This data set comprises information collected in field about the monitoring of the butterfly communities of Sierra Nevada since 2008. The data set has been compiled in up to 20 different locations, where butterfly communities estimations have been carried out following the internationally standardised line transect method. The data have been collected from the months of March to October with a variable periodicity between sites and between years. Usually, the periodicity has approached a sampling every two weeks. The data collection has always been carried out in suitable climatic conditions. The community of butterflies of Sierra Nevada is of high interest at European level given the values of diversity detected. In total, 101,424 individuals belonging to 102 species and 1 subspecies have been detected, distributed among 64 genera and 5 different families. The sampled habitats include aquatic systems, autochthonous scot pine forests, high mountain grasslands, high mountain meadows, high mountain scrubland, holm oak forests, lowland crops, lowland scrublands, mid mountain grasslands, mid mountain scrubland, mountain crops, pine plantations and pyrenean oak forests.