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The Black Swallowtail (Papilionidae) is the commonest and most widespread of the North American Swallowtails. It occurs throughout most of the United States and southern Canada except for the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada. The Black Swallowtail feeds on umbilifers such as Queen Anne's Lace and Parsley and is remarkably adept at finding foodplants. Some years ago we had a potted parsley plant in the backyard of a townhouse in downtown Washington, D.C. One day we checked the plant and found a stem and four fat Black Swallowtail caterpillars. We had our revenge. They ended up as a display in the Insect Zoo at the National Museum of Natural History.

The Cabbage White (Pieridae) is commonest and most widespread butterfly species in North America occurring nearly everywhere except for the far northern reaches of the continent. The species was introduced from Europe in about 1860 and is now a serious pest of cultivated crucifers such as cabbage and broccoli. You'll find the Cabbage White everywhere including the most urban of areas.

The Orange Sulphur (Pieridae) is widespread throughout all of North America except for northern Canada. The larvae feed on various legumes, but alfalfa and clovers and especially popular with them. These butterflies are commonly seen in open fields and empty lots. Alfalfa fields are sometimes aswarm with them. The Orange Sulphur is closely related to the Clouded Sulphur (see below) and occurs in the same areas, but there is always some orange tint to their wings. Both species have a white female form, as does the Clouded Sulphur, and these white forms can be very difficult to separate.

The Clouded Sulphur (Pieridae) lives in most of North America except for parts of California and the northern regions of Canada. Like the Orange Sulphur the caterpillars feed on legumes such as Alfalfa, clover, and peas and it and the Clouded Sulphur are commonly seen flying together in open fields and empty lots. The Clouded Sulphur is closely related to the Orange Sulphur, but the wings are never tinted with orange. White female forms of the two species can be very difficult to separate, however.

The Gray Hairstreak (Lycaenidae) is found throughout North America except the far north and reaches as far south as Venezuela. The species feeds on various species of legumes and is occasionally a pest of beans and peas. The hair-like tails of the hindwings characteristic of the hairstreaks are thought by some to mimic the head of the butterfly when the wings are folded over the back of the butterfly. The hypothesis is that a bird, mistaking the tails for antennae will strike at the wings instead of the head allowing the butterfly to escape.

The Pearl Crescent (Nymphalidae) occurs throught most of eastern and central North America as far west as the Rocky Mountains. The caterpillars feed on as variety of wild asters and the adults are commonly found in fields and empty lots. This small butterfly has a complex seasonal dimorphism. The underside of adults appearing in the spring looks considerably different from the underside of later summer and fall individuals. Males and females also look different. There are several related species of Phyciodes and species identification can be difficult in this genus.

The Painted Lady (Nymphalidae) has the distinction of not only being widespread in North America, but is also the most cosmopolitan butterfly in the world. The species is found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica. In some years population explosions in Mexico cause huge surges in the abdundance of the butterly in the United States in Canada as the butterflies move northward. The caterpillars feed on a wide variety of plant species but are particularly fond of thistles.

The Monarch (Nymphalidae - Danainae) is perhaps the best known butterfly in North America and occurs everywhere in North America except the far north. The Monarch also occurs throughout South and Central America as well as Hawaii and Australia. The caterpillars feed on milkweeds and poisons in the milkweed called cardiac glycosides are saved by the adults making them distasteful to predators. North American monarchs are also well known from their fall migrations to wintering sites in California and central Mexico.

The Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperiidae) is perhaps the most recognizable of the common, widespread skippers in North America. Its most distinctive feature is a large silvery spot on the underside of the hindwing. The species occurs throughout the United States and southern Canada. This skipper is a common visitor to flowers in city parks and empty lots. The caterpillars feed on woody legumes and are particularly found of different species of the locust trees commonly planted as ornamentals.