Wildflower Archive
American snout (Libytheana carinenta)
CC0 · iNaturalist

Pollinator

American snout

Libytheana carinenta

An odd little butterfly with a long snout, famous for mass flights.

Family
Nymphalidae (snouts)
Wingspan
1.4 to 2 in (3.5 to 5.1 cm)
Flight season
Much of the year in the South
Range
Southern United States, wandering north
Caterpillar food
Hackberry (Celtis)
Conservation
Secure and widespread

The American snout is unmistakable: its elongated mouthparts jut forward like a snout, and at rest, wings closed, it mimics a dead leaf complete with a stalk.

In the South it is famous for extraordinary mass migrations, when millions can fill the sky after rains break a drought.

American snout caterpillar
Caterpillar. johnyochum · CC BY (iNaturalist)

Caterpillars feed only on hackberry trees; the adults nectar widely at open flowers, and the plants below carry documented snout records.

Plants for the american snout

39 native plants with documented flower-visit records. Narrow with the filters below.

39 plants

Common yarrow complex1 of 2
Common yarrow complex Achillea millefolium
Chokecherry
Chokecherry Prunus virginiana
Butterfly milkweed1 of 2
Butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa
Black raspberry
Black raspberry Rubus occidentalis
Wild bergamot1 of 3
Wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa
Anise hyssop1 of 3
Anise hyssop Agastache foeniculum
Cutleaf coneflower1 of 3
Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata
Broadleaf arrowhead1 of 2
Broadleaf arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia
False sunflower1 of 3
False sunflower Heliopsis helianthoides
Common boneset1 of 2
Common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
New England aster1 of 2
New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Blue vervain1 of 2
Blue vervain Verbena hastata
Sweet Pepperbush1 of 2
Sweet Pepperbush Clethra alnifolia
Foxglove beardtongue1 of 2
Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis
Wild geranium1 of 3
Wild geranium Geranium maculatum
Virginia bluebells1 of 3
Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica
Virginia Springbeauty1 of 2
Virginia Springbeauty Claytonia virginica
Pickerelweed1 of 2
Pickerelweed Pontederia cordata
Rattlesnake master1 of 2
Rattlesnake master Eryngium yuccifolium
Great blue lobelia1 of 2
Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
Purple-flowered raspberry1 of 2
Purple-flowered raspberry Rubus odoratus
Carolina crane's-bill1 of 3
Carolina crane's-bill Geranium carolinianum
Butterweed1 of 3
Butterweed Packera glabella
Common sneezeweed1 of 2
Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale
Bluebead lily1 of 3
Bluebead lily Clintonia borealis
Common wrinkle-leaved goldenrod1 of 2
Common wrinkle-leaved goldenrod Solidago rugosa
Carolina rose1 of 2
Carolina rose Rosa carolina
Virginia waterleaf1 of 2
Virginia waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum
Fivespot1 of 2
Fivespot Nemophila maculata
Flat-topped goldenrod1 of 2
Flat-topped goldenrod Euthamia graminifolia
Wild quinine1 of 2
Wild quinine Parthenium integrifolium
Aniseroot1 of 3
Aniseroot Osmorhiza longistylis
Virginia mountain mint1 of 2
Virginia mountain mint Pycnanthemum virginianum
Yellow star grass1 of 3
Yellow star grass Hypoxis hirsuta
Hoary Mountainmint
Hoary Mountainmint Pycnanthemum incanum
Pink turtlehead1 of 2
Pink turtlehead Chelone lyonii
Woolly cranesbill1 of 2
Woolly cranesbill Geranium erianthum
Marsh Rattlesnake Master1 of 2
Marsh Rattlesnake Master Eryngium aquaticum
Fireweed
Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium

Sources