Field Guide

Butterflies and Moths

Showing 41 - 50 of 54 results
Gray comma perched on a flower, winged closed
Gray Comma
Polygonia progne
The gray comma is easy to ID if you can see the underside: it is charcoal gray with many fine dark streaks, and its comma marking is L-shaped and narrows to a fine point at each end.
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 an eastern comma butterfly, wings spread, showing dorsal side of wings
Eastern Comma
Polygonia comma
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.
image of a Tawny Emperor, Wings Spread
Tawny Emperor
Asterocampa clyton
The tawny emperor is less common than the hackberry emperor and has a rustier coloration. Both species feed on hackberry trees as caterpillars.
Photo of a Cabbage White
Cabbage White
Pieris rapae
A common butterfly in Missouri, the cabbage white was introduced in the 1800s from Europe and became a crop pest.
image of a Checkered White, Twigs
Checkered White
Pontia protodice
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.
Photo of a falcate orangetip nectaring on a spring beauty flower
Falcate Orangetip
Anthocharis midea
Falcate orangetip males are unmistakable with their small size, white coloration, and orange wingtips. Look for them in open woodlands in April.
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 Common Checkered Skipper
Common Checkered Skipper
Pyrgus communis
The white and black checkered pattern makes this a simple identification. The common checkered skipper is the only checkered skipper in Missouri.
Photo of an Eastern Tailed-Blue
Eastern Tailed-Blue
Cupido comyntas
You can find the eastern tailed-blue in Missouri in prairies, fields, vacant lots, and yards — virtually any open, sunny place.
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.