Wisconsin Butterflies in General
There are 155 specie of Butterfly recorded in Wisconsin with 118 of these considered breeding populations. 22 of these are considered strays being found occasionally and are included on the list if verified once. 15 species are considered migrants, such as the Monarch butterfly, known for its yearly migration south in the fall, then back northwards in the spring. The other migrants found on Wisconsin butterfly lists may be absent for several years before climate conditions allow them to return to Wisconsin habitats.The best and most comprehensive Wisconsin Butterfly site is Wisconsin Butterflies
Wisconsin Butterflies documents all species of butterflies, their sighting dates and includes helpful identification tips. It allows users to report their sightings to increase the county by county data on where butterflies are in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin moth population is not well established at this point. Current estimates indicate their numbers may exceed 2400 species. Moth families under the macrolepidoptera have 1224 species documented in Wisconsin. The poorly known microlepidoptera family likely has more than 1200 species within Wisconsin however, no comprehensive state checklist exists. Further information on Wisconsin Moths can be found at Butterflies and Moths.org (link in sidebar).
Wisconsin Threatened and Endangered Butterflies and Moths: Here
Barrens Butterflies: Here
Bog Butterfiles: Here
Crex Meadows (and surrounding areas)
For Crex Meadows, I began to document the butterflies slowly in the summer of 2007. By 2009, I set a goal of visiting Crex Meadows once a week with the intent to photograph as many of the individual species as possible. As of October 2010, I have documented 83 species of butterfly with clear photographs. There are 4 additional species which I did not get clear enough photos of for an absolute ID on or have only been documented on other GLG properties. There are also a few species, including the Hackberry emporer, which I have seen but not been able to photograph at this time.There are also a number of moths which have been documented, including all three Clearwings found in wisconsin, a buckmoth that may be the new specie, Midwestern Fen Buckmoth and several tiger, and silk moths.
Weekly Butterfly Sightings
The number of species documented each week during the past two years. 2010 is the most robust, with my ability to identify greatly improved and the help of a Friends of Crex Meadows volunteer who joined me most of these weeks, increasing the area we were able to survey.