Declining Butterflies of Michigan

This page is a work in progress. I will be continuing to add butterflies as the season progresses. This information has been provided by the Xerces Society State of the Butterflies in the United States Report.

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West Virginia White

Decline: 98.03%

Harris’ Checkerspot

Decline: 92.92%

Milbert's Tortoiseshell

Decline: 92.24%

    • Nettles (Urtica dioica)

    • Willow (Salix)

    • Elm (Ulmus)

    • Sunflower (Helianthus)

    • Wood nettle (Laportea canadensis)

  • Adults nectar on a variety of flowers and also feed on sap, rotting fruit, and dung.

  • Adults overwinter in sheltered places such as tree cavities, rock crevices, or buildings

  • Scientific name: Nymphalis milberti

    Photo credit: Jennifer Aitkens, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Silvery Blue

Decline: 91.37%

  • Caterpillars feed primarily on legumes (Fabaceae), including:

  • Adults nectar on a variety of spring-blooming wildflowers, especially legumes. As with many Lycaenids, caterpillars may have mutualistic relationships with ants, which protect them in exchange for sugary secretions (Wagner 2005).

  • Pupae overwinter in leaf litter or soil.

  • Scientific name: Glaucopsyche lygdamus

    Photo credit: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    • Glassberg, Jeffrey.A Swift Guide to Butterflies of North America. Princeton University Press, 2017.

    • Wagner, David L.Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press, 2005.

    • Illinois Wildflowers – host plant and ecological interactions.

    • National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder

American Copper

Decline: 86.86%

    • Sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella)

    • Curly dock (Rumex crispus)

    • Other dock species (Rumex spp.)

  • Adults nectar on a variety of low-growing flowers.

  • Scientific name: Lycaena phlaeas

    Photo credit: John Blair

Frosted Elfin

Decline: 85.52%

  • Caterpillars feed on legumes (Fabaceae), especially:

  • Adults nectar on a variety of spring wildflowers. Their presence is often an indicator of high-quality, intact native ecosystems, particularly fire-maintained oak barrens and prairies (Wagner 2005; MNFI).

  • Pupae overwinter in leaf litter or soil near host plants

  • Scientific name: Callophrys irus

    Photo credit: pondhawk from Winter Park, Florida, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

    • Glassberg, Jeffrey. A Swift Guide to Butterflies of North America. Princeton University Press, 2017.

    • Wagner, David L.Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press, 2005.

    • Illinois Wildflowers – host plant and ecological interactions.

    • Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI) – conservation status and habitat associations.

    • National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder – host plant relationships.

Aphrodite Fritillary

Decline: 85.36%

  • Caterpillars feed exclusively on violets (Viola spp.), including:

    Females lay eggs near (but not directly on) violets, and newly hatched larvae must locate host plants on their own (Wagner 2005; Illinois Wildflowers).

  • Adults are frequent visitors to nectar-rich flowers, especially summer-blooming natives like milkweeds, coneflowers, and thistles

  • First-instar larvae overwinter in leaf litter without feeding, resuming activity in spring (Wagner 2005).

  • Scientific name: Speyeria aphrodite

    Photo credit: Melissa McMasters from Memphis, TN, United States, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Leonard’s Skipper

Decline: 84.18%

  • Caterpillars feed on native grasses (Poaceae), especially:

    Larvae create shelters by tying grass blades together and feed within these protected structures (Wagner 2005; Illinois Wildflowers).

  • Adults nectar on late-season wildflowers, especially asters, goldenrods, and blazing stars.

  • Caterpillars overwinter in grass shelters.

  • Scientific name: Hesperia leonardus

    Photo credit: Joshua Mayer

Indian Skipper

Decline: 83.78%

  • Caterpillars feed on grasses (Poaceae), particularly:

    Larvae construct shelters by folding or tying grass blades together and feed from within these structures (Wagner 2005; Illinois Wildflowers).

  • Adults nectar on a wide range of late-season wildflowers, including asters, goldenrods, and thistles.

  • Caterpillars overwinter in grass shelters.

