All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory

Butterfly and Dragonfly/Damselfly Checklists
for Tennessee State Parks

Zebra Swallowtail. Photo by Marty Silver.

Tennessee features diverse landscapes and habitat. This variety extends to the animal life – large and small – you may see across our parklands. Tennessee State Parks’ ATBI Group has developed specific Checklists for different parks to help visitors identify the different Butterflies, Dragonflies and Damselflies documented at various state parks. There are approximately 135 species of butterflies and 154 species of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) in Tennessee. You can discover many of them at a Tennessee State Park.

To assist your search, these Butterfly and Dragonfly/Damselfly Checklists identify what species you should be looking for at a particular park and the likely spots that will yield a sighting:

Tennessee State Park Butterfly Checklists

Butterfly Checklist for Burgess Falls State Park
Butterfly Checklist for Chickasaw State Park
Butterfly Checklist for Edgar Evins State Park
Butterfly Checklist for Henry Horton State Park
Butterfly Checklist for Long Hunter State Park
Butterfly Checklist for Montgomery Bell State Park
Butterfly Checklist for Paris Landing State Park
Butterfly Checklist for Red Clay State Park
Butterfly Checklist for Standing Stone State Park
Butterfly Checklist for Warriors' Path State Park

Tennessee State Park Dragonfly and Damselfly Checklists

Dragonfly and Damselfly (Odonata) of Tennessee Checklist

Tips For Observing Butterflies

Look for adult butterflies on flowers, on pavement and on damp dirt. Approach the butterflies slowly and try not to move your hands too quickly gesturing or pointing. Use your voice instead; it will not frighten the butterfly. Wait until everyone in your group has seen the butterfly before you try to photograph it. Look for butterfly eggs and caterpillars on the leaves and flowers of plants.

Tips for Photographing Butterflies

It is easier to photograph butterflies early in the morning when they are cool. Use a flash if possible to give greater detail. Use different angles to get different views of the wings. Start from a few feet away and move in closer with each photo.

Helpful Links to Butterfly Organizations

North American Butterfly Association - Middle Tennessee Chapter

Butterflies and Moths of North America offers a county by county butterfly species list.

Recommended Field Guides

Glassberg. 1999. Butterflies Through Binoculars, The East. Oxford University Press.
Brock and Kaufman. 2003 Butterflies of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Allen et al. 2005. Caterpillars in the Field and Garden. Oxford University Press.
Wagner. 2005. Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press.

About ATBI

The All Taxa Biological Inventory or ATBI is an on-going project in Tennessee State Parks and State Natural Areas. The goal of ATBI is to document all species in Tennessee State Parks, monitor long-term trends in specific taxonomic groups, and promote education about and preservation of all biodiversity with increased science and citizen education efforts. Learn more about ATBI or access the ATBI database at www.tnstateparks.com/atbi or contact Parks Biologist David Hill:

7th Floor, L & C Tower
401 Church Street
Nashville, TN 37243.
david.r.hill@tn.gov
Phone: (615) 253-2455

About the Zebra Swallowtail, the state butterfly of Tennessee.

Mrs. Sherrill Charlton and her biology students at Gallatin High School led the way to name the Zebra Swallowtail the state butterfly by researching the species that have been documented in Tennessee. They chose the Zebra Swallowtail because it is abundant in the South, and the caterpillars only feed on the leaves of pawpaw (Asimina triloba), a native tree found throughout Tennessee. The class contacted their state senator, Don Wright, who initiated a bill in January 1994. The Tennessee legislature discussed and passed the bill, and the Zebra Swallowtail became the official state butterfly of Tennessee on May 9, 1994.