29 Types of Butterflies in Texas You Didn’t Know Existed

But did you know over 29 types of butterflies are found in Texas alone? Did you know some types of butterflies can be dangerous?

This title will go through all the different types of butterflies in Texas.

1. Red Admiral

The red admiral is a large butterfly with dark wings. These types of butterflies in Texas are commonly seen from March to November and are found in meadows, hedgerows, gardens, parks, and woodlands.

The red admiral is often mistaken for the American Lady because they both have orange spots on their forewings. 

However, the American Lady has a smaller body size and duller coloration than the red admiral. In contrast, the Red Admiral has two white lines intersecting each wing, making it easy to identify them from other types of butterflies.

2. Painted Lady

The Painted Lady is one of the most common types of butterflies in Texas that people are most likely to see because it’s active during the day, making it a little easier to spot.

It has a wingspan that measures about 3 inches and is brown with orange or yellow dots on its hindwings. When adults are resting, they fold their wings back to camouflage themselves with tree bark or leaves, protecting them from predators.

To avoid predation, adults will also lay eggs on leaves where larvae feed and grow before pupating and hatching as an adult.

In addition, these types of butterflies in Texas usually lay their eggs near each other to be protected as a group when they hatch out at once.

3. Monarch

The monarch butterfly is one of the most recognizable types of butterflies in Texas. It is also known as the milkweed butterfly because it feeds on milkweed plants, which are toxic to other types of animals.

This makes them especially susceptible to herbicides, which can easily wipe out a whole population. 

The monarch has been declining rapidly. These types of butterflies in Texas are now considered threatened or endangered because the milkweed habitat has been significantly reduced by development and agricultural practices.

4. American Lady

The American Lady is a small butterfly found all over the state. The adults, as well as the caterpillars, feed on many different types of plants and flowers. They are usually found near gardens and fields, where they fly slowly to catch nectar from flowers. 

These butterflies in Texas are also known for laying their eggs on milkweed plants and then flying off to find more nectar.

The eggs hatch and turn into caterpillars before eventually turning into adults that resemble those pictured above.

5. Viceroy

Rulers are primarily found in Texas, but these types of butterflies can also be found in New Mexico, Arizona, and parts of California.

They are medium-sized butterflies with orange bodies and black wings. This species is often mistaken for the Monarch butterfly. 

However, Viceroys have a white spot on their hindwings. Also, while Monarchs don’t drink nectar like other butterflies, Viceroys will sip from flowers for nourishment.

The only difference between Monarchs and Viceroys is that Monarchs fly east to west, whereas Viceroys fly north to south.

6. Hackberry Emperor

The Hackberry Emperor is a type of butterfly that lives on hackberry bushes. These types of butterflies in Texas are blue and green, with black spots on their wings and yellow antennae with black tips. They live along the Gulf Coast region but can also be found as far north as Illinois. 

The Hackberry Emperor is a day-flying species that hibernates during the winter. It was named after William Henry Hacking, who was a naturalist. 

One of many reasons why tourists flock to Texas every year is to see its wild animals, including birds and mammals. But there are also a lot of beautiful insects that call Texas home, including many species of butterflies.

7. Red-Spotted Purple

The Red-spotted Purple butterfly is a dark, purplish-brown color with an iridescent blue and violet sheen. The undersides are pale brown to grayish-white. These types of butterflies in Texas have a row of red spots on the outside edge of each wing. 

The Red-spotted Purple is sometimes confused with the Blue Morpho butterfly because they both have blue markings.

But the most distinctive feature that separates these two species is that the Red-spotted Purple has a row of bright red spots along the outer edge of each wing, and the Blue Morpho does not.

8. Mourning Cloak

Mourning cloaks are dark brown to black butterflies with white spots on their wings. Adults have a wingspan of about three inches. They live worldwide but are most common in Texas, Hawaii, and Costa Rica. 

These types of butterflies in Texas feed mainly on nectar from flowers and honeydew from aphids, sometimes visiting rotting fruit. Mourning cloaks fly high above trees and other vegetation to be seen easily. 

The mourning cloak is one of the most difficult butterflies to photograph because it spends most of its time flying high up into the air, which is hard to see. So, it takes a lot of patience and luck to snap a shot at just the right time!

9. Pearl Crescent

Pearl crescents are butterflies that are native to Texas. These types of butterflies in Texas are typically found in the Eastern U.S. during spring and summer. They have brown, black, and white stripes and a 1-2 inch wing span on their wings. 

Male pearl crescents are primarily brown with white lines and dots on their wings; females have brown wings with either light or dark spots.

Pearl crescents lay eggs singly on leaves or stems of host plants like clover, dandelion, milkweed, dogbane, goldenrod, and more. When they first hatch from their eggs, their caterpillars can be green or yellowish with black spines.