  • Scientific name: Hesperia sassacus

    Photo credit: Judy Gallagher

Checkered White

Decline: 83.50%

  • Caterpillars feed on plants in the mustard family (Brassicaceae), including:

    • Field mustard (Brassica spp.)

    • Peppergrass (Lepidium spp.)

    • Other native and non-native mustards

    Larvae feed on leaves, flowers, and seed pods of host plants (Wagner 2005; Illinois Wildflowers).

  • Adults nectar on a variety of flowering plants, especially those in open, sunny habitats (Glassberg 2017).

  • Pupae overwinter.

  • Scientific name: Pontia protodice

    Photo credit: Wildreturn, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Tawny Crescent

Decline: 83.47%

    • Flat-Topped Aster (Doellingeria umbellata)

    • Wavy-leaved aster (Aster undulatus) Not a Michigan native

    Early instar larvae often feed gregariously, forming small groups on host plants before dispersing as they mature (Wagner 2005; Illinois Wildflowers).

  • Adults nectar on flowers.

  • Caterpillars overwinter in leaf litter.

  • Scientific name: Phyciodes batesii

    Photo credit: Judy Gallagher

Common Roadside Skipper

Decline: 80.48%

  • Caterpillars feed on native grasses (Poaceae), particularly:

    • Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)

    • Bromus spp.

    • Woodland grasses such as Panicum spp.

    • Other shade-tolerant native grasses

    Larvae construct shelters by folding or tying grass blades together and feed from within these structures (Wagner 2005; Illinois Wildflowers).

  • Adults nectar on a variety of low-growing flowers and woodland-edge species. As with other skippers, larvae play an important role in food webs, supporting birds and other predators (Wagner 2005).

  • Caterpillars overwinter in grass shelters.

  • Scientific name: Amblyscirtes vialis

    Photo credit: Joshua Mayer

Baltimore Checkerspot

Decline: 79.76%

  • Viburnum spp.

    Early instar larvae feed gregariously, often forming visible groups on turtlehead plants (Wagner 2005; Illinois Wildflowers).

  • Adults nectar on flowers.

  • Caterpillars overwinter in communal silk webs in leaf litter

  • Scientific name: Euphydryas phaeton

    Photo credit: John Blair

Silver-Bordered Fritillary

Decline: 77.75%

  • Caterpillars feed on members of the violet family (Viola spp.), including:

  • Adults nectar on a variety of flowers in wet meadows and marsh edges, contributing to pollination (Glassberg 2017).

  • First-instar larvae overwinter in leaf litter without feeding (Wagner 2005).

  • Scientific name: Boloria selene

    Photo credit: Joshua Mayer

Eyed Brown

Decline: 76.54%

  • Caterpillars feed on Carex spp and Scirpus spp, particularly.

    Sedges (Carex spp.), including:

    Scirpus spp, including:

    • Bulrush (Scirpus pendulus)

    • Wool-grass (Scirpus cyperinus)

    These plants are essential for larval development and are closely tied to the species’ wetland habitat requirements (Wagner 2005; Illinois Wildflowers).

  • Adults typically feed on sap, decaying organic matter, and bird droppings rather than flowers, though they may occasionally nectar. As a grass-feeding species, its larvae play an important role in transferring energy from plant material into the broader food web (Wagner 2005) (butterfliesandmoths.org)

  • Caterpillars overwinter among grasses and sedges.

  • Scientific name: Satyrodes eurydice

    Photo credit: Joshua Mayer

Common Wood-Nymph

Decline: 74.48%

  • Caterpillars feed on grasses (Poaceae), including:

    Larvae feed low in the vegetation and are well-camouflaged (Wagner 2005; Illinois Wildflowers).

  • Adults typically feed on sap, rotting fruit, and other organic materials, though they may occasionally visit flowers. Their larvae feed on grasses, making them an important link between plant biomass and higher levels of the food web (Wagner 2005).

  • Caterpillars overwinter among grasses.

  • Scientific name: Cercyonis pegala

    Photo credit: Joshua Mayer