Butterflies and Moths

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Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

Butterflies and Moths

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Lepidoptera

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Psychophily: pollination by butterflies.

Psychophilous: plants that are pollinated by butterflies.

Phalaenophily: pollination by moths.

Phalaenophilous: plants that are pollinated by moths.

Sphingophily: pollination by hawkmoths and nocturnal lepidoptera.

Sphingophilous: plants that are pollinated by hawkmoths and nocturnal lepidoptera.

Butterflies and Moths are Pollinators in Decline

A karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis). Photo courtesy of Ann B. Spengel, USFWS.

A karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides
melissa samuelis). Photo courtesy of
Ann B. Spengel, United States
Fish and Wildlife Service.

Butterflies and moths are important pollinators . However, many species of butterflies and moths have been declining, partially due to loss of migratory and nectar corridors. Over 200 species of butterflies and moths undergo some type of migration, and the loss of appropriate habitat the distance of the migration routes has led to declining populations. Attempts to reverse this trend are being made by local jurisdictions, conservation organizations , and federal agencies.

Compared to bees, butterflies and moths are often less efficient at transferring pollen between plants because frequently pollen does not stick to their bodies and they lack specialized structures for collecting pollen. Butterflies and moths probe for nectar and prefer flat clustered flowers that they can use as a landing pad.

Butterflies and moths are members of the order Lepidoptera. Butterflies differ from moths in several aspects: butterflies fly during the day, possess clubbed antennae, are brightly colored, and lack a frenulum (a wing coupling mechanism common in moths) (Reference: What are the differences between butterflies and moths?, Australian Museum).

Please browse this section to learn more about hawk moths , butterfly and moth identification, butterfly- and moth-plant associations, and yucca moths .

Butterflies and Moths of North America Database

Visit the Butterflies and Moths of North America database! You can find occurrence maps, species accounts, checklists, and photographs of butterflies and moths, and much more in this online searchable database hosted and maintained by the Big Sky Institute at Montana State University and the NBII Mountain Prairie Information Node.

Check out the Children's Butterfly Site that is also maintained by the NBII Mountain Prairie Information Node and hosted by the Big Sky Institute at Montana State University. On this site, children can find all kinds of ' neat stuff ' to do and learn about butterflies - like coloring pages, the butterfly life cycle, a photograph gallery, books, videos, and much more!

One Long Migration

A monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, feeding on a thistle flower. Credit NBII.
A monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) feeding on a thistle flower. Credit Elizabeth Sellers - National Biological Information Infrastructure.

Monarch butterfly
Danaus plexippus

Description: Male and female monarch butterflies' wings are orange with black borders and veins. Females have thicker black veins than males, and males have a swollen pouch on both of their hind legs that resembles a black spot. Adult monarchs have a wingspan of 8.60 to 12.40 cm.

Life History: In early spring monarch butterflies lay about 400 eggs on the underside of milkweed plants; caterpillars hatch from the eggs. The caterpillar molts five times and then enters the pupal stage. An adult butterfly finally emerges from the pupal stage. It takes about 30 days for a monarch egg to develop into an adult butterfly. North American monarchs migrate in the fall from Canada south to overwintering grounds in Mexico and southern California. For some, the journey is over 2,900 km. Monarch butterflies remain in their overwintering areas November through March. Similar overwintering behavior has been observed in Costa Rican and Australian populations.

Habitat: Monarch butterflies prefer open country and are frost intolerant. Their habitat must include milkweed plants and dense tree cover for overwintering.

Distribution: This species is found in North America, South America, Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Mauritius, the Canary Islands, and western Europe.

Status: The monarch butterfly is not listed as threatened; however, the annual monarch migration is considered a "threatened phenomenon" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).

Resources:

Monarch Watch (The Kansas Biological Survey, University of Kansas)

Migratory Pollinators Program (Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Center for Sonoran Desert Studies)

Danaus plexippus: Monarch butterfly (Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology)

The NBII Program is administered by the Biological Informatics Office of the U.S. Geological Survey

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