Field Guide

Butterflies and Moths

Showing 61 - 70 of 70 results
image of a Tawny-Edged Skipper, Wings Spread
Tawny-Edged Skipper
Polites themistocles
Wide-ranging and common, the tawny-edged skipper can be seen May through October in a variety of grassy, open habitats.
Coral hairstreak butterfly on butterfly weed flowers
Coral Hairstreak
Satyrium titus (syn. Harkenclenus titus)
The coral hairstreak is the only Missouri hairstreak lacking hindwing “tails” and without a blue spot on the outer hindwing edge.
Henry's elfin butterfly resting on an oak leaf at Smith Conservation Area
Henry's Elfin
Callophrys henrici (formerly Incisalia henrici)
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.
American snout butterfly resting with wings folded
American Snout
Libytheana carinent
Most of us identify butterflies by their color patterns, but you can ID the American snout by its long “nose.”
Common buckeye butterfly nectaring on a flower, wings spread
Common Buckeye
Junonia coenia
The common buckeye is one of Missouri’s prettiest butterflies, but it doesn’t overwinter here. Instead, migrants arrive in late spring and early summer.
Photo of a common wood-nymph butterfly
Common Wood Nymph
Cercyonis pegala
Common wood nymphs vary by region. Some have a yellow area on the forewing containing two eyespots. Others may have the yellow area reduced to a yellow circle around each eyespot.
Photo of a Horace's Duskywing
Horace's Duskywing
Erynnis horatius
Look for Horace’s duskywing at flowers and mud puddles, in forests, and along roadsides.
Juvenal's duskywing resting on the ground
Juvenal's Duskywing
Erynnis juvenalis
Juvenal’s duskywing is a spread-wing skipper that closely resembles Horace’s duskywing. Unlike Horace’s, it flies only in springtime and has two small telltale pale spots on the hindwing underside.
Photo of an unidentified grass skipper
Skippers
About 275 species in North America north of Mexico
At first glance, skippers look halfway between butterflies and moths. They are commonly seen darting among the flowers they visit on hot summer days.
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?
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.