30 Butterflies in Minnesota: Common, Rare, and Protected Species to Know
October 18, 2026
Butterflies in Minnesota include one species that once had over half its historic range in the state and has had no confirmed sighting here since 2008 at the latest. They also include backyard regulars that most residents can name from a lawn chair. This article covers 30 of them, from big swallowtails to tiny spring azures.
The Minnesota DNR says around 160 butterfly species have occurred in the state naturally. All five of Minnesota’s butterfly families can turn up within a small area on a good day. The 30 species below mix common butterflies in Minnesota with prairie specialists that now depend on conservation programs.
The list follows the order of a typical field guide: swallowtails first, then the brush-footed butterflies, skippers, blues, and other small groups. If you want a wider view of the insect world first, see this overview of different types of insects or this explainer on how many types of butterflies exist worldwide.
Important Note: Species counts differ by source. The Minnesota Zoo handout lists roughly 146 species that regularly occur in Minnesota. Minnesota Seasons counts at least 155, including occasional strays. The gap comes down to whether stray visitors are included.
1. Black Swallowtail
The black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) is a large, dark butterfly with rows of yellow spots and a band of blue on the hindwings. One Dakota County Master Gardener guide calls it a common butterfly seen in Minnesota, one of several species with “tails” on the hindwings. Adults visit garden flowers all summer.
The caterpillars are the real draw for gardeners. They feed on plants in the carrot family, including parsley, dill, fennel, and native golden Alexanders, so a herb bed often hosts a few green-and-black striped larvae. Raising caterpillars at home is a popular hobby, and readers curious about other insects kept indoors can browse types of insects as pets.
2. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
The eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) is bright yellow with black “tiger” stripes and a wingspan that can reach more than four inches. It lives in Minnesota and most of the eastern United States, plus parts of northern Mexico and southern Canada. It is most common in the southern and eastern parts of the state.
Look for it at lilac, phlox, and milkweed in woodland edges and suburban yards. The caterpillars eat the leaves of trees such as wild cherry, ash, and basswood. Readers comparing regional insect lists can see how it fits with the types of insects in New York.
3. Canadian Tiger Swallowtail
The Canadian tiger swallowtail (Papilio canadensis) looks like a smaller, paler cousin of the eastern tiger swallowtail. It appears on the ButterflyIdentification.org list of Minnesota butterflies. Biologists now treat it as a separate species that fills the northern forests.
It flies earlier in the season than its eastern relative, usually from late spring into early summer, and favors birch, aspen, and willow woodlands. Visitors to the North Shore and the Boundary Waters region have the best odds of seeing one at a damp trail edge or a patch of wildflowers. The species also ranges across much of Canada, as covered in the types of insects in Canada.
4. Monarch
The monarch (Danaus plexippus) is the best-known Minnesota monarch butterfly and the state’s official butterfly. Minnesota adopted it as the state butterfly in 2000. It has bright orange wings with black veins and white spots, and the DNR lists its size at 3 to 4.5 inches.
According to the Minnesota DNR, monarchs live throughout the state in fields and parks where milkweed and native plants are common. They migrate south to Mexico each fall, and the generation that returns north in spring is several generations removed from the one that left. If orange is your favorite color in the Minnesota outdoors, you may also like this guide to orange birds in Minnesota.
Pro Tip: Plant native milkweed, such as common or swamp milkweed, in a sunny spot, and add late-summer nectar flowers like blazing star and asters. Monarchs need milkweed for caterpillars and nectar for the fall flight south.
5. Painted Lady
The painted lady (Vanessa cardui) is one of the most widely distributed butterflies on Earth. It is pinkish-orange, with dark brown to black markings near the wingtips and white spots inside the black areas. It looks a bit like a faded monarch with a more mottled pattern.
Bird Watching HQ suggests looking for it in quiet, undisturbed open areas like roadsides, pastures, and gardens. The species migrates south to Mexico over winter and returns in spring, and its numbers can swing sharply from year to year. Some summers bring a flood of them, and others bring almost none. Its southern winter range overlaps with the types of insects in Texas.
6. Red Admiral
The red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is a dark butterfly with a bold orange-red band across each wing and white spots near the tips. Its wingspan runs from 1.75 to 2.5 inches. The underside of the hindwing resembles bark, which helps it hide when it lands on a tree.
