Butterflies at Home



Butterflies of Texas

Texas Butterflies

Texas has more butterfly species and subspecies than any other state, over 400, partly due to its varied ecological regions.

From the Guadalupe Mountains in the west, to the pine forests in the east to the subtropical climate in the south, Texas offers unique habitats to many species.

From the highest point in Texas at 8,751 feet, to sea level along the Gulf Coast, the environment supports a profusion of butterflies. The wet swamps of southeast Texas and the hot, arrid spaces of West Texas create a unique ecological diversity in which butterflies can thrive.

Three counties in the Lower Rio Grande Valley host about 300 butterfly species: Cameron, Hidalgo and Starr Counties.

And thanks to a long, mild growing season and the large assortment of native and adaptable plants that thrive in Texas, gardeners can easily provide food and shelter for a number of incredible butterflies.

We live in Texas, so we have a special interest in the butterflies around us!

List of Common Texas Butterflies ... and a Few Moths

We're working to spot many of these 400 species, but right now we have posted information and photos on these butterflies that we spot in our home gardens and on our road trips around Texas. Some are frequent visitors, while others are occasional visitors to parts of the state:

Acmon Blue
American Lady

American Snout
Anise Swallowtail
Arizona Sister
Blue Metalmark
Bordered Patch
Cabbage White
California Sister
Checkered White
Clouded Sulphur
Cloudless Sulphur
Common Buckeye
Common Mestra
Common Wood-nymph
Crimson Patch
Eastern Black Swallowtail
Eastern Comma
Eastern Tailed-blue
Falcate Orangetip
Funereal Duskywing
Giant Swallowtail
Goatweed Leafwing
Gray Hairstreak
Great Purple Hairstreak
Great Spangled Fritillary
Guava Skipper
Gulf Fritillary
Hackberry Emperor
Horace's Duskywing
Julia Heliconian
Juniper Hairstreak
Long-Tailed Skipper
Malachite
Mexican Bluewing
Monarch
Mormon Fritillary
Mourning Cloak
Orange Sulphur
Painted Lady
Palamedes Swallowtail
Pale Swallowtail
Pearl Crescent
Pipevine Swallowtail
Polydamas Swallowtail
Queen
Question Mark
Reakirt's Blue
Red Admiral
Red Banded Hairstreak
Red Satyr
Red Spotted Purple
Ruddy Daggerwing
Silver Emperor
Silver Spotted Skipper
Silvery Checkerspot
Skippers
Soldier
Southern Dogface
Spicebush Swallowtail
Tawny Emperor
Texan Crescent
Texas Powdered Skipper
Tiger Swallowtail
Tropical Buckeye
Two-tailed Swallowtail
Variable Checkerspot
Variegated Fritillary
Viceroy
Weidermeyer's Admiral
White Peacock
Zebra Hairstreak
Zebra Heliconian
Zebra Swallowtail
Zela Metalmark


Common Texas Moths

Black Witch Moth
Cecropia Moth
Hummingbird Moth
Io Moth
Little Pink Moth
Luna Moth
Painted Schinia Moth
Polyphemus Moth
Promethea Moth
Salt Marsh Moth
Spiny Oakworm Moth
Tersa Sphinx Moth
Cecropia Moth

Texas State Butterfly

The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) was adopted as the official state insect by the 74th Texas Legislature in 1995.

click to learn more about the Monarch Butterfly

The Monarch is the only species of butterfly that does not hibernate, but migrates in changing seasons.

Every fall and spring, millions of Monarch butterflies make their way between Canada and Mexico. They usually stop throughout Texas to take a break from this 3,000 mile trip.

The Founder of Monarch Watch, Dr. Chip Taylor, declared Texas the most important state in the country in the development of the Monarch butterfly population. Texas is often called “the funnel” of the Monarch migration because of its geographic position between Canada and Mexico.  Monarch butterflies must pass through Texas to make their migration. Many Monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains migrate to the Pacifc Ocean coast in winter.

Several other states have also adopted the Monarch as their official butterfly, including Alabama, Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, and West Virginia.

