Butterflies and Moths
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Scientific Name
Phyciodes tharos
Description
Don't let the pearl crescent’s dainty size keep you from admiring its intricate beauty.
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Scientific Name
Polygonia comma
Description
The eastern comma is named for a small white mark on the underside of the hindwing. It flies spring through fall, and even in winter, on warm, sunny days.
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Scientific Name
Chlosyne nycteis
Description
Black and orange above, paler below, the silvery checkerspot has a telltale wide white crescent in a brownish patch along the edge of the hindwing underside.
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Scientific Name
Asterocampa clyton
Description
The tawny emperor is less common than the hackberry emperor and has a rustier coloration. Both species feed on hackberry trees as caterpillars.
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Scientific Name
Epargyreus clarus
Description
In a large, global family of several thousand species, the silver-spotted skipper is one of the easiest to identify in our state.
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Scientific Name
Hylephila phyleus
Description
Fiery skippers have plain orange undersides scattered with a sprinkling of small dark spots. Males have flame-shaped orange patches on the hindwing upper surface.
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Scientific Name
Atalopedes campestris
Description
Found statewide in grassy, open places, the sachem gets its name from the boldness of the males, which approach and chase away intruders — even people!
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Scientific Name
Pyrgus communis
Description
The white and black checkered pattern makes this a simple identification. The common checkered skipper is the only checkered skipper in Missouri.
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Scientific Name
Callophrys henrici (formerly Incisalia henrici)
Description
Henry’s elfin is a small brown butterfly with splendid camouflage markings. It lives in and near open woodlands. The adults fly only in April and early May, when redbuds and wild plums are blooming.
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Scientific Name
Libytheana carinent
Description
Most of us identify butterflies by their color patterns, but you can ID the American snout by its long “nose.”
See Also
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Scientific Name
About 1,500 species in North America north of Mexico
Description
Adult caddisflies are mothlike. Their larvae are aquatic and build portable, protective cases out of local materials, including grains of sand, bits of leaves and twigs, and other debris.
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Species Types
Scientific Name
Corydalus cornutus
Description
Adult eastern dobsonflies are huge and mothlike, with large wings and a weak, fluttery flight. The fiercely predaceous aquatic larvae, called hellgrammites, are well-known to anglers, who often use them as bait.
About Butterflies and Moths in Missouri
Butterflies, skippers, and moths belong to an insect order called the Lepidoptera — the "scale-winged" insects. These living jewels have tiny, overlapping scales that cover their wings like shingles. The scales, whether muted or colorful, seem dusty if they rub off on your fingers. Many butterflies and moths are associated with particular types of food plants, which their caterpillars must eat in order to survive.