The Bird Watching HQ guide calls it the most widespread butterfly in Minnesota. It is calm, easy to approach, and often lands on people. The caterpillars feed on nettles, so look for them along shady, damp edges.
7. Mourning Cloak
The mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) is a large, dark butterfly that often shows up on the first warm days of spring. It spans 3 to 4 inches and is black with an iridescent sheen, a yellow border, and a row of purple spots along the outer edge. The ragged edge of the yellow border is a good field mark.
It is one of the longest-lived butterflies in the Americas, living 10 to 11 months and hibernating through winter in northern states like Minnesota. The Minnesota Zoo lists it among the common backyard butterflies. Adults prefer tree sap and rotting fruit over flower nectar.
8. Compton Tortoiseshell
The Compton tortoiseshell (Nymphalis l-album) is a large, angular butterfly with rusty-orange wings and jagged edges. It is included in the butterflyidentification.com list for Minnesota. A small white mark on the underside of the hindwing gives the species its other name, the false comma.
It is a woodland butterfly of the northern half of the state, where birch, willow, and aspen grow. Like the mourning cloak, it overwinters as an adult and can appear on sunny days in early spring. It often rests on tree trunks or sunlit trails with its wings folded, which makes the bark-like underside hard to spot.
9. Milbert’s Tortoiseshell
Milbert’s tortoiseshell (Aglais milberti) is a smaller, boldly marked relative. Its dark wings carry a bright orange band, and the outer edge has a thin row of blue spots. It appears on the ButterflyIdentification.org Minnesota list.
The caterpillars feed on stinging nettle, so wet meadows, stream corridors, and the edges of wooded wetlands are good places to look. Adults overwinter and appear early, then give way to a summer generation. Flowers such as asters and goldenrod draw them in late summer.
10. Question Mark
The question mark (Polygonia interrogationis) gets its name from a small silver mark on the underside of the hindwing. The mark looks like a curved line with a dot beneath it, much like the punctuation. It is on the ButterflyIdentification.org list for Minnesota.
The wings are orange with black spots and ragged edges, and the folded underside looks like a dead leaf. Adults rarely visit flowers. They prefer sap, rotting fruit, and animal droppings. Readers tracking similar Midwestern species can compare notes with the types of insects in Ohio.
11. Eastern Comma
The eastern comma (Polygonia comma) looks a lot like the question mark but is smaller. The silver mark on the underside of the hindwing is a tiny comma without the dot. It is included on the ButterflyIdentification.org Minnesota list.
It lives along forest edges, trails, and wooded streams, where its caterpillars feed on nettle, elm, and hops. Summer-generation adults are darker than those that overwinter. Both forms rest with their wings closed and blend into a dead-leaf pile.
12. Viceroy
The viceroy (Limenitis archippus) is an orange-and-black butterfly that is often mistaken for a monarch. It spans 2.5 to 3.25 inches and is deep orange with black edges and veins and white spots on the black border. The caterpillar is a mix of green, brown, and cream.
The Dakota County Master Gardeners group monarchs and viceroys together as sun-loving butterflies of fields, pastures, parks, and roadsides. In Minnesota, viceroys are often found near willows and wet meadows, where their larvae feed.
Common Mistake: Many people call every orange-and-black butterfly a monarch. A viceroy has a thin black line across its hindwing and is noticeably smaller, so check that line before logging a sighting.
13. Red-Spotted Purple
The red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax) is a blue-black butterfly with an iridescent blue sheen on the hindwings. Red-orange spots appear on the underside. It is considered more of a forest butterfly because it likes tree sap, but it also visits gardens with nectar flowers.
It can breed with the white admiral and produce viable young. That overlap explains why northern Minnesota sometimes has intermediate forms between the two. For more blue and violet species beyond the state line, see this list of types of purple butterflies.
14. Common Buckeye
The common buckeye (Junonia coenia) is easy to recognize even from a distance. It is mostly brown with orange bars and several eyespots, and it is named for the black eyespots on the upper wings. The eyespots may startle predators into striking the wing instead of the body.
This is a southern butterfly that moves north each year and reaches Minnesota as a seasonal visitor rather than a permanent resident. Look for it on bare ground, dirt trails, and sunny roadsides, where it often perches to bask. Its numbers vary from summer to summer.
