Field Guide

Butterflies and Moths

Showing 1 - 6 of 6 results
Several regal fritillaries feeding on butterfly weed
Butterflies and Skippers
More than 700 species in North America north of Mexico
Learn about butterflies and skippers as a group. What makes a butterfly a butterfly? How are they different from moths? What are the major groups of butterflies?
Photo of a mourning cloak butterfly perched on a strand of barbed wire.
Mourning Cloak
Nymphalis antiopa
The unmistakable mourning cloak is a familiar woodland butterfly in Missouri. Adults hibernate and are sometimes seen flying on warm, sunny days in winter.
Photo of a silvery checkerspot, Wings Folded
Silvery Checkerspot
Chlosyne nycteis
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.
Photo of an Orange Sulphur taking nectar from a flower
Orange Sulphur (Alfalfa Butterfly)
Colias eurytheme
One of the most common butterflies in Missouri, the orange sulphur often gathers in numbers in moist places.
Photo of a red-banded hairstreak
Red-Banded Hairstreak
Calycopis cecrops
The red-banded hairstreak has a unique pattern of white, black, and red-orange bands on the underside hindwing. It is most common in the Ozarks.
Photo of a Gray Hairstreak
Gray Hairstreak
Strymon melinus
The gray hairstreak, a small gray butterfly, is widespread throughout the United States. In Missouri, there are three or more broods each year.
See Also
image of Caddisfly on leaf
Caddisflies
About 1,500 species in North America north of Mexico
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.
Photo of eastern dobsonfly
Eastern Dobsonfly
Corydalus cornutus
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.