Tip: Think of your own ways to remember butterflies by knowing their field marks. Spicebush Swallowtail The Spicebush Swallowtail has a “blue tooth.” Learn easy ways to remember Q. What are “field marks?” A. Field marks are lines, spots, patterns, shapes and colors that help us identify animals, including butterflies. These lines appear on the Viceroy like a “smiley face.” No similar butterfly has these lines. Viceroy The Little Yellow has two small dots by the body. The word “little” has two Ts. Little Yellow Here are some examples of how you can associate unrelated things to field marks. The connection will help you remember the butterfly. Southern Skipperling The Southern Skipperling has a white ray on its hind wing. What would you associate with this field mark to help you remember the butterfly?
Transcript
Tip: Think of your own ways to remember butterflies by knowing their field marks.
Spicebush SwallowtailThe Spicebush Swallowtail has a “blue tooth.”
Learn easy ways to remember
Q. What are “field marks?”
A. Field marks are lines, spots, patterns, shapes and colors that help usidentify animals, including butterflies.
These lines appear on the Viceroy like a “smiley face.” No similar butterfly has these lines.
Viceroy
The Little Yellow has two small dots by the body. The word “little” has two Ts.
Little Yellow
Here are some examples of how you can associate unrelated things to field marks. The connection will help you remember the butterfly.
Southern Skipperling
The Southern Skipperling has a white ray on its hind wing. What would you associate with this field mark to help you remember the butterfly?
Example: The Orange Sulphur and Clouded Sulphur, which look alike, can easily be confused with the Sleepy Orange, especially as they fly. All of these are bright yellow to orange when they fly.
They also share a dark margin on the dorsal (upper) side of their wings.
Notice the smudgy line on the ventral side of the hind wing.
Note the row of dots on the ventral (underneath) side of the hind wing.
Orange Sulphur Sleepy Orange
What is similar about these butterflies?
What is different ?
Observe still butterflies
Tip: Look carefully at the butterfly while it’s still before you identify it.
Look at the ventral side
Painted LadyAmerican Lady
Example: Get a look at the ventral view to see that the Painted Lady has four small eyespots. The American Lady has two large ones.
Painted Lady
Dorsal views of each butterfly are very similar.
Tip: Sometimes looking at the ventral side of the wings helps with ID.
American Lady
(left photo) Markings on thefemale are larger and moredistinct.
(right photo) Two male Cloudless Sulphurs “puddle,” or sip moisture, to gather salts and proteins.
Notice the similar markings between the male and female of these two species.
The pattern of the field marks is always similar between the two sexes, even though wing color and appearance of the field marks sometimes differs between males and females of the same species.
These Checkered Whites have similar field marks, but the wing color is different.
female male
female males
Note similar field marks in sexes
Tip: Learn the similarities in field marks between males and females.
Note similar field marks in sexes
Q. Which are the females?
Black Swallowtail Black Swallowtail
Tiger Swallowtail Tiger Swallowtail
-- male -- female
-- male -- female
A. If you answered each of theones on the right, you arecorrect!
Both the males and females of these two species have blue on the dorsal hind wing. The females have more blue.
The pattern of field marks is always similar between the two sexes, even though the appearance of the field marks can differ between males and females of the same species.
Tip: Learn the similarities in field marks between males and females.
Note similar field marks across seasons
Barred Yellow, white form, summer
Barred Yellow, yellow form, summer
The Dainty Sulphur transitions between yellow, with some black scales, to a drab olive on the hind wing. But note the black dot field mark on the forewing. It is always there.
Dainty Sulphur, summer form Dainty Sulphur, winter form
Tip: Learn the similarities in field marks that appear differently throughout the year, especially among whites and sulphurs.
The Barred Yellow transitions between two colors. But note the bright yellow field mark on the ventral forewing. It is always present.
Note: These are not the same individuals pictured for each species. New generations display differences in appearance throughout the year.
Pipevine Swallowtail
Tip: Learn a few similar butterflies, then learn another batch after you master the first.
Become a specialist
Spicebush Swallowtail
Black Swallowtail
Tiger Swallowtail(black female)
The SpicebushSwallowtail hasa “blue tooth.”
An outline of the row of orange dots on the Pipevine Swallowtailresembles a curved pipe.
The Black Swallowtailhas an extra orangedot.
The black female Tiger Swallowtail has the same pattern of black stripes as the yellow females and males (male below).
Part II
• Challenge your identification skills
Duke’s Skipper
Challenge your identification skillsViceroy or Monarch?
Hint: What is the field mark for the Viceroy? Click on the butterfly you think is the Viceroy.
Clouded Skipper
This butterfly has darkscaling on the ventral sideof the hind wing. How would this field mark help you remember the name of the butterfly?
Stumped? Click on the butterfly for a suggestion.
The dark scaling is shaped like a tornado, or funnel cloud. The cloudshape can help you rememberthe name, “Clouded Skipper.”
Tip: Think of your own ways to remember butterflies by knowing their field marks.
Viceroy! See how the “smile line” appears on the ventral hind wing.Monarch
Challenge continued…
Q. How can you tell they are
Sleepy Oranges?
A. They have the same field mark-- a smudgy line--that identifies them as the Sleepy Orange.
Yes! They are all SleepyOranges. They are the same species of butterfly, but they are not the same individual. New generations, and males and females, display differences in the same field marks throughout the year.
Are these the same kind of butterfly?
Tip: Learn the similarities in field marks that appear differently throughout the year, especially among the whites and sulphurs.
Which two butterflies are the samespecies?
Challenge continued…Tip: Learn the similarities in field marks between males and females.
Q. Which two butterflies are the sameSpecies?
Challenge continued…
Tiger Swallowtail, black female Black Swallowtail, female
Pipevine Swallowtail, male
Black Swallowtail, female A. The Black Swallowtails. Earlier you learned the females have more blue on the hind wing than the males. The blue scaling is a similar field mark each sex shares.
Another field mark the male and female share is the dot near the top edge of the forewings.
Which butterfly is a different species?
Challenge continued…
Tip: Learn the similarities in field marks that appear differently throughout the year, especially among the whites and sulphurs.
Which butterfly is a different species?
Challenge continued…
Tip: Learn the similarities in field marks that appear differently throughout the year, especially among the whites and sulphurs.
The Little Yellow at the upper leftis the different species. Remembera good field mark is the two small dots by the body.
The other two butterflies are the Barred Yellow which have winter and summer forms.
Little Yellow Barred Yellow--summer
Barred Yellow--winter
Congratulations!
You are well on your way to identifying butterflies.
