Butterflies of Israel

Published estimates of the number of butterfly species in Israel have varied across sources and time periods. An earlier general reference put the count at approximately 135 varieties over the country's fields.[4] A 2017 report described the known fauna as approximately 140 species.[5] Another source estimated around 150 day-flying butterfly species, alongside thousands of moth species.[1] Israel's 2026 Red List assessment examined 156 butterfly species documented in the country.[2]

National count programs measure only the species observed by participating citizen scientists during defined periods rather than the country's complete fauna. Israel's National Butterfly Count has cumulatively documented 86 species since it began in 2019.[6]

Israel lies at the meeting point of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and its butterfly fauna includes species originating from several continental regions.[1] This biogeographic position is combined with varied Mediterranean, montane, coastal, and desert habitats within a comparatively small land area. A 2017 account attributed Israel's relatively high butterfly diversity to this concentration of different habitats.[5]

Israel's National Butterfly Count, which began in 2019, has generated a substantial dataset of citizen-science observations. Through 2025, the program had logged 5,125 reports and 72,944 individual butterflies spanning 86 species.[6]

The 2025 count identified the Small White (Pieris rapae), also known as the cabbage white, as the most frequently encountered species, with more than 3,380 individuals—roughly 30% of all specimens—recorded in over 68% of surveys.[6] The Large White (Pieris brassicae) ranked second, accounting for 1,807 individuals, or 16% of specimens, and appearing in 49% of counts.[6] The Marbled White, Painted Lady, and Bath White followed with 707, 677, and 474 individuals respectively.[6]

The 2025 count also recorded 13 species not seen in the 2024 count, including the lime swallowtail, cycad blue, jujube blue, and lesser painted lady.[7] Nine lime swallowtails were reported across Israel; one was observed at Givat HaSefelulim in Shoham, described as the southernmost known observation point in Israel for that species at the time.[7]

The 2026 national count, conducted during the first two weeks of April, recorded 595 reports, 8,041 individual butterflies, and 73 species.[8] The five most frequently observed species were the cabbage white, large white, Painted Lady, clouded yellow, and Bath White, all of which had ranked among the most common species during the preceding two years.[8]

Year-to-year changes in butterfly abundance and distribution are attributed to rainfall variability, host-plant dynamics, migratory events, and differences in observer experience.[6]

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) — Israel's national butterfly since 2023, the Common Blue (Hebrew: כחליל השברק) is widespread across almost all of Israel and flies during nearly the entire year except January.[3] In the south it has been recorded at Ein Gedi, Sde Boker, Mitzpe Ramon, the southern Gaza Strip, and the Sinai border.[3] Males are identifiable by metallic blue upper wings with a black-brown border and white fringe; females are generally brown above with blue and orange markings.[9] The species lays eggs on a variety of wild plants, particularly in open, unwooded habitats, and is rarely found in densely built urban areas.[3]

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) — A regular migrant through Israel, the Painted Lady passes through in enormous numbers in some years. In March 2019, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority estimated that approximately 10 million individuals crossed into Israel during an unusually large migration. The event was attributed to exceptionally rainy winter conditions in desert areas of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait that produced abundant vegetation for caterpillars; the butterflies subsequently moved north and west toward Cyprus, Spain, and other parts of Europe.[10]

Acentria's Fritillary (Melitaea acentria) — Identified in 2017 from butterflies collected on Mount Hermon, this species had previously been classified as the Persian fritillary (Melitaea persea).[5] Examination of reproductive anatomy and DNA supported its treatment as a separate species estimated to have diverged approximately 1.6 million to 1 million years ago.[5] The report placed it on Mount Hermon and possibly in nearby areas of Syria and Lebanon, and described its identification as the first discovery of a new butterfly species in Israel in 109 years.[5]

Blue-spotted Arab (Colotis phisadia) — Reported from southern Israel, including Eilat, this species is of Afrotropical origin and ranges from tropical Africa to eastern India.[11] In Israel it depends exclusively on Salvadora plants for sustenance and shelter, and its distribution mirrors the scattered occurrence of that plant.[11] It does not migrate and can produce several generations per year under favorable conditions.[11]

Western Pygmy Blue (Brephidium exilis) — First reported in Israel near the Dead Sea in August 2021, when an individual was found on a sesuvium plant in a hotel garden, the Western Pygmy Blue was described as the third butterfly to enter Israel from foreign regions.[12] The Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli), which spread from Africa through Europe, had become established in Israel approximately two years before that report.[12]