10. Question Mark 

The Question Mark butterfly is one of the most common species in Texas. However, they are minimal and can only be found during the summer. These types of butterflies in Texas are primarily brown, with white spots on the wings.

The females have a lot more white on their wings than the males, so they may be the main gear. The female question mark butterfly also has a longer body than the m, ale does, and she usually has thicker antennae, too. 

The only place these butterflies in Texas can be found is near habitats with flowers and meadows because they need lots of nectar for food and places to lay their eggs.

So, even though this is one of the most common species, it’s still special because it’s more challenging to find than some other types are.

11. Little Wood Satyr

The Little Wood Satyr (also known as the Dotted Wood Satyr) is a small butterfly found throughout North America.

These types of butterflies in Texas have dark wings with a series of white dots. Their antennae are long and thin, and their legs are tiny. 

The Little Wood Satyr ranges from 3-5 cm long and thrives best in wooded areas.

These butterflies in Texas fly close to the ground, making them excellent pollinators for flowers. It can be found across much of North America in early spring to mid-summer.

12. Common Wood-Nymph

The Common Wood-Nymph is a beautiful butterfly first discovered and named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli.

These types of butterflies in Texas are often confused for the Black Swallowtail because it is black with blue markings. 

But the best way to tell the two apart is by looking at their antennae – the Black Swallowtail has orange antennae while the Common Wood-Nymph has red antennae.

This butterfly is found throughout North America but prefers warmer climates, so it can be seen most often during the summer.

13. Variegated Fritillary

The Variegated Fritillary has a two to three-inch wingspan and is the smallest butterfly on this list. The males are black with white spots, and the females are brown with orange markings.

In addition, the males have an orange patch on the underside of their hindwings that is shaped like a heart. 

The females also have an orange patch shaped like a V. Male Variegated Fritillaries can be seen flying low over flowers, looking for females. Both sexes can be found from March through November.

These types of butterflies in texas feed on nectar from flowers such as milkweed, lantana, and verbena.

14. Eastern Comma

The Eastern Comma is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of 1.5 inches. The top side of the wings is black, while the bottom has orange and yellow spots.

These butterflies in Texas spend most of their time on the ground, but they will also perch on leaves, tree bark, and grasses. 

These types of butterflies in Texas feed on nectar from flowers and can be found as far north as Canada during the summer. 

The Eastern Comma has a variety of nicknames, including Comma Butterfly, Lunatic Butterfly, and Vestal. The reason for this is that adults have a dark comma-shaped mark on their lower wings when they are at rest.

15. Common Buckeye

The Common Buckeye is a small butterfly that flies from April to October. It can be found throughout much of Texas and most of the United States. They are found in urban and agricultural areas but not usually in deserts or grasslands. 

The males have black wings with red stripes, while females have yellow wings with dark brown markings. The Common Buckeye is one of 29 types of butterflies in Texas that you might not know about!

16. Coral Hairstreak

The Coral Hairstreak (Copaeodes aurantia) is a small butterfly known to live from New York to Florida and as far west as Texas. Like most other hairstreaks, the larvae feed on oak leaves.

These types of butterflies in Texas lay eggs singly on the undersides of leaves or sometimes cluster them atop the leaf. 

The eggs take about two weeks to hatch, then another six weeks for the larva to grow before pupating for about ten days. Once the wings are dry, the butterfly emerges and flies off.

Adults tend to be active during daylight hours, which is common among many smaller species of butterflies.

17. Gray Hairstreak

The Gray Hairstreak is a relatively small butterfly with a wingspan measuring about 3 inches. The females have white and gray wings, while the males are brown with black speckles.

They are most commonly found in Texas but can be found as far north as Canada and south as Mexico. 

While these butterflies in Texas prefer deciduous forests and semi-open areas for their habitat, they can also be found near streamsides or other moist areas. 

The Gray Hairstreak’s diet consists mainly of fruits from plants like dogwood trees or fungi from oak trees that grow around these moist areas.

In addition, these butterflies in Texas occasionally eat small insects like ants or spiders to supplement their diet.

18. Eastern Tailed-Blue

The Eastern Tailed-Blue is a small blue butterfly. These butterflies in Texas have a wingspan that reaches around 2 inches and live for about two months. The Eastern Tailed-Blue can be found throughout the United States but is more common in the South. 

These butterflies in Texas are most commonly found in moist areas with lots of sun, such as marshes and wet meadows. Their long tails may brush against the flower’s petals or leaves when they land on flowers to feed.

The Eastern Tailed-Blue gets its name from the distinctive tail on its hindwings, making it look like it has a long tail coming from its body.

19. American Snout

The American Snout is a reasonably large butterfly with a 2-3 inches wingspan. It’s also one of the more common species in Texas. It can be found from Canada to Mexico and as far west as Oklahoma and eastern Texas. 

The American Snout is found primarily in open habitats such as meadows, fields, prairies, parks, and gardens.

