Official State Butterflies

This page offers a list of only those insect symbols that were officially adopted as state butterflies.

The Insect categories option below offers lists by specific official designation. The Insects specifically list shows only those insects that were officially designated as official insects. The butterflies specifically list shows only those that were designated as official butterflies. The Bugs specifically list shows only those that were designated as official bugs.

State	Name	Designated as	Year
Official butterflies listed by adoption year. (List by state or year)
Delaware	Tiger Swallowtail	Official butterfly	1974
Vermont	Monarch Butterfly	State butterfly	1987
Georgia	Tiger Swallowtail	Official Georgia State butterfly	1988
Alabama	Eastern Tiger Swallowtail	Official mascot and butterfly	1989
Kentucky	Viceroy Butterfly	State butterfly	1990
Mississippi	Spicebush Swallowtail	State butterfly	1991
New Hampshire	Karner Blue Butterfly	Official State butterfly	1992
South Carolina	Tiger Swallowtail	Official butterfly	1994
Tennessee	Zebra Swallowtail	Official State butterfly	1994
West Virginia	Monarch Butterfly	Official State butterfly	1995
Florida	Zebra Longwing	Official State butterfly	1996
Oklahoma	Black Swallowtail	State butterfly	1996
Minnesota	Monarch Butterfly	Official butterfly	2000
Arizona	Two-tailed Swallowtail	Official State butterfly	2001
Montana	Mourning Cloak	Official Montana State butterfly	2001
New Mexico	Sandia Hairstreak	Official butterfly of New Mexico	2003
Arkansas	Diana fritillary butterfly	Official butterfly	2007
Wyoming	Sheridan's Green Hairstreak	Official State butterfly	2009
North Carolina	Eastern tiger swallowtail	Official State butterfly	2012
New Jersey	Black swallowtail butterfly (Papilio polyxenes)	State butterfly	2016
Alaska	[ None ]
California	[ None ]
Colorado	[ None ]
Connecticut	[ None ]
Hawaii	[ None ]
Idaho	[ None ]
Illinois	[ None ]
Indiana	[ None ]
Iowa	[ None ]
Kansas	[ None ]
Louisiana	[ None ]
Maine	[ None ]
Maryland	[ None ]
Massachusetts	[ None ]
Michigan	[ None ]
Missouri	[ None ]
Nebraska	[ None ]
Nevada	[ None ]
New York	[ None ]
North Dakota	[ None ]
Ohio	[ None ]
Oregon	[ None ]
Pennsylvania	[ None ]
Rhode Island	[ None ]
South Dakota	[ None ]
Texas	[ None ]
Utah	[ None ]
Virginia	[ None ]
Washington	[ None ]
Wisconsin	[ None ]
What butterfly holds top honors as the most popular among the 50 states? If you guessed that it was Oklahoma's black swallowtail butterfly you would be wrong. If you found that it was the tiger swallowtail, you would be right. Five states have adopted the tiger swallowtail as their official state butterfly. Virginia adopted the tiger swallowtail as their official state insect.
A close second, the monarch butterfly makes a strong showing with three states claiming this popular insect as their official state butterfly. Alabama, Idaho, Illinois, and Texas have adopted the monarch butterfly as their official state insect.
Each of the other official state butterflies is unique to only one state.
29 butterflies have been adopted by the states as official. 19 have been adopted as "butterflies." Another ten states have adopted butterflies as official state "insects." Those butterflies, adopted as insects, are listed on the State Insects page and the "Insects" only page.
Children's Guide to Insects and Spiders Jinny Johnson Simon & Schuster Children's Guide to Insects and Spiders , by Jinny Johnson. 64 pages. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (May 1, 1997) Reading level: Ages 4-8. A detailed introduction to spiders and insects contains information about every major group of arachnids and insects, hundreds of thought-provoking facts, and full-color pictures and photographs."
Insect Laurence Mound Insect, by Laurence Mound. 72 pages. Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc. (June 25, 2007) Reading level: Ages 8+. Full-color photos. "Sure to attract browsers and students researching assignments, Insect explores the anatomy, behavior, and ecology of those creatures, with a heavy emphasis on popular species. Each double-page spread consists of concise, yet lively and readable text and numerous excellent-quality captioned photos, drawings, and diagrams." --School Library Journal
Butterflies Seymour Simon Butterflies, by Seymour Simon. 32 pages. Publisher: Collins (August 23, 2011) Reading level: Ages 5+. Learn where to find butterflies and moths, how to observe them in nature, and how to plant your very own butterfly garden! Award-winning science writer Seymour Simon invites readers to explore the world of butterflies and moths with fascinating facts and stunning full-color photographs.
Great Migrations Butterflies Laura Marsh National Geographic's Great Migrations: Butterflies, by Laura Marsh. 48 pages. Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books (October 12, 2010) Reading level: Ages 7+. The monarch butterfly, one of the most seemingly delicate of all of nature’s animals, proves to be one of the toughest in this reader. Making the yearly trip from the Northern United States and Canada to the Oyamel forest of Mexico is no easy task, and it takes five generations of butterflies in order to do so. Battling cold temperatures and the threat of starvation, these beautiful insects complete an almost 3,000 mile journey over the course of two months, only to have to turn and around and head back home.
National Audubon Society Pocket Guide to Familiar Butterflies Of North America, Revision authors are James D. Williams and Carter R. Gilbert. 192 pages. Publisher: Knopf (July 21, 1990) Filled with succinct descriptions and dazzling photographs, the National Audubon Society Pocket Guide to Familiar Butterflies of North America is designed to be compact enough for nature-lovers to easily bring along when observing butterflies. This streamlined volume contains: a simple field guide identifying 80 of the most widespread butterflies in North America and a complete overview of observing butterflies, covering basic identifying field marks and practical tips for observing and distinguishing different butterflies. This pocket guide is packed with information; bright photographs capturing the butterflies perched with their wings spread and closed; specific descriptions of each species' important identifying characteristics, life cycle, habitat and range, line drawings depicting the basic butterfly anatomy, a description of major butterfly groups and a glossary of technical terms.