
Ancyloxypha numitor (Fabricius) | Least Skipper |
Family Papilionidae | Swallowtails |
Subfamily Papilioninae | True Swallowtails |
Battus philenor philenor (Linnaeus) | Pipevine Swallowtail |
Papilio brevicauda gaspeensis McDunnough* | Short-tailed Swallowtail |
Papilio polyxenes asterius (Stoll) | Black Swallowtail |
Heraclides cresphontes (Cramer) | Eastern Giant Swallowtail |
Pterourus troilus troilus (Linnaeus) | Spicebush Swallowtail |
Pterourus glaucus glaucus (Linnaeus) | Eastern Tiger Swallowtail |
Pterourus canadensis (Rothschild & Jordan) | Canadian Tiger Swallowtail |
Family Pieridae | Whites & Sulphurs |
Subfamily Coliadinae | Sulphurs |
Pyrisitia lisa lisa (Boisduval & Le Conte) | Little Yellow |
Colias philodice Godart | Clouded Sulphur |
Colias eurytheme Boisduval | Orange Sulphur |
Colias interior interior Scudder | Pink-edged Sulphur |
Phoebis sennae eubule (Linnaeus) | Cloudless Sulphur |
Phoebis philea philea (Linnaeus) | Orange-barred Sulphur |
Subfamily Pierinae | Whites |
Pontia protodice (Boisduval & Le Conte) | Checkered White |
Pieris rapae rapae (Linnaeus) | Cabbage White |
Pieris oleracea oleracea (T. Harris) | Mustard White |
Family Lycaenidae | Gossamer-wings |
Subfamily Miletinae | Harvesters |
Feniseca tarquinius (Fabricius) | Harvester |
Subfamily Lycaeninae | Coppers |
Lycaena phlaeas hypophlaeas (Boisduval) | American Copper |
Tharsalea hyllus (Cramer) | Bronze Copper |
Tharsalea dorcas claytoni (A. E. Brower) | Clayton’s Copper |
Tharsalea epixanthe epixanthe (Boisduval & Le Conte) | Bog Copper2 |
Tharsalea epixanthe phaedrus (G. Hall) | Bog Copper2 |
Subfamily Theclinae | Hairstreaks |
Parrhasius m-album (Boisduval & Le Conte) | White M Hairstreak |
Strymon melinus humuli (T. Harris) | Gray Hairstreak |
Callophrys gryneus gryneus (Hübner) | Juniper (Olive) Hairstreak |
Callophrys hesseli hesseli (Rawson & Ziegler) | Hessel’s Hairstreak |
Callophrys augustinus augustinus (Westwood) | Brown Elfin |
Callophrys polios polios (Cook & F. Watson) | Hoary Elfin |
Callophrys henrici henrici (Grote & Robinson) | Henry’s Elfin |
Callophrys lanoraieensis (Sheppard) | Bog Elfin |
Callophrys niphon clarki (T. Freeman) | Eastern Pine Elfin |
Callophrys eryphon eryphon (Boisduval) | Western Pine Elfin |
Erora laeta (W. H. Edwards) | Early Hairstreak |
Satyrium titus winteri (Gatrelle) | Coral Hairstreak |
Satyrium liparops strigosa (T. Harris) | Striped Hairstreak |
Satyrium calanus falacer (Godart) | Banded Hairstreak |
Satyrium edwardsii edwardsii (Grote & Robinson) | Edwards’ Hairstreak |
Satyrium acadica acadica (W. H. Edwards) | Acadian Hairstreak |
Subfamily Polyommatinae | Blues |
Glaucopsyche lygdamus couperi Grote | Silvery Blue |
Celastrina lucia lucia (W. Kirby) | Northern Azure |
Celastrina neglecta (W. H. Edwards) | Summer Azure |
Cupido comyntas comyntas (Godart) | Eastern Tailed-Blue |
Cupido amyntula maritima (Leblanc) | Western Tailed-Blue |
Icaricia saepiolus amica (W. H. Edwards) | Greenish Blue |
Plebejus idas empetri T. Freeman | Crowberry Blue |
Plebejus idas scudderii (W. H. Edwards) | Northern Blue |
Family Nymphalidae | Brushfoots |
Subfamily Libytheinae | Snouts |
Libytheana carinenta bachmanii (Kirtland) | American Snout |
Subfamily Danainae | Milkweed Butterflies |
Danaus plexippus plexippus (Linnaeus) | Monarch |
Subfamily Heliconiinae | Longwings & Fritillaries |
Euptoieta claudia (Cramer) | Variegated Fritillary |
Boloria eunomia dawsoni (W. Barnes & McDunnough) | Bog Fritillary |
Boloria chariclea grandis (W. Barnes & McDunnough) | Arctic (Purple Lesser) Fritillary |
