Iowa’s Native Species

With the cold temperatures in April it took a bit longer this year before we started seeing native butterflies flying outside. Now that the weather has warmed up species are being observed across Iowa. Each day, regardless of the time of year, species native to Iowa are in flight within the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing. Within the Butterfly Wing the tropical butterflies usually draw the majority of the attention but finding a species that you can also see in your back yard can be a lot of fun as well. If you need a little help remembering all ~125 species of butterflies found in Iowa check out the information on the digital kiosk in the Butterfly Wing or the Reiman Gardens’ butterfly app at www.reimanbutterfly.com.

Photo caption: Battus philenor

— Nathan Brockman, Curator of the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing