SallyG commented recently on the large number of orange & black spotted butterflies. I'd like to learn how to identify them, and I thought a thread with photos (dorsal and ventral shots if possible) might be the way to do it.
I didn't realize just how many there were until I started looking! So with apologies to our international members, I'll focus on North American butterflies.
Baltimore Checkerspot (ventral), Wikimedia photo by Judy Gallagher 2016, Creative Commons License (CCL)
Baltimore Checkerspot (dorsal), Wikimedia photo by D. George E. Robertson 2014, CCL
American Lady
dorsal photo by crawgarden
ventral photo by joannakat
Painted Lady, dorsal & ventral photos by NMoasis
Mourning Cloak (dorsal), Wikimedia photo Alan Schmierer 2011, CCL
(A lot of photos show the wings as being nearly black. ?)
Pearl Crescent, some photos look black and other photos more brown -- is that a regional difference or a sexual dimorphism? (These are tiny butterflies!)
photos from Wikimedia, all 3 by Judy Gallagher 2017, CCL
Monarch
dorssal photo from Critterologist. This is a male, thinner black lines on the wings and a black spot on the dorsal side of the hindwing.
ventral photo from NMoasis
Ventral photo from Critterologist
Viceroy (Monarch mimic, note wide horizontal black stripe across lower wings, visible both front and back)
Monarch (L) and Viceroy (R), wikimedia commons, GNU free license
Viceroy dorsal, Wikimedia photo by Benny Mazur 2009, CC attribution 2.0
American Snout
(ventral) photo by NMoasis
Variegated Fritillary
dorsal & ventral photos by NMoasis
photo by Web Tucker
Bordered Patch dorsal & ventral photos by NMoasis
Here's the list for this thread! Names in italics are those added to this post with photos. I left off skipper on purpose, because that's another ID lesson altogether IMO. I also separated species found only west of the mississippi from those found in the Eastern US or all over North America.
Eastern North America:
Monarch (male, female)
Viceroy
Queen
Baltimore Checkerspot
Silvery Checkerspot
Gorgone Checkerspot
Red Admiral
Painted Lady
American Lady
Mourning Cloak
American Snout
Variegated Fritillary
Gulf Fritillary
Great Spangled Fritillary
Meadow Fritillary
Atlantis Fritillary
Aphrodite Fritillary
Silver-bordered Fritillary
Eastern Comma
Green Comma
Tawny Emperor
Pearl Crescent
Mylitta Crescent
Northern Crescent
Small Copper
Bronze Copper
Milbert's Tortoiseshell
Julia Heliconium
Western North America only:
Bordered Patch
Western Great Swallowtail
California Sister
California Tortoiseshell
West Coast Lady
Field Crescent
Behr's Metalmark
Northern Checkerspot
Edith's Checkerspot
Satyr Comma
Vesta Crescent
Mormon Fritillary
Callippe Fritillary