Butterflies and Moths of Southern California

Butterflies and Moths
of Southern California

Photographs by Michael L. Charters

Butterflies

Acmon blue (Plebejus acmon)
Alfalfa sulphur (Colias eurytheme)
Baird's swallowtail (Papilio bairdi)
Boisduval's blue (Plebejus iricoides)
Cabbage white (Pieris rapae)
California dogface female (Colias eurydice)
California dogface male (Colias eurydice)
California patch (Chlosyne californica)
California sister (Adelpha bredowii)
California tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica)
Callippe fritillary (Speyeria callippe)
Chalcedona (or variable) checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona)
Checkered white (Pontia protodice)
Coronis fritillary (Speyeria coronis)
Funereal duskywing (Erynnis funeralis)
Gabb's checkerspot (Chlosyne gabbii)
Golden hairstreak (Habrodais grunus)
Gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus)
Lorquin's admiral (Leminitis lorquini)
Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
Mormon metalmark (Apodemia mormo)
Mournful duskywing (Erynnis tristis)
Mylitta crescent (Phyciodes mylitta)
Northern white-skipper (Heliopetes ericetorum)
Painted lady (Vanessa cardui)
Pale swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon)
Red admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Sara orangetip (Anthocharis sara)
*Spring azure (Celastrina ladon)
Spring white (caterpillar) (Pontia sisymbrii)
*Square-spotted blue (Euphilotes battoides)
Striated queen (Danaus gilippus)
Umber skipper (Poanes melane)
West coast lady (Vanessa annabella)
Western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus)
White checkered-skipper (Pyrgus albescens)
*Woodland skipper (Ochlodes sylvanioides)

Moths

Common sheep moth (Hemileuca eglanterina)
Edward's glassywing (Hemihyalea edwardsii)
Omnivorous looper (Sabulodes aegrotata)
*Wavy-lined emerald (Synchlora aerata)
White-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata)

* Indicates tentative identifications

I wish to acknowledge the assistance of and express my appreciation to Orange County botanist and entomologist Bob Allen who has taken the time to look at many of my butterfly photographs.

Resources:

Books:

  Emmel, Thomas C. and John F. (1973) The Butterflies of Southern California
  Glassberg, Jeffrey (2001) Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West
  Heath, Fred (2004) An Introduction to Southern California Butterflies

Websites:

  Butterflies of California
  http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/ca/toc.htm
  Butterflies and Their Larval Food Plants
  http://mamba.bio.uci.edu/~pjbryant/biodiv/bflyplnt.htm