Boloria bellona bellona (Fabricius) | Meadow Fritillary |
Boloria frigga saga (Staudinger) | Frigga Fritillary |
Boloria selene myrina (Cramer)3 | Silver-bordered Fritillary2 |
Boloria selene atrocostalis (Huard)3 | Silver-bordered Fritillary2 |
Argynnis idalia idalia (Drury) | Regal Fritillary |
Argynnis cybele cybele (Fabricius) | Great Spangled Fritillary2 |
Argynnis cybele novascotiae McDunnough | Great Spangled Fritillary2 |
Argynnis aphrodite aphrodite (Fabricius) | Aphrodite Fritillary2 |
Argynnis aphrodite winni Gunder | Aphrodite Fritillary2 |
Argynnis atlantis atlantis W. H. Edwards | Atlantis Fritillary |
Subfamily Limenitidinae | Admirals & Relatives |
Limenitis archippus archippus (Cramer) | Viceroy |
Limenitis arthemis arthemis (Drury)4 | White Admiral |
Subfamily Nymphalinae | True Brushfoots |
Aglais milberti milberti (Godart) | Milbert’s Tortoiseshell |
Nymphalis l-album j-album (Boisduval & Le Conte) | Compton Tortoiseshell |
Nymphalis antiopa antiopa (Linnaeus) | Mourning Cloak |
Polygonia interrogationis (Fabricius) | Question Mark |
Polygonia comma (T. Harris) | Eastern Comma |
Polygonia satyrus neomarsyas dos Passos | Satyr Comma |
Polygonia progne (Cramer) | Gray Comma |
Polygonia gracilis gracilis (Grote & Robinson) | Hoary Comma |
Polygonia faunus faunus (W. H. Edwards) | Green Comma |
Vanessa virginiensis (Drury) | American Lady |
Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus) | Painted Lady |
Vanessa atalanta rubria (Fruhstorfer) | Red Admiral |
Junonia coenia coenia Hübner | Common Buckeye |
Euphydryas phaeton phaeton (Drury) | Baltimore Checkerspot |
Chlosyne nycteis nycteis (E. Doubleday) | Silvery Checkerspot |
Chlosyne harrisii harrisii (Scudder) | Harris’ Checkerspot |
Phyciodes tharos tharos (Drury) | Pearl Crescent |
Phyciodes cocyta cocyta (Cramer) | Northern Crescent |
Subfamily Satyrinae | Satyrs |
Coenonympha california inornata W. H. Edwards | Common (Inornate) Ringlet |
Lethe anthedon (A. Clark) | Northern Pearly-Eye |
Lethe eurydice eurydice (Linnaeus) | Eyed Brown |
Lethe appalachia appalachia R. Chermock | Appalachian Brown |
Megisto cymela cymela (Cramer) | Little Wood Satyr |
Cercyonis pegala alope (Fabricius)5 | Common Wood Nymph2 |
Cercyonis pegala nephele (W. Kirby)5 [including “intermediate” phenotypes] | Common Wood Nymph2 |
Oeneis jutta ascerta Masters & Sorensen | Jutta Arctic |
Oeneis polixenes katahdin (Newcomb) | Katahdin Arctic |
- Thanks to Herb Wilson for designing the interactive phenology tool.
- The flight histograms have been merged for those cases when subspecies distinctions were not always determined or intermediate morphs were encountered.
- Bolaria selene - Two poorly differentiated subspecies occur in Maine; myrina (Cramer) in the southwest, and atrocostalis (Huard) in the north. A broad blend zone occurs across central Maine.
- Limenitis arthemis - The northern limit of the blend zone between the L.a. astyanax (Fabricius) (Red Spotted Purple) and L. arthemis occurs in southwestern Maine where some individuals may show reduced white banding on the wings and rare individuals may closely resemble the Red Spotted Purple phenotype.
- Cercyonis pegala - In southwestern Maine is alope (Fabricius), which has a well-developed yellowish to orange patch on the forewing. In northern Maine is nephele (Kirby), which lacks the forewing patch. A broad blend zone occurs between these two subspecies in southern and coastal Maine as far east as Calais producing phenotypes of intermediate appearance.
* new species/subspecies added to the state list during the survey