Butterflies are flying insects that are active by day, brightly colored, have a thin body, rests with wings held erect over their backs and which have antennae that are thin, but thickened at the tip.

BELOW ARE SOME OF THE BUTTERFLIES THAT CAN BE SEE AT LCNP DURING THE YEAR. CLICK ON EACH NAME TO LEARN MORE.

All butterflies are pollinators that have two pairs of wings covered with overlapping layers of fine scales.  A pollinator is anything that helps carry pollen from the male part of the flower to the female part of the same or another flower. The movement of pollen must occur for the plant to become fertilized and produce fruits, seeds, and young plants.  In Texas, pollinators are bats, bees, beetles, butterflies, flies, hummingbirds, moths and wasps.  Select this link to learn more about Texas pollinators from Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Most insects change during their lifetime, but few do so as dramatically as butterflies.  They have a complex life cycle consisting of four developmental stages:

• Eggs - They are laid singly or in clusters on vegetation or on the ground.

• Caterpillars - These worm-like creatures hatch from eggs and feed primarily on plants.  As they grow caterpillars shed their skin often.

• Pupae - These are cases within which resting caterpillars transform into adults.

• Adult - Butterflies emerge from pupae to feed and breed.

Roughly 318 butterfly species have been recorded in Harris County, 44 of which have been sighted at The Lorraine Cherry Nature Preserve.  Visit this link to find the butterflies most commonly submitted for identification in the state of  Texas.  

Monarch butterflies are one of the most colorful species of insects to visit Houston. However, the monarch may be confused with other, similar looking species. Visit this link to help you identify Monarch butterflies.

Buckeye

This medium-sized brush-footed butterfly is 2 - 2 1/2 inches wide. It is brown above with eyespots and white bar on forewing. The eyespots on forewings are larger than the spots on hindwing.  This butterfly prefers open sunny spaces.  Buckeyes can be seen at LCNP most of the year but is most abundant in the autumn months.

Nectar plants for the Buckeye include: acanthus, coneflower, foxglove, snapdragons, toadflax and many other plants.  Host plants for caterpillars include: paintbrush, plantain, toadflax and wild petunia.

Cloudless Sulphur

This large-sized sulphur butterfly is 2-1/2 to 3 inches wide. It is the most common and distinctive butterflies in Houston. The males are large unmarked lemon-yellow with females are either yellow or white color. They can be seen in Houston throughout the year and even on warm winter days.

Nectar plants for Cloudless Sulphur include: hibiscus, honeysuckle, lantana, petunia, Turk’s Cap, and zinnia.  In general, this butterfly can be seen collecting nectar on red flowers.  Host plants for caterpillars include: various native plants, partridge pea and wild senna.

Gray Hairstreak

1 to 1 1/2 inches in size, this small gossamer-winged butterfly is dark gray above with orange tail spot. It also has light gray below with orange and blue patches near tails. Can be seen from February through November in the Houston area.

Unlike most hairstreaks, they bask in the sunlight with their wings spread widely. Males will perch on the leaves of shrubs and trees in the afternoon, waiting for passing females.

Nectar plants for Gray Hairstreak include: various species of flowers, milkweed, mint and fruit trees. Host plants for caterpillars include: bluebonnet, lantana and Turk’s Cap.

Gulf Fritillary

This medium-sized longwing butterfly is 2 1/2 to 3 inches wide. It has elongated orange forewings with three black-rimmed white spots.  The undersides of the wings are brown with elongated silvery-white spots. This butterfly flight is fast and steady, with shallow wingbeats.  Can be seen throughout the year in Houston, even during sunny winter days.

Nectar plants for Gulf Fritillary include: butterfly bush, hibiscus, lantana, salvia and zinnia.  Host plants for caterpillars include various species of passion-vine.

Long-tailed Skipper

This medium-sized skipper butterfly is 1-1/2 to 2 inches long and is easily identified insect with long hindwing tails and iridescent green on body. This fast flying butterfly is often seen at the edge of woods taking nectar on a wide variety of flowers. Can be seen in Houston through most of the year but most often July through October.

Nectar plants for Long-tailed Skippers include: nectar from many plants, bougainvillea and lantana,  Host plant for caterpillars include: beans, blue peas, various viny legumes and wisteria.

Monarch

This large-sized milkweed butterfly is 3 1/2 to 4 inches wide, and is orange with black veins and white-spotted black borders. Note the rows of white spots on edges of wings. Males have bright burnt orange colored wings versus females which usually have a duller orange than her mate.

