This is a circumpolar boreal species, ranging southward in North America to the northern United States. Pinguicula vulgaris is a distinct calciphile, growing on alkaline rocks, especially on the Lake Superior shore, and sands (as on interdunal flats and hollows), and marly flats along the Great Lakes; occasionally in marly fens and on moist rock outcrops inland from the Great Lakes, although most sites in Michigan are along the cool shores.

Other species occur in the southeastern US and especially in Mexico.

The rather bright-looking rosettes of leaves are very distinctive, and almost always are found near Primula mistassinica (although the primrose also grows many places where butterwort does not). The flowers are solitary on scapes 1.5–12 (–15) cm tall and there may be as many as 9 scapes from a single rosette of leaves.