{"id":27370,"date":"2022-06-03T22:06:05","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T22:06:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/agbio\/?post_type=ipm-pests&p=27370"},"modified":"2024-05-22T19:06:10","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T19:06:10","slug":"butterflies-and-moths","status":"publish","type":"ipm-pests","link":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/agbio\/ipm-pests\/butterflies-and-moths\/","title":{"rendered":"Butterflies and moths"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Butterflies and moths<\/h1>\n

Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae, Lycaenidae, Nymphalidae, Papilionidae, Pieridae, Riodinidae, Prodoxidae, Pyralidae, Pyraustidae, Pterophoridae, Scythrididae, Heliodinidae<\/p>\n

Description<\/h3>\n

Butterflies and moths are flying insects that play a minor role in pollination. Like all insects, moths and butterflies have three pairs of legs, antennae, and three body segments called a head, thorax and abdomen. Size and coloration are highly variable and dependent on species. Some species mimic the physical features of larger animals to ward off potential predators. An example of this is seen in the luna moth image. Note the eye spots located on the back of its wings.<\/p>\n

When feeding, a straw-like feeding apparatus (called a proboscis) extends into the flower to extract nectar. Between feeding periods, the proboscis is retracted in a coiled resting position near the insect\u2019s head. Butterflies and moths tend to remain at the flower edges when foraging, limiting their contact with pollen. Unlike bees who deliberately collect pollen when foraging, butterflies and moths are minor pollinators. However, there are some exceptions to this. For example, yucca plants are pollinated by yucca moths (Tegeticula sp.<\/em>). Female yucca moths collect a sticky ball of pollen, lay their eggs on a different flower, and then deposit the pollen on the stigma of the nursery flower. This is an example of \u201cactive pollination\u201d since it involves deliberate cross-pollination by a pollinator. This ensures that food will be available for yucca moth caterpillars when they emerge.<\/p>\n

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus<\/em>) pollinate milkweed and feed on milkweed as caterpillars. This is a unique relationship because the adult butterflies and larvae use the same host plant. As Monarch caterpillars feed, milkweed toxin accumulates and remains through the rest of its life, making adult butterflies toxic and foul tasting to many would-be predators.<\/p>\n

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