Annual migration route of this milkweed butterfly may cover thousands of miles. During these longs flights, individuals often wander far off course. Can be seen in LCNP March through December.

Nectar plants for Monarchs include: asters, echinacea, lantana, milkweed (several species), purple coneflower, sunflower and verbena.  Various milkweed species are the host for caterpillars.  The eggs are laid on the underside of plant leaves.

Pipevine Swallowtail

This large-sized swallowtail butterfly 2 3/4 to 4 inches wide with a forewing that is black on top and gray below. A single row of seven orange spots and small pale, cream dots are found at the edge of the wing embedded in the blue section. This makes the pipevine swallowtail easy to identify.  It can be seen at LCNP March through November.

Nectar plants for Pipevine Swallowtail include: azaleas, Dutchman’s pipevine, lantana, lilac, petunia, verbena and various pipevine.  Host plants for caterpillars include: Dutchman’s pipevine and various pipevine. 

Question Mark

This medium-sized nymphalidae butterfly is 2 1/4 to 3 inches wide and can be found throughout the state of Texas. The wings have a ragged edge appearance.  They can be seen February – December in TLCNP.

The forewings are hooked and have a red-orange color with black spots. This butterfly is seasonally dimorphic, thus two colorations of the hindwings. The “summer” hindwings which have mostly black with a pearly white edge.  The “winter” hindwings which have red-orange color with black spots and a pearly white edge. The undersides of wings mimic dead leaves when they are folded over the body. The undersides of of hindwings have a small pearl white “question mark”.

This butterfly with its bright orange color might make one mistake it for the many other orange butterflies, but it can disappear in a moment when it closes its wings in the trees. This is due to the brown camouflage coloration of underside wings. Its irregular wing shape makes it appear as one dead leaf among many.

Question Mark butterflies do not often collect nectar from flower plants. Instead this butterfly prefers tree sap and rotten fruit. But if tree sap and rotten fruit is not available they will visit aster, various milkweed and sweet pepperbush. Host plants for caterpillars include: American elm, red elm, hackberry and sugarberry.

Spicebush Swallowtail

This large-sized swallowtail butterfly is 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches wide. The male hindwing is washed with blue-green color band; the female with blue band only. The underside of hindwing has two rows of orange spots. Can be seen in Houston March through November.

Nectar plants for Spicebush Swallowtail include: azalea, honeysuckle, jewelweed, lantana, milkweed, mimosa and sweet pepperbush.  Host plants for cateripllars include: sassafras and spicebush plants, as well as, camphor trees.

Tawny Emperor

This medium-sized brush-footed butterfly is 2 to 2 1/2 inches wide. The female is larger than male. It has olive-brown or gray-brown color with dark pattern, white-ish spots on outer forewing, and row of eyespots on hindwing. Similar in appearance to the Hackberry Emperor and can be seen March through November.

Tawny Emperor butterflies do not often collect nectar from flower plants.  Instead this butterfly prefers tree sap and rotten fruit.  Host plants for caterpillars include: Hackberry tree and other trees of the elm family.

how to create a Butterfly Habitat

To attract the maximum number of butterfly species, both nectar plants (for adults) and host plants (for caterpillars) must be provided. Nectar plants for butterflies are often flat-topped flowers with clusters of small flowers. It should be noted that nectar plant and host plant may not be the same plant.  Because butterflies require both types of plants they have definite preferences in habitat.

The best nectar plants for butterflies are:  Coreopsis, Cosmos, Lantana, Mexican Flame Vine, Milkweed, Pentas, Phlox, Purple Coneflower, Rudbeckia, Salvias, Turk’s Cap, Verbena and Zinnia.

Please note that butterfly larvae usually prefer native species of the following host plants: Dill, Dutchman's Pipevine, Fennel, Passion Flower vine, Parsley, Rue, Senna, Shrimp plant, Green Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed, Tuberosa Milkweed and Zizotes Milkweed.

Ideal components of a butterfly garden are:

• Female butterflies are looking for the right spot to lay eggs. Having host plants available for them encourages them to remain in your garden year round.

• Different species of butterflies prefer different nectar plants. So have several nectar plants of different heights and bloom periods.

• Butterflies love shallow mud puddles. This will provide both water and salt.

• Butterfly larvae will begin eating the leaves of the host plants after the eggs hatch. Locate host plants in a non-prominent spots in your garden. Caterpillars will decimate the host plant but the plant will recover after a few weeks.

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