Parks Home

 
 
 
Butterflies of Ward Pound Ridge Reservation

Butterflying Locations at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation

Because a Significant portion of Ward Pound Ridge Reservation is maintained on a mowing schedule that is highly favorable for butterflies, it is one of the premier butterflying locations in the Northeaster United States.  Some especially good areas within the Reservation are as follows:

The Area at the end of Michigan Road provides exceptional butterfly habitats from spring through mid-summer.  This is the best area in the park for the Meadow Fritillary and Appalachian Azure. 

The Azures can often be found in late May coming to damp sand along the trail in the woods.  Appalachian Browns can also be seen here.  A good sized colony of Harris' Checkerspot occurs here (mainly in the wet areas to the southeast), along with Mulberry Wings and Black Dashes.  The extensive stand of dogbane east of the end of the road often swarms with skippers, hairstreaks and other butterflies in season.

The moist area to the northwest of the Meadow parking area often has a good selection of species and is usually the only place where one can find the rare Leonard's Skipper.  The trail into the woods from the northwest corner of the parking area often has Least Skippers and an occasional Red-Spotted Purple.

The field on the north side of Boutonville Road, between the Meadow and Trailside Museum, comes into its own late in the summer.  Then, the swamp milkweed, thoroughworts, and joe-pye-weed  have some of the major concentrations of Black Dashes, Great Spangled Fritillaries and Viceroys as well as other late summer species.

Pell Hill usually has some hill-topping species and the only colony of Silvery Checkerspots (nectaring on dogbane along the upper rock outcrops or oviposting on the larval food plant, woodland sunflower).  A trip through the woodlands in May may Bring a sighting of one of Westchester's few colonies of Brown Elfins.

The 83 species* of butterflies listed below have been seen at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.  Abbreviations are:

A Abundant, likely to see more than 10 individual per visit
C Common, likely to see 4-20 per visit
U Uncommon, likely to see 0-3 individuals per visit
R Rare, unlikely to see any
S Stray, not seen in most years
H Historically recorded but not now known to occur
E Early month
M Mid month
L Late month

Number refers to month

Because butterfly abundances and times of appearance are highly variable, depending strongly upon climatic and other factors, the abundances and times of appearance listed below should be used as a rough guide only.  PLEASE REMEMBER THAT NETTING OR OTHERWISE CAPTURING THE BUTTERFLIES IS NOT ALLOWED. 

Papilionidae:  Swallowtails
Frequency Season
Swallowtail, Black U 5-9
 Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger C 4-9
 Swallowtail, Pipevine S 6-9
 Swallowtail, Spicebush C 5-9

Pieridae: Whites and Sulphurs
Frequency Season
 Cabbage White U 4-10
 Sulphur, Clouded C 4-10
 Sulphur, Orange C 4-10

Lycaenidae: Gossamer Wings
Frequency Season
 American Copper C 5-7-9
 Azure, Spring C 4-5
 Azure, Summer U 6-9
 Azure, Appalachian U L5-E6
 Eastern Tailed Blue C 5-9
 Elfin, Brown U M4-5
 Elfin, Eastern Pine R 5-6
 Hairstreak, Acadian U L6-7
 Hairstreak, Banded C M6-7
 Hairstreak, Coral C M6-7
 Hairstreak, Edwards' C M6-7
 Hairstreak, Grey R 5-10
 Hairstreak, Hickory U M6-7
 Hairstreak, Olive R L4-5,M7-M8
 Hairstreak, Southern R M6-M7
 Hairstreak, Striped U M6-7
 Hairstreak, White M R 4-5
 Harvester R 5-9

Nymphalidae: Brush-Footed Butterflies
Frequency Season
 American Snout S 7-9
 Checkerspot, Baltimore R-U L6-7
 Checkerspot, Silvery U M6-M7
 Checkerspot, Harris' U-C 6
 Comma, Eastern U 4-9
 Comma, Gray S 8-10
 Common Buckeye R 6-10
 Compton, Tortoiseshell R 4-10
 Fritillary, Variegated S 6-9
 Fritillary, Great Spangled A M6-M9
 Fritillary, Aphrodite R M6-M9
 Fritillary, Regal H
 Fritillary, Silver-bordered H
 Fritillary, Meadow C 5, M6-9
 Lady, American U-C 4-10
 Lady, Painted R-U 4-10
 Mourning Cloak U 4-10
 Pearl Crescent A 5-10
 Question Mark U 5-10
 Red Admiral U 4-10
 Red-Spotted Purple R 5-9
 Tawny Emperor S 7-9
 Viceroy U L5-E10

Satyridae: Satyrs and Wood Nymphs

Frequency

Season
 Brown, Eyed

R

M6-7
 Brown, Appalachian

U-C

M6-E8
 Common Ringlet

C

6,8
 Common Wood-Nymph

A

L6
 Northern Pearly-eye

U

7
 Wood-Satyr, Little

A

L5-6
 Wood-Satyr, Summer

C

L6-7

Danaidae: Milkweed Butterflies

Monarch U-C 6-10

Hesperiidae:Skippers

Frequency

Season
 Black Dash

C

7-E8
 Cloudywing, Southern

R

M6-M7
 Cloudywing, Northern

U-C

L5-M7
 Dotted

H

M6-E7
 Duskywing, Dreamy

U

5-6
 Duskywing, Juvenal's

C

L4-E6
 Duskywing, Wild Indigo

U

M5-9
 Hoary Edge

R

M6-M7
 Little Glassywing

A

M6-7
 Long Dash

C

6
 Mulberry Wing

C-U

M7-E8
 Northern Broken-Dash

A

M6-7
 Skipper, Broad-winged

S

M7-8
 Skipper, Cobweb

U

5
 Skipper, Crossline

U-C

M6-7
 Skipper, Delaware

C-A

L6-E8
 Skipper, Dion S E7
 Skipper, Dun A L6
 Skipper, Dusted U L5-M6
 Skipper, European A 6-E7
 Skipper, Fiery S 8-10
 Skipper, Hobomok C L5-E7
 Skipper, Indian C L5-6
 Skipper, Least U-C 6-9
 Skipper, Leonard's R L8-M9
 Skipper, Peck's C L5-6,7-9
 Skipper, Pepper and Salt S 6
 Skipper, Silver-spotted A 5-9
 Skipper, Swarthy S 6,8-9
 Skipper, Tawny-edged C 5-6,7-9
 Skipper, Two-spotted H M6-E7
 Skipper, Zabulon C 5-6,7-10
*Although Summer Azure and Summer Wood Satyr are probably distinct species, they are still considered to be conspecific with Spring Azure and Little Wood Satyr respectively.

North American 
Butterfly Association

The North American Butterfly Association, Inc., is a non-profit association concerned with butterfly field identification, gardening and photography.  Contact http://NABA.org.

Trailside Nature Museum
Routes 35 & 121
Cross River, New York

Subscribe to the Parks E-Club to get up to the minute program and event information, and valuable discounts.
Join Now


Joseph A. Stout, Commissioner