15. Great Spangled Fritillary
The great spangled fritillary (Speyeria cybele) is a large orange butterfly with black spots on top and silver “spangles” on the underside of the hindwings. It prefers open, sunny areas like pastures and meadows. It is not uncommon to see hundreds of them in large milkweed or violet fields.
This species does not migrate. Its caterpillars hibernate over winter and emerge in spring, when new growth appears on their violet host plants. In July, look for adults feeding on purple coneflower, bergamot, and milkweed.
16. Aphrodite Fritillary
The Aphrodite fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite) closely resembles the great spangled fritillary. The butterflyidentification.com list for Minnesota includes it. It is slightly smaller, a bit more brownish-orange above, and has a narrower band along the hindwing underside.
It is a butterfly of meadows, prairie edges, and woodland openings, and it uses violets as larval host plants. Telling the two apart in the field is hard, so most observers rely on close photographs of the underside. If both species are on the same milkweed patch, look at the color between the silver spots.
17. Regal Fritillary
The regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) is a prairie specialist with orange forewings and nearly black hindwings dotted with large white spots. Once found across most of the US, its population has been steadily declining. Its range now includes the Midwest, including Minnesota.
The Minnesota Zoo handout lists the regal fritillary as Threatened in Minnesota. Large, unplowed tallgrass prairie with plenty of violets for caterpillars and flowers like purple coneflower for adults is the only habitat that works for it. Mowing and burning schedules at prairie preserves can decide its survival.
18. Common Wood-Nymph
The common wood-nymph (Cercyonis pegala) is a brown butterfly with two large, yellow-ringed eyespots on each forewing. It appears on the ButterflyIdentification.org list for Minnesota. It flies in a bobbing, erratic way that makes it hard to follow.
Adults like grassy meadows, woodland edges, and open fields in July and August. The caterpillars feed on grasses. Unlike many other butterflies, wood-nymphs often prefer tree sap, flower nectar from milkweed and thistles, and shady spots over open sun.
19. Dakota Skipper
The Dakota skipper (Hesperia dacotae) is a small, tawny skipper of the tallgrass prairie. The Minnesota Zoo calls it a vanishing butterfly that has disappeared from more than 75% of its former range. In Minnesota, only a single small site remains where it can be found, according to the Minnesota Zoo.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Dakota skipper as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Star Tribune reports that it has been reestablished at Glacial Lakes State Park with conservation help from the Minnesota Zoo. Adult wingspan is only about an inch, so spotting one takes patience.
20. Poweshiek Skipperling
The Poweshiek skipperling (Oarisma poweshiek) is the most poignant butterfly on this list. It is a small orange and brown butterfly that was once abundant in Minnesota’s tallgrass prairie, and it has seen a population collapse in the last two decades. It has disappeared from about 96% of its historic populations and may now be extinct in Minnesota.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it is thought to be extirpated from North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. According to the Minnesota Zoo, it likely does not travel more than a few hundred meters in a lifetime. That limited movement makes recolonizing a prairie nearly impossible without human help.
Key Insight: The Poweshiek skipperling and the monarch are both prairie-linked butterflies. One flies thousands of miles. The other stays within a few hundred meters of where it hatched, which is why habitat loss hit it so hard.
21. Karner Blue
The Karner blue (Lycaeides samuelis) is a small, silvery-blue butterfly tied to sandy oak savanna and pine barrens where wild lupine grows. The Grand Forks Herald reports that it is listed as Endangered in Minnesota and wherever else it is found. Without lupine, the caterpillars have nothing to eat.
It is one of several rare species that share status with other threatened wildlife; the broader list appears in this guide to endangered animals in Minnesota. The table below compares three protected butterflies as listed in the Minnesota Zoo’s 2014 handout and federal listing announcements.
| Butterfly | Minnesota Status | Federal Status |
|---|---|---|
| Dakota Skipper | Endangered | Threatened |
| Poweshiek Skipperling | Endangered | Endangered |
| Karner Blue | Endangered | Endangered |
22. Eastern Tailed-Blue
The eastern tailed-blue (Cupido comyntas) is a tiny butterfly that sits on clover and lawn flowers with its wings closed. It has a hair-like appendage at the bottom of the wings, similar to the hairstreaks. Males are blue above, while females are grayer.
