Field Guide

Butterflies and Moths

Showing 1 - 5 of 5 results
Media
Photo of a Horace's Duskywing
Species Types
Scientific Name
Erynnis horatius
Description
Look for Horace’s duskywing at flowers and mud puddles, in forests, and along roadsides.
Media
Photo of a Northern Cloudywing
Species Types
Scientific Name
Thorybes pylades
Description
A cloudywing is a spread-winged skipper whose ground color, seen from above, is completely dark, and not mottled. The northern cloudywing has a dark face, too.
Media
Photo of an unidentified grass skipper
Species Types
Scientific Name
About 275 species in North America north of Mexico
Description
At first glance, skippers look halfway between butterflies and moths. They are commonly seen darting among the flowers they visit on hot summer days.
Media
Several regal fritillaries feeding on butterfly weed
Species Types
Scientific Name
More than 700 species in North America north of Mexico
Description
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?
Media
Image of a silver-spotted skipper
Species Types
Scientific Name
Epargyreus clarus
Description
In a large, global family of several thousand species, the silver-spotted skipper is one of the easiest to identify in our state.
See Also
Media
image of Caddisfly on leaf
Species Types
Scientific Name
About 1,500 species in North America north of Mexico
Description
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.
Media
Photo of eastern dobsonfly
Species Types
Scientific Name
Corydalus cornutus
Description
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.