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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Vanessa atalanta
Description
Red admirals dart through Missouri woods, gardens, and open areas from March through November. They are easily recognized by their black, red, and white pattern.
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Anaea andria
Description
As it rests with wings closed, the goatweed leafwing mimics a dry, dead leaf. But when it flutters around, it flashes bright rusty orange on the top side of its wings.
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Vanessa virginiensis
Description
The American lady resembles the closely related painted lady butterfly. It has two large spots on the hindwing underside, however.
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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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Pieris rapae
Description
A common butterfly in Missouri, the cabbage white was introduced in the 1800s from Europe and became a crop pest.
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Pontia protodice
Description
The checkered white is named for the charcoal-colored patterns on the white wings of adults. As with the closely related cabbage white, the larvae feed on plants in the mustard family.
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Colias philodice
Description
The clouded sulphur is one of our most common butterflies, flying low over fields and lawns, from late March into December.
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Phoebis sennae
Description
The cloudless sulphur is the large, clear-yellow butterfly you see flying rapidly to the southward in late summer and fall: They’re migrating!
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Pyrisitia lisa (syn. Eurema lisa)
Description
The little yellow is just what the name says it is. The lower side is yellow with a few spots, including two tiny black spots on the basal hindwing and, often, a larger rusty spot on the hindwing margin.
See Also
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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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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.