Butterfly Specimen Chart – Free Printable Color Reference (12 Species)

A free printable butterfly specimen chart with 12 realistic butterflies, each labeled with its name. It works as a color reference for the 2027 Printable Butterfly Coloring Calendar: the twelve species are the same and follow the same order, January to December. Print it, keep it next to your coloring pages and click on the image to download the JPG.

Butterfly Specimen Chart – 12 Species

What’s on the butterfly specimen chart

12 butterflies painted in full color, in a grid of 4 columns and 3 rows, each with its common name underneath
Light grid lines between the butterflies, so you can cut the sheet apart if you want to use them one by one
One landscape sheet as a JPG of 3300 × 2480 px (11 × 8.27 in at 300 dpi) – it prints on A4 and US Letter paper

The 12 butterflies and their calendar months

The chart follows the order of the 2027 butterfly coloring calendar, so the butterfly of every month is easy to find. The colors are described as painted on this sheet; real butterflies vary a little from one individual to another.

January – Blue Morpho (Morpho menelaus): bright blue wings with dark edges
February – Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui): orange-pink wings with dark tips and white spots
March – Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa): deep chocolate-brown wings with a pale, creamy edge
April – Zebra Swallowtail (Protographium marcellus): black and white stripes and long tails
May – Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus): pale yellow wings with black stripes and a touch of blue near the tails
June – Monarch (Danaus plexippus): orange wings with black veins and a black border dotted with white
July – Ulysses Butterfly (Papilio ulysses): dark wing edges around a large patch of bright blue
August – Gulf Fritillary (Dione vanillae): warm orange wings covered in black spots
September – Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta): black wings with a red-orange band and white spots near the tips
October – Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia): brown wings with large eyespots
November – Question Mark Butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis): orange-brown wings with dark spots and ragged, angular edges
December – Andromeda Satyr (Cithaerias andromeda): almost transparent wings with soft lilac and pink tints (labeled “Cithaerias” on the chart)

How to use the butterfly specimen chart as a color reference

Keep the chart open on a screen or printed next to the calendar page you are coloring, and match the colors by eye.

Copy the small details first, such as the white dots on the Monarch or the creamy edge of the Mourning Cloak, then fill the large areas.
Build color in light layers. The blues of the Blue Morpho and the Ulysses Butterfly look best with two or three layers of pencil or watercolor.
For the December butterfly, leave most of the wing paper-white and add only a hint of lilac and pink.
Prefer your own colors? Use the chart as a starting point and change anything you like.

The coloring pages are here: free printable 2027 butterfly coloring calendar.

How to print the butterfly specimen chart

Download the JPG, open it in any image viewer or photo app and choose landscape orientation with “fit to page”.
Matte or photo paper shows the colors best. Regular copy paper is fine for a quick reference.

Other ways to use the butterflies

A reference sheet for colored pencil or watercolor practice
Cut the butterflies apart along the grid lines and use them as fussy cuts or ephemera in a junk journal, a card or a collage
A page for a nature journal or a school project about butterfly species

More free butterfly printables

Frequently asked questions

Is the butterfly specimen chart free?

Yes. It is free to download and print for your own use.

Are these the same butterflies as in the 2027 coloring calendar?

Yes, the same 12 species in the same order, January to December. The calendar pages show them as black-and-white drawings to color, and this chart shows them in color.

What size is the file?

The JPG is 3300 × 2480 pixels (11 × 8.27 in at 300 dpi). It prints on A4 and US Letter paper in landscape orientation – choose “fit to page” if your printer trims the edges.

Can I sell the butterfly specimen chart or share the file?

No. You may print it for yourself, but you may not sell or share the files or printed copies. Please read the terms of use for free downloads.