Field Guide

Butterflies and Moths

Showing 1 - 10 of 14 results
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.
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.
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 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.
Bronze copper butterfly perched on a grass blade, wings closed
Bronze Copper
Lycaena hyllus (syn. Hyllolycaena hyllus; Lycaena thoe)
The bronze copper occurs in localized colonies in throughout northern and western Missouri. Look for it May through October in wet, open, grassy areas.
Photo of a gray copper butterfly nectaring on butterfly weed flowers
Gray Copper (Great Copper)
Lycaena dione (formerly Gaeides xanthoides dione)
The gray copper is locally common in the western half of Missouri, where it flies in June and July. Look for it in moist, grassy, open areas during those months.
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.