ten places to find butterflies in cleveland metroparks
Monarch - Wildwood Park, Euclid Creek Reservation
Facts: Family nymphalidae, milkweed butterfly, orange with black pattern, iconic pollinator, average lifespan 6-8 months, average wingspan 3.5-4 inches
Painted Lady - Watershed Stewardship Center, West Creek Reservation
Facts: Family nymphalidae, bush-footed butterflies, predominantly orange and black speckled in color with eyespots on wings, average wingspan 1.5-3 inches, average lifespan 12 months (egg-adult)
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - Tallgrass Prairie, Brecksville Reservation
Facts: Family papilionidae, yellow with black stripes, average lifespan 2 weeks as adult, average wingspan 3-5 inches
Eastern Black Swallowtail - Woodpecker Way Trail, Acacia Reservation
Facts: Family papilionidae, mainly black with two pale yellow rows along wings, average wingspan 3-4 inches, average lifespan 2 weeks as adult
Eastern black swallowtail
Spicebush Swallowtail - Sanctuary Marsh, North Chagrin Reservation
Facts: Family papilionidae, mainly black with pale greenish spots along wings and pale blue shading, average wingspan 3-4 inches, average lifespan 2 weeks as adult
Summer Azure - Jackson Field, South Chagrin Reservation
Facts: Family lycaenidae, light blue/purple in color with speckles, 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 inch wingspan
Summer azure
Silver-Spotted Skipper - Meadow Trail, Garfield Park Reservation
Facts: Family hesperiidae, dark brown with large white patch on wing with orange streak, wingspan 1 3/4 - 2 1/2 inches
Great Spangled Fritillary - Hemlock Loop Trail, Brecksville Reservation
Facts: Family nymphalidae, orange with black spots and black bands, average wingspan about 3 inches, much smaller than monarch
Pearl Crescent - CanalWay Center Garden, Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation
Facts: Family nymphalidae, orange in color with black markings, 1-1.5 inch wingspan
Common Wood-Nymph - Nature Center Gardens, Rocky River Reservation
Facts: Family nymphalidae, wood like coloration mainly brown with eyespots on wing tips, average 2 inch wingspan