Wow, where do you live??

I am consulting my butterfly book as I write this. The third looks like it might be a Milbert's tortoiseshell. The first, maybe a great spangled fritillary. There are many other fritillaries, though. Maybe someone more knowledgeable would be able to be more informative. Your location would help, though.

1. One of the greater fritillaries (as opposed to lesser fritillaries)

2. Likely a Pearl Crescent sometimes called Pearly Crescentspot

3. Milbert's tortoiseshell.

Sorry, you did say you were in Western PA! The great spangled should be the most common large fritillary for you, as it is in most of the eastern US. Aren't they gorgeous? The New Jersey branch of NABA, The North American Butterfly Association, says on their website that if you don't get excited seeing that species you should give up on butterflies and find another hobby! I believe they are not a difficult species to attract to gardens. If you plant violets, their host plant, maybe you can attract them even more. I just saw one in my yard for the first time last week, and I'm still thrilled about it.

You are not that far away from me, in central New Jersey, but I do not believe we get Milbert's tortoiseshell here, more's the pity. Another really beautiful butterfly.

Liz

Thanks Liz! I figured the first pic was some type of fritillary, just wasn't sure which. There are 10 pages of fritillaries in my butterfly book. My grand daughter was so excited when she saw the first one earlier in the summer, thinking it was a monarch. They are indeed beauties. Thanks for letting me know their host plants are violets. I will definitely plant some next year.

As for the Milbert's tortoiseshell, that is the first one I've ever seen and I have not seen one since. I'm glad I took a picture because I would have thought it was a red admiral. It wasn't until I looked at the pic that I realized it was a different butterfly all together.

This is the first year I saw a red admiral. It hung around for a couple of weeks. I think it is one of the most beautiful butterflies I've ever seen. I would love to see more of them.

I'll bet the small butterflies I'm seeing on the lawn/clover are pearl crescents. They look like the pic(2) above, but smaller. Maybe that one was just bigger. Here's a pic I just took of one. Sorry it's a little blurry because I zoomed in, and they just don't sit still very long. I can only imagine what my neighbor thought, if he was watching, of me running around the yard with the ipad held over the grass! What do you think, crescent?

What a beautiful day here to just watch the butterflies flit about!