These butterflies in Texas are most active during the day but can occasionally be seen flying at dusk or dawn.

20. Azure

The Azure is a beautiful butterfly with long, narrow, blue wingslue with a white border. These types of butterflies in Texas have dark spots on the upper half of their wings and white spots on the lower half. The hindwings are blue with three to four black rings.

Their antennae are black and extend beyond the body when at rest. These butterflies can be found from March to October throughout Texas, primarily in agricultural areas.

The Azure was first discovered in 1837 by Augustus Radcliffe Grote, who named it for its coloration, reminding him of distant summer skies.

21. Banded Hairstreak

The Banded Hairstreak is a butterfly native to the eastern half of North America. It is medium-sized, about 1 inch long and 0.5 inches wide.

Males have dark brown or black wings with white bands on the outer edges. Females are grayish-brown with dark spots on their wings and lack the white bands found in males.

These butterflies in Texas feed primarily on nectar from flowers but also eat tree sap and aphid honeydew. This species can be found in open woodland habitats, such as oak savannas, prairies, and old fields.

22. Black Swallowtail

The black swallowtail is an iconic butterfly seen all over the world. The black swallowtail has a wingspan between 2 to 4 inches and a body size between 1 and 2 inches. This butterfly has blue-green eyespots on its hindwings, surrounded by yellow-orange bands. 

Males also have a row of orange spots along the outer edge of their forewings, while females lack this pattern.

These types of butterflies in Texas can fly around flowers, shrubs, tree bark, and mud puddles for nectar and water during summer.

23. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is a large butterfly found throughout the eastern United States. These butterflies in Texas are primarily orange with black markings and have two tails on their hind wings. Adults live for about a month, during which they eat continuously.

These types of butterflies in Texas lay eggs at the end of their lives, burying them in clusters on host plants like milkweed or peppermint. 

Caterpillars hatch from these eggs and start eating immediately; these types of butterflies in Texas will eat up to eight times their body weight per day before molting into a chrysalis and then emerging as adults. 

This species is listed as endangered by the IUCN because it has a range decreasing range. In addition, its population trend is decreasing globally.

24. Spicebush Swallowtail

The Spicebush Swallowtail is a butterfly found in eastern North America, mainly the southern and eastern United States. It is a black and white butterfly with yellow patches on its wings. 

The Spicebush Swallowtail spends most of its time flying low to the ground and typically feeds on flowers, especially those that are white. Spicebush Swallowtails are not picky eaters; these types of butterflies in Texas will also feed on rotting fruit or animal droppings.

25. Cabbage White

The Cabbage White is a common butterfly throughout the United States, including Texas. Adults are white with small black spots on the wings and have a wingspan of 3-3.5 inches. Their caterpillars feed on various plants, including plantain, cress, and dandelion leaves. 

The Cabbage White is an early spring butterfly that lays its eggs singly on leaf buds or newly formed leaves.

Young caterpillars eat only one leaf before moving to a new leaf, whereas older caterpillars may eat several leaves at once to find more food for themselves.

26. Orange Sulphur

Orange Sulphur is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of 2.5 inches. There are several ways to identify Orange Sulphur: orange upper wings with black markings, black undersides, and cream-colored eyespots on the hind wingtips.

Orange Sulphur is found in various habitats, including open fields, meadows, marshes, hillsides, grassy areas near rivers or streams, and low coastal forests. 

These types of butterflies in Texas females lay eggs singly on leaves from late spring to early summer, which hatch into tiny caterpillars that eat the leaves for 3-4 weeks before pupating on the ground, where they will stay for about ten days before emerging as adults.

27. Clouded Sulphur

The Clouded Sulphur is a common butterfly in many regions, including Texas. These types of butterflies in Texas are typically found around wetlands and meadows, a habitat they like very much.

The Clouded Sulphur is one of the first butterflies to emerge in the spring, typically starting as early as early as possible. 

One way to tell if threaded Sulphurs are nearby is by finding clusters of their eggs on tree bark or leaves. It’s important not to disturb these clusters because this will make them take flight, making it more difficult for them to lay eggs.

While they enjoy warmer climates, the Clouded Sulphur prefers cooler temperatures than most butterflies.

28. Cloudless Sulphur

The Cloudless Sulphur is a commonly seen butterfly. These types of butterflies in Texas have an orange body with black markings on the wings.

The Cloudless Sulphur’s flight pattern is erratic, but it can often be found near flowers. Unfortunately, Cloudless Sulphur also feeds on tree sap and rotting fruit.

29. Little Sulphur

The Little Sulphur, or Colias isabella, is found primarily in the Great Plains area of the United States. The males and females look very similar, with greenish-yellow bodies and yellow wings.

Therefore, these butterflies in Texas are often mistaken for other species, such as the Orange Tip, Clouded Sulphur, or the Common Checkered-Skipper. This species can be found from April through September.