Butterflies of Fermilab (northeastern Illinois)
A list of the butterflies observed on the 6800 acre Fermilab site, 40 miles west of Chicago, Illinois
Includes photographs of most of the species
Species list1 (55 species) 

(footnotes and links to more info may be found below this table)

Click on the species name for photos2

average
peak
count3
typical
peak
month
or date3
comments, locations
(map)
Ecological
significance
rank (1-10)
Remnant 
dependent (R)
or remnant 
associated (r)
(explanation)
Breeding and 
over-wintering
on site (BW), 
breeding but not 
over-wintering (B), 
stray only (S)
Average 
number of 
northern Illinois 
monitoring 
network sites 
reporting this 
species for 
1997, 1998, and 1999
Swallowtails 
(family Papilionidae)
           
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) (1) June 1999 an unusual stray! 6, r S 3
Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) 5 Aug   5 BW 26
Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) 2 Aug ELM-24 woods 8 BW 3
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) 2 Aug   6 BW 26
             
Whites and Sulphurs
(family Pieridae) 
           
Checkered White (Pontia protodice) 1 Sep 5 southern species 5, r S 0
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) 30+ June-Aug   1 BW 32
Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) 20+ July-Oct   5 BW 31
Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme) Data combined  with Clouded   Sulphur BW  
Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae) 1 June  southern species   S  
Little Yellow (Eurema lisa) 1 June-Aug southern species 4 ? 4
Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole) 1 Aug-Sep southern species 4 S 0
             
Gossamer-wing Butterflies
(family Lycaenidae) 
           
Bronze Copper (Lycaena hyllus) 3 Aug  pond edges  5, R BW 8
Purplish Copper (Lycaena helloides) 5 Sep 7 wet fields 5, R BW 2
Coral Hairstreak (Satyrium titus) 5 July 1 ELM-20 9, r BW 7
Acadian Hairstreak (Satyrium acadica) 1 July 1 Main Ring 9, r BW 4
Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus) 3 July 1 ELM-24 woods edge 7, r BW 8
Oak Hairstreak (Satyrium favonius)
1 July 11 ELM-24 woods edge  
 
0
Eastern Tailed-Blue (Everes comyntas) 15 Aug 17   5 BW 24
Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon) 3 Aug 10   7 BW 27
             
Brushfooted Butterflies
(family Nymphalidae)
           
American Snout (Libytheana carinenta) 1 July-Sep   4 B 7
Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) (2) Aug 2001 ELM-20 4 S 1
Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele) 7 June 27 Interpretive trail/woods 5, r BW 25
Meadow Fritillary (Boloria bellona) 10 June 24
July 31
Sep 6
old fields with violets 9, R BW 1
Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) 13 July-Aug   5 BW 29
Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) 4 May-Sep   6 BW 11
Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma) 3 April, 
July-Oct
ELM-24 woods 6 BW 11
Gray Comma (Polygonia progne) 2 July-Aug ELM-24 woods 6, r BW 3
Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) 2 Apr-Sep   6 BW 18
American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) 3 May-June   5 B 16
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) 4 Aug-Sep   4 B 6
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) 7 May-Sep   6 B 19
Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) 5 July-Sep   4 B 13
Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) 3 Aug 1   6 BW 16
Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) 10 June-Aug Willows at pond edges 6, r BW 18
Satyrs (subfamily Satyrinae)             
Northern Pearly-eye (Enodia anthedon) 5 July ELM-24 woods 7, r BW 11
Eyed Brown (Satyrodes eurydice) 2 July 6 ELM-1, ELM-20 10, R BW 11
Little Wood-Satyr (Megisto cymela) 1 June  ELM-24 woods 7 BW 17
Common Wood-Nymph (Cercyonis pegala) 15 July  prairies and fields 9, r BW 20
Milkweed butterflies 
(subfamily Danainae)
           
Monarch (Danaus plexippus) 10+ Sep   4 B 31
           
Skippers (family Hesperiidae)            
Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) 4 June-Aug ELM-24 woods   BW 23
Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae) 5 Sep  widespread on site   BW 5
Common Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus communis) (1) July 2000     S 1
Common Sootywing (Pholisora catullus) (1) Aug 2001     ? 4
Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor) 12 June, Aug   r BW 13
European Skipper (Thymelicus lineola) 12 June 25     BW 16
Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus) 4 Aug-Sep     B 7
Peck's Skipper (Polites peckius) 4 June 10 interpretive trail   BW 15
Tawny-edged Skipper (Polites themistocles) 2 June 4     BW 12
Northern Broken-Dash (Wallengrenia egeremet) 4 July 14 ELM-24 woods edge   BW 4
Little Glassywing (Pompeius verna) (1) June 2001 ELM-1   ? 2
Sachem (Atalopedes campestris) (1) Sep 2000     S 1
Delaware Skipper (Anatrytone delaware) 2 July  ELM-1,ELM-20 r BW 11
Dion Skipper (Euphyes dion) 16 July 10 Indian Creek (ELM-27) R BW 5
Black Dash (Euphyes conspicua) 2 July 8 sedges near ELM-3 R BW 6
Dun Skipper (Euphyes vestris) 3 July 13     BW 7

Footnotes and more information: Some links to other Fermilab web sites: Some links to other lepidoptera web sites: For more information contact Tom Peterson (tommy@fnal.gov), 630 840 4458.
Last update:  July 16, 2008
 
 

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