We try to do our part in helping the Monarchs by becoming a registered Monarch Watch Waystation. Read more about how to register your Monarch waystation

Popular Butterfly Books at our Amazon Store
Butterflies of Houston & Southeast Texas
Butterflies of Houston and Southeast Texas ... at Amazon
Butterfly Gardening for Texas
Butterfly Gardening for Texas ... at Amazon
Common Butterflies of Texas Fold-Out Guide
Common Butterflies of Texas Fold-Out Guide ... at Amazon
Texas Butterflies and Pollinators
Texas Butterflies and Pollinators ... at Amazon
Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies
of North America
Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America ... at Amazon
Peterson First Guide to Butterflies and Moths of North America
Peterson First Guide to Butterflies and Moths of North America ... at Amazon
Smithsonian Handbook
of Butterflies and Moths
Smithsonian Handbook of Butterflies and Moths ... at Amazon
Stoke's Butterfly Book: Complete Guide to Gardening, Identification and Behavior
Stoke's Butterfly Book: Complete Guide to Butterfly Gardening, Identification and Behavior ... at Amazon
The Life Cycles of Butterflies
The Life Cycles of Butterflies ... at Amazon
Stoke's Beginner's Guide to Butterflies
Stoke's Beginner's Guide to Butterflies ... at Amazon
About These Products

The Butterflies at Home website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Amazon offers a commission on products sold through their affiliate links. There is no additional cost to you.

 

Butterfly and Nature Centers in Texas

Cockerell Butterfly Center, at the Houston Museum of Natural Science

South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center in Corpus Christi

Wildseed Farms near Fredericksburg, Texas
Wildseed Farms near Fredericksburg, Texas (Staff Photo)

Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney, Texas - Includes the Native Texas Butterfly Garden & House.  The Butterfly house has all native butterflies, and is open from mid-May through September. The Butterfly Garden is open year-round. Visit the Museum's website for details.

Texas Discovery Gardens and the Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House in Dallas

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin

Wildseed Farms near Fredericksburg

Butterflies in the Brazos Butterfly Garden - College Station

Fredericksburg Nature Center and Pollinator Gardens

Dallas Arboretum

Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary, Rockport-Fulton, Texas

Riverside Nature Center in Kerrville


 

Fredericksburg, Texas Nature Center and Pollinator Gardens (Staff Photo)
Fredericksburg, Texas Nature Center and Pollinator Gardens

Welcome to Lady Bird's Pollinator Garden in Fredericksburg, Texas (Staff Photo)
Welcome to Lady Bird's Pollinator Garden in Fredericksburg, Texas

Butterfly Garden at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin (Staff Photo)
Butterfly Garden at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas

Butterfly Puddling Place sign at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austn (Staff Photo)
Butterfly Puddling Place sign at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin

 

Photographs of Butterflies in Texas: A Few of Our Favorites

Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly
Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly on Texas Milkweed


Female Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
Female Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on a pink Zinnia flower in East Texas

American Lady
American Lady butterfly seen in Texas


Black Swallowtail butterfly, on April 4, 2014, after overwintering in its chrysalis in East Texas

The third Black Swallowtail butterfly to emerge from its chrysalis, on April 4, 2014, after overwintering

 

 

Monarch Butterfly
Monarch Butterfly feeding on milkweed

Buckeye Butterfly on Hydrangea in early summer in Texas
Buckeye Butterfly on Hydrangea in the summertime in Texas

Giant Swallowtail Butterfly
Giant Swallowtail Butterfly on Texas Milkweed

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly on Zinnia in Tyler, Texas
Gulf Frittilary Butterfly (wings open) on Zinnia - Tyler Texas

Red-Spotted Purple Butterfly
Red-Spotted Purple Butterfly

Queen Butterfly
Queen Butterfly ... wings open, enjoying nectar from Texas Milkweed

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly in East Texas
Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly in East Texas - October 17, 2016


Zebra Heliconian at Mitchell Lake Audubon Center in San Antonio, Texas
Zebra Heliconian Butterfly in Texas


Checkered White Butterfly

Checkered White Butterfly

Long-Tailed Skipper
Long-Tailed Skipper


Red Admiral Butterfly (wings open)
Red Admiral Butterfly (wings open)


Variegated Fritillary Butterfly
Variegated Fritillary Butterfly

 

Silver Spotted Skipper on Zinnias
Silver Spotted Skipper on Zinnias in East Texas near Tyler

Reakirt's Blue, seen here near Comfort, Texas
(Photo by D. Boorman, May, 2024)
Reakirt's Blue, Comfort Texas, May, 2024


Additional Butterfly Resources in Texas

Butterfly Farms & Breeders in Texas

A large number of butterfly breeders are located nationwide, and some breeders are now in operation in Texas, including Vibrant Wings Butterflies in Humble.

For a complete listing, we recommend you visit the website of the International Butterfly Breeders Association (IBBA). Founded in 1998, IBBA is the largest and oldest professional butterfly farming trade association.

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