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The Desert Orangetip (Pieridae) is a sexually dimorphic species found in the desert regions of the southwestern United States from the Mohave Desert of southern California, southern Nevada, and western Arizona westward through the Sonoran Desert region of Southern Arizona. The female is yellow and the male is white, but both species share the distinctive orange and black tip of the forewing and the greenish marbling on the hindwing below. There are a number of orangetip species in North America, but this is one of the easier to identify. The larvae feed on a number of different crucifers, particularly mustards.

Harford's Sulphur (Pieridae) is one a large number of very similar species of the genus Colias. The species is almost identical to the common, widespread Clouded Sulphur, but is restricted in its range to the dry hillsides and canyons of southwestern California from Los Angeles southward to Baja California. The caterpillars feed on Rattleweed (Astragalus) in the Pea Family.

The Silver-banded Hairstreak (Lycaenidae) is widespread in the American tropics ranging from northern Argentina to the southern United States. The species occurs in both dry tropical scrub forest and in desert. In the United States it can be found in the Florida Keys, southern Texas, and in the desert regions of southern Arizona and southern California. The true beauty of many hairstreaks is found on the lower surfaces of their wings and this species is no exception with its green background and prominent white postmedial lines.

The Sonoran Blue (Lycaenidae) is not really a typically desert species, but is so attractive we had to include it somewhere. The species occurs on open, sunny, lightly forested mountain slopes and in often in open canyons, but perhaps more commonly in the dry washes and cliffs of the California deserts. The species is very rare and local and restricted to California and Baja California. The metallic blue wings and the black and orange spots of the forewing are distinctive.

The Mormon Metalmark (Riodinidae) is not restricted to desert areas occuring is a wide variety of dry habitats including desert, short grass prairie, and chaparral. The species occurs throughout most of the western United States but is most common in the desert regions of the southwest. There are other closely related species (considered only subspecies by some systematists) in the southwest. The larvae feed on a number of species of Buckwheat (Eriogonum).

The Alkali Skipper (Hesperiide) lives in grassy areas of the alkali flats of the Mohave and Great Basin Deserts of southern California and western Nevada. The larvae feed on Desert Salt Grass (Distichlis spicata).

The Mohave Sootywing (Hesperiidae), despite its common name, occurs in most of the desert regions of the United States. Its favorite habitats are alkali flats and desert washes where its foodplant Shadscale (Atriplex canescens) (Chenopodiaceae) occurs.