Swamp Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia) — A migratory species that had been absent from Israel for five decades, the Swamp Fritillary reappeared in recent years and was confirmed again in a post-count observation in 2025.[6]

Cigaritis cilissa — Described by an Israel Nature and Parks Authority ecologist as endangered in Israel, this species still occurs in the Upper Galilee but is struggling in the Sharon, Hadera, and Caesarea areas, with only a few known surviving populations.[13] It is associated with ants.[13]

Many Israeli butterfly species have specific larval host-plant requirements that shape their distribution. The larvae of the Persian saltbush white feed on leaves of the Persian saltbush tree, while the strawberry tree butterfly's larvae feed on strawberry-tree leaves.[1] The plain tiger obtains defensive toxins from its host plants, which include wild and cultivated milkweed-related plants.[1]

The Blue-spotted Arab depends exclusively on Salvadora plants throughout its range in southern Israel, making its distribution directly contingent on the availability of that plant.[11] The national butterfly, the Common Blue, deposits eggs on a variety of wild plants in open habitats. Conservation recommendations for the species include preserving extensive open areas such as scrubland and open woodland and reducing pesticide use in agricultural zones.[3] Lycaena thersamon and the Pelargonium Blue have been observed apparently expanding their ranges in Israel, probably because their cultivated host plants are now widespread.[6]

Israel's first Red List for butterflies, published in 2026, assessed all 156 documented species. Three were classified as extinct in Israel, 12 as critically endangered, and 23 as endangered. Sixty-three species were considered not at risk, while available information was insufficient to assess the remaining 55 species.[2]

The Red List report identified a broad range of threats to Israel's butterfly fauna: habitat loss driven by rapid development, infrastructure construction, and conversion of open land to agriculture; intensive agricultural practices and pesticide use; uncontrolled grazing at some sites; invasive species; fires; light pollution; and climate change.[2] Butterflies were described as valuable bioindicators of ecosystem health.[2]

Israel's National Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring Program began in 2013, using data collected during 2012–2014 as a baseline. Butterfly monitoring covered three Mediterranean regions: the Northern Galilee, Carmel, and Judean lowland.[14] The program recorded eight species in the Northern Galilee, seven in the Carmel region, and three in the Judean lowland.[14] No statistically significant difference was found in species or individual numbers near and far from human habitation, and three unnamed species were judged suitable as biological indicators of habitat condition.[14]

A peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Urban Ecology in 2022 examined plant and butterfly richness, composition, and socioecological drivers across five adjacent cities on Israel's Mediterranean coast, contributing further data on butterfly communities in urbanized landscapes.[15]

Butterflies are used as bioindicators because changes in their populations can reflect wider changes in habitats and ecosystem health.[2] Their public visibility has also made them a focus of citizen-science monitoring and national nature symbolism.

In 2023, Israel selected the Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) as its national butterfly through a public vote.[3] A list of 24 species prepared by butterfly experts was narrowed to 12 finalists by monitors, photographers, and enthusiasts before the public ballot.[16]

The Southern White Admiral ranked second in the final result and the African Monarch third.[3] The Common Blue was intended to join other established national nature symbols of Israel, including the hoopoe, anemone, and olive.[16]

Published totals for Israel's butterfly fauna are not uniform. A general reference reports approximately 135 “varieties,” while a separate account estimates around 150 day-flying species.[4][1] A 2017 report gives approximately 140 species, whereas the 2026 Red List assesses 156 documented species.[5][2] The sources do not reconcile these figures, which may reflect publication date, taxonomic revisions, or differing criteria for documented and resident species.

Taxonomic revision can also alter national totals. Butterflies on Mount Hermon that had been identified as Persian fritillaries were described in 2017 as a separate species, Melitaea acentria, following comparisons of reproductive anatomy and DNA.[5]

The Hebrew-language book פרפרי ארץ-ישראל (Butterflies of the Land of Israel), written by Yitzhak Eisenstein and published in Tel Aviv by Am Oved in 1983, is cataloged by the National Library of Israel.[17] The volume runs to 276 pages and is illustrated mostly in color, with an accompanying map.[17]

The National Library of Israel catalogs the Israel Journal of Entomology as an English-language annual periodical published in Tel Aviv and gives its creation date as 1966.[18]