Field Guide

Butterflies and Moths

Showing 31 - 35 of 35 results
Photo of a sod webworm moth on a screen window with wings curled around abdomen
Sod Webworm
Pediasia trisecta
Sod webworms are very common small moths that develop as caterpillars among the roots and leaves of grasses. They are attracted to lights at night.
Faint-spotted palthis moth resting on part of an aluminum screen door
Litter Moths
Subfamily Herminiinae
Litter moths are a subfamily of rather nondescript brownish moths, often with intricate patterns that camouflage them as they rest on tree bark or among leaves on the forest floor.
Photo of a juniper-twig geometer resting on a brick wall
Juniper-Twig Geometer
Patalene olyzonaria
The juniper-twig geometer is one of many geometrid moths that look like a dried-up leaf. Look for them around porch lights April through November. Larvae eat junipers, including eastern red cedar.
Ornate bella moth resting on a thoroughwort flower cluster, Meadowood Farm SRMA, Mason Neck, Virginia, August 31, 2015
Ornate Bella Moth
Utetheisa ornatrix
The ornate bella moth, also called the calico moth and rattlebox moth, is one of Missouri’s most attractive moths. The colors, however, are a warning to predators that this moth is toxic if eaten. Even spiders reject them.
Forage looper moth perched on a brick wall, viewed from side
Moths
More than 12,000 species in North America north of Mexico
Learn about moths as a group. What makes a moth a moth? How are moths different from butterflies? What are the major groups of moths?
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.