Regional Butterfly and Moth Information
Top 20 Commonly Reported Butterflies and Moths of Montana
These are the most commonly reported butterflies and moths in Montana. If you do not see the species you found, look at all photographs submitted in Montana, or visit the Montana page to see recently submitted sightings.
Mourning Cloak
Nymphalis antiopa
Milbert's Tortoiseshell
Aglais milberti
Purplish Copper
Lycaena helloides
Clouded Sulphur
Colias philodice
Hoary Comma
Polygonia gracilis
Melissa Blue (includes Karner Blue)
Plebejus melissa
Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui
Boisduval's Blue
Plebejus icarioides
Green Comma
Polygonia faunus
Satyr Comma
Polygonia satyrus
Two-tailed Swallowtail
Papilio multicaudata
Greenish Blue
Plebejus saepiolus
Silvery Blue
Glaucopsyche lygdamus
Northern Crescent
Phyciodes cocyta
Cabbage White
Pieris rapae
Western White
Pontia occidentalis
Common Wood-Nymph
Cercyonis pegala
Woodland Skipper
Ochlodes sylvanoides
Rocky Mountain Parnassian
Parnassius smintheus
Field Crescent
Phyciodes pulchella
We can help identify your butterfly or moth!
If you know the date and location where the photograph was taken, we can help. It's simple!
A coordinator will review your submission, and you will get an email with the identification.
We will store your submitted data. Your submission will contribute to our species profiles, checklists, and database. You can track all your submissions and create a personal species list.
Identifying Caterpillars
Do you have a photograph of a caterpillar? If so, when you submit your photograph, please provide us with host plant information if possible. Consider raising it to the adult stage before submitting photographs.
Surprisingly, most of the larval stages of butterflies and moths are simply unknown, and caterpillar photographs can be very difficult to identify. It may take some time for a coordinator to identify your caterpillar.
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We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
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