The Minnesota Zoo lists it as a common backyard butterfly. Clovers, trefoils, and vetches are all butterfly magnets, according to a DNR essay, even though they are invasive. Those same low-growing plants are the larval hosts for this species.
23. Common Sootywing
The common sootywing (Pholisora catullus) is a small, dark skipper with tiny white spots on the forewings. It looks black at a glance and is easy to overlook. Skippers have large eyes and a speedy skipping flight pattern that inspired their name.
Look for it in weedy fields, road edges, and gardens, where its caterpillars feed on lamb’s quarters and amaranth. Skippers visit many native flowers such as blazing star, asters, beebalm, purple coneflower, and blue vervain. Early August is a good time to scan these plants for a quick, dark visitor.
24. Clouded Sulphur
The clouded sulphur (Colias philodice) is a common yellow butterfly with black borders on the upper wings. Butterflies with yellow and white wings fly in residential areas, gardens, and fields around the state. Some females are white instead of yellow.
It is among the most visible roadside butterflies in summer. The caterpillars feed on clover and alfalfa, which keeps the species common in farmland. Males gather at damp soil to sip minerals, often in groups.
25. Cabbage White
The cabbage white (Pieris rapae) is a small white butterfly with one or two gray spots on each forewing. The Minnesota Zoo lists it among the common backyard butterflies. It is not native to North America, having arrived from Europe in the 1800s.
The caterpillars are velvety green and feed on cabbage, broccoli, kale, and other mustard-family plants. Vegetable gardeners often treat it as a pest, while others enjoy it as an early-season butterfly. Readers interested in other introduced insects can read about invasive insects in Minnesota.
26. Gray Hairstreak
The gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus) is a small gray butterfly with a bright orange spot near its hindwing tails. It is the most common of all native hairstreak butterflies, partly because of its flexible diet. It looks a bit like the eastern tailed-blue but is larger and has a slightly different underwing pattern.
Adults often rub their hindwings together while perched, which makes the tails look like antennae and may draw predators to the wrong end. Look for it in fields, gardens, and roadsides on clover, milkweed, and mint-family flowers.
27. Common Copper
The common copper (Lycaena phlaeas), also called the American copper, is a small, fiery orange butterfly with dark spots. The American copper appears on the ButterflyIdentification.org list of Minnesota butterflies. Its forewings glow like a new penny in sunlight.
It prefers open, disturbed ground, such as pastures, dry fields, and gravel edges. The caterpillars feed on sheep sorrel and curly dock. Males are fiercely territorial and will chase larger butterflies away from a favorite perch.
28. Pearl Crescent
The pearl crescent (Phyciodes tharos) is a small orange butterfly with black borders and a pale crescent on the hindwing underside. The ButterflyIdentification.org database lists it for Minnesota. Its quick, low flight keeps it near the ground.
It is one of the most common butterflies in southern Minnesota meadows, roadsides, and lawns. Asters serve as the larval host plant. Adults take nectar from many small flowers, including dogbane and fleabane.
29. Northern Crescent
The northern crescent (Phyciodes cocyta) looks almost identical to the pearl crescent. It is also on the ButterflyIdentification.org Minnesota list. The underside of the hindwing is the best clue, as the northern crescent has a more mottled, darker patch.
As its name suggests, it is more common in the northern half of the state, in moist meadows and woodland openings. Asters feed its caterpillars as well. In areas where the two crescents overlap, many observers record them as a pair without trying to separate them.
30. Spring Azure
The spring azure (Celastrina ladon) is a pale, silvery-blue butterfly that appears with the first warm weather. Spring azures are widely distributed in Minnesota, the Midwest, and the East Coast, and live in fields, woodlands, gardens, and bushy areas. Males gather at damp soil and mud.
Its short flight window in April and May makes it a good ending to this list, since it is among the first butterflies of the year. For anyone planning the best places to see butterflies in Minnesota, the pattern is consistent: prairie regions, lowlands near the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers, and northern national forests are the strongest areas.
For another group of local insects, see the types of beetles in Minnesota.
- Pick a sunny, open site with native flowers, such as a prairie remnant, pollinator garden, or roadside meadow.
- Visit on a warm, calm day between mid-morning and mid-afternoon, when butterflies are most active.
- Bring a notebook or camera and record the colors of both the upper and lower wings.
- Stay on trails at protected prairies and never collect or handle rare species.