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State Insects and Butterflies
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Find information on the official State Insects and Butterflies of each of the
states that have adopted one.
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US Official State Butterflies
Official State Butterflies (Insect Order Lepidoptera).
Butterflies belong to the insect order Lepidoptera. The word "Lepidoptera" is derived from
a Greek word meaning "scale wing." The butterfly wing scales create the wonderful colors and patterns observed in
butterfly wings. There are 165,000 species of Lepidoptera worldwide, but of those, only about 24,000 are
butterflies! Butterflies range in size from a tiny 1/8 inch to a huge almost 12 inches. Most adult butterflies only
live one or two weeks. Adult butterflies use flower nectar as a food source. To obtain nectar, a butterfly's mouth
(proboscis) is a long tube it keeps rolled up until ready for use, and is then used as a straw. Butterflies can see
red, green, and yellow.
Find images, descriptions, taxonomic hierarchy, and a history of the state
butterflies representing the state insect or butterfly symbols for each of the 50 states. Lists their basic
characteristics, including adoption date, picture, state code, description, characteristics, range and
habitat, habits, life cycle, status, and taxonomic hierarchy.
Official State Butterflies of the 50 States
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Monarch Butterfly
(Insect) |
1995 |
Danaus plexippus |
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Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
(Mascot and Butterfly) |
May 2,
1989 |
Papilio glaucus |
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Two-tailed Swallowtail
(Butterfly) |
May 9,
2001 |
Papilio multicaudata |
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California Dogface Butterfly
(Butterfly) |
1972 |
Zerene eurydice |
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Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly
(Insect) |
1996 |
Hypaurotis crysalus |
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Tiger Swallowtail
(Butterfly) |
Jun 10,
1999 |
Papilio glaucous |
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Zebra Longwing
(Butterfly) |
1996 |
Heliconius charitonius |
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Tiger Swallowtail
(Butterfly) |
1988 |
Papilio glaucus |
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Monarch Butterfly
(Insect) |
1992 |
Danaus plexippus |
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Monarch Butterfly
(Insect) |
Oct 1,
1975 |
Danaus plexippus |
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Viceroy Butterfly
(Butterfly) |
1990 |
Basilarchia archippus |
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Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly
(Insect) |
1973 |
Euphydryas phaeton |
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Monarch Butterfly
(Butterfly) |
2000 |
Danaus plexippus |
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Spicebush Swallowtail
(Butterfly) |
1991 |
Battus philenor |
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Mourning Cloak (Butterfly) |
2001 |
Nymphalis antiopa |
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Karner Blue Butterfly
(Butterfly) |
1992 |
Lycaeides melissa, subspecies samuelis |
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Black Swallowtail
(Butterfly) |
Nov 1,
1996 |
Papilio polyxenes |
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Oregon Swallowtail Butterfly
(Insect) |
Jul 16,
1979 |
Papilio oregonius |
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Tiger Swallowtail
(Butterfly) |
1994 |
Pterourus Glaucus |
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Zebra Swallowtail
(Butterfly) |
1975 |
Eurytides marcellus |
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Monarch Butterfly
(Butterfly) |
Jun 6,
1995 |
Danaus plexippus |
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Monarch Butterfly
(Butterfly) |
Jul 1,
1987 |
Danaus plexippus |
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Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
(Insect) |
1991 |
Papilio glaucous Linne |
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Monarch Butterfly
(Butterfly) |
Mar 1,
1995 |
Danaus plexippus |
| The Monarch Butterfly makes a strong showing with seven states designating this beautiful insect as either an official state "insect" or an official state "butterfly." |
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State Insects
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Many states have selected insects as one of their state
symbols, however nine states (out of 50) have no official state insect as of 2008 .
in·sect (in′sekt′)
noun
1. any of a large class (Insecta) of small arthropod animals characterized, in the
adult state, by division of the body into head, thorax, and abdomen, three pairs of legs on
the thorax, and, usually, two pairs of membranous wings, including beetles, bees, flies,
wasps, and mosquitoes
2. popularly any small arthropod, usually wingless, including spiders, centipedes,
pill bugs, and mites
but·ter·fly (-flī′)
noun pl. -·flies′
1. any of various families of lepidopteran insects active in the daytime, having a
sucking mouthpart, slender body, ropelike, knobbed antennae, and four broad, usually
brightly colored, membranous wings
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