A: The New Jersey Butterfly Club has officially identified 112 butterfly species that are regularly found across the Garden State, plus several rare visitors that wander in from time to time. Since 1995, the Club has been and continues keeping careful records of butterfly sightings by county. Whether you’re in the city or countryside, there’s always a chance of spotting a beautiful butterfly.

A: Say hello to the Giant Swallowtail! With a wingspan that can stretch to nearly five inches, it is New Jersey’s largest butterfly. Watch for its graceful flight and bold yellow-and-black wings as it floats through sunny gardens and woodland edges.

A: With a wingspan of only half an inch, the adorable Least Skipper holds the title of New Jersey’s smallest butterfly. This tiny flutterer is easy to miss, but you might spot it gently bouncing through tall grasses near wetlands.

A: The Black Swallowtail was crowned as the official New Jersey state butterfly in 2016. This charming pollinator is right at home in the Garden State and lives in all 21 counties. It is easily attracted to gardens with plants like parsley, dill, fennel, and Queen Anne’s Lace.

A: The best months for butterfly watching in New Jersey are from late April through early October. Peak activity usually occurs in mid-summer when temperatures are at least 65 degrees and nectar flowers are abundant. Remember, it is called the Garden State after all!

A: Butterflies can be found in gardens, meadows, parks, and nature preserves throughout the state. Visit the New Jersey Butterfly Club’s website for a list of good butterfly sites.

A: It depends on the species. In some cases, like the Zabulon Skipper, males and females look quite different. In other cases, males and females differ slightly in size, color, or markings. For example, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail females have bright blue coloring near the base of the hindwing which is missing from males. Once you begin studying butterflies in their natural environment, you’ll soon be able to tell apart males and females.

A: Yes, several species migrate. Many people know about the Monarch’s migration, which spans thousands of miles from New Jersey to Mexico. Some other migratory butterflies found in the Garden State include the American Lady, Red Admiral, and Ocola Skipper.

A: To attract butterflies, be sure to plant both host plants for caterpillars and nectar-rich flowers for adult butterflies. Avoid all pesticides, as they can harm both butterflies and caterpillars. Visit the New Jersey Butterfly Club’s website for tips on how start your butterfly garden.

A: Butterfly gardening involves planting flowers and host plants to attract and support butterflies throughout their life cycle. It’s a fun and educational way to support pollinators and add color and life to your yard. Visit the New Jersey Butterfly Club’s website for more butterfly gardening tips.

A: Milkweeds are the host plant for Monarchs, which is only one of the 112 butterfly species found in New Jersey. Monarchs may visit milkweeds for only a few seconds to lay eggs. However, many other species of butterflies – some of them so small that they may evade detection – and other insects obtain nectar from milkweed flowers. So, in addition to looking for Monarch eggs and caterpillars on milkweeds, be sure to look carefully for other butterfly species on the flower. To attract more butterflies, plant an array of both host and nectar plants in your garden. Find more tips on New Jersey butterfly gardening on our website.

A: Butterflies are generally active during the day whereas most moths are nocturnal. Additionally, butterflies usually have club-shaped antennae, whereas moths have antennae that are either featherlike or straight but non-clubbed.

A: Unfortunately, butterfly injuries happen quite frequently. Butterflies commonly fall prey to injuries caused by birds, small mammals, insects, and more. Defects can also develop during metamorphosis, causing the butterfly to emerge from the chrysalis with a deformed wing. These are all natural occurrences, and we recommend leaving the butterfly where it was found. Butterflies are resilient and can often be found still flying with large pieces of their wings missing.

A: As a chapter of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA), we do not promote buying live eggs, caterpillars, or butterflies. Releasing commercially-raised caterpillars or butterflies into the environment spreads diseases to natural populations, inappropriately mixes genetically distinct populations of the same species, may disrupt migratory behavior of native butterflies, confuses scientific studies of butterfly migrations, and usually results in the untimely death of the butterflies released. A much better alternative is to join us on one of our guided field trips to enjoy and learn about butterflies in their natural environment.

A: In today’s world, collecting butterflies is not just outdated – it can be deeply harmful. With habitat loss, climate change, and pesticide use already putting severe pressure on butterfly populations, the last thing they need is to be plucked from the wild. The answer is clear: leave them be. Additionally, 28 species of butterflies found in the Garden State have been designated by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection as Endangered, Threatened, or Special Concern. Collecting these species isn’t a harmless hobby – it’s a crime. Under state law, people found collecting any of these 28 species of butterflies without a scientific collecting permit issued by the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife can expect fines ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 per violation, possible imprisonment, seizure of specimens, and burden of restoration costs.

Using a butterfly field guide and close-focus binoculars, you can see everything needed to identify almost all New Jersey butterflies, and digital cameras make it possible to take fantastic close-up photos of living butterflies under natural conditions – a much better collection that a box of dead butterflies! We welcome you to join us on one of our upcoming guided field trips to observe butterflies in their natural habitat.

A: A female butterfly first recognizes the proper hostplant visually, then she lands on it and "reads" the chemical signature of the plant with sensors in her feet to confirm whether it is suitable. She may also check whether other eggs have been laid on the plant; some species will avoid other eggs, while some prefer their presence.

A: The antennae are studded with thousands of sensory cells that provide information similar to taste/smell in humans. These enable the butterfly to detect nectar and the chemical signals of the opposite sex.

A: At least some adult butterflies have organs that can detect airborne sound, although this sense is probably very weak compared to their sense of vision and taste/smell.

A: This behavior is called "puddling," and is generally indulged in by newly emerged males that are absorbing various nutrients to pass on to females when they mate.

A: The rule of thumb is about 45 days: 4-10 for the egg phase, 21-28 for the caterpillar, and 7-14 for the pupal phase. This can vary from as little 3 weeks to more than 2 years (for Arctic species).

A: Basking—by spreading the top surface of the wings to the sun, or by leaning over to the side to expose the bottom wing surfaces on one side—is the commonest method that butterflies use to warm up. Some butterflies can "shiver" (by rapidly contracting their muscles) to raise their temperature 15-20 degrees above their surroundings. In very hot weather, butterflies will seek shade to avoid overheating.

A: Males use two behaviors, "perching" and "patrolling," to find females. Perchers establish a territory within which they sit on a conspicuous perch and watch for passing females. Patrollers fly continuously while searching for females. Males may also produce chemical signals to attract females.

A: Some skippers can fly more than 50 mph for short distances, but "true" butterflies seldom fly faster than 20 mph.

A: Some colors, including iridescence, are "structural"—that is, they are produced by distortion of light passing through the complicated structures of the scales on the wings. Other colors are produced by pigments, substances that absorb all wavelengths of light except the wavelength of the color that is reflected (and seen by our eyes).