Moths &
Butterflies
A Pathfinder Honor
1. Define the following
terms.

Antennae - paired appendages connected to
the front-most segments of an insect.
Antennae are jointed, at least at the base,
and generally extend forward from the head.
They are sensory organs - sensing touch, air
motion, heat, vibration (sound), and
especially smell or taste.

Cocoon- cocoon is a casing spun of silk as a
protective covering for the pupa.

Pupa - A pupa is the life stage of some insects
undergoing transformation.

Larva - a juvenile form an insect that is
undergoing metamorphosis. The larva can
look completely different from the adult form,
for example, a caterpillar differs from a
butterfly. Larvae often have special (larval)
organs which do not occur in the adult form.

Chrysalis - A chrysalis or nympha is the pupal
stage of butterflies. Chrysalids are often
showy and are formed in the open. Most are
attached to a surface by a Velcro-like
arrangement of a silken pad spun by the
caterpillar and a set of hooks at the tip of the
pupal abdomen.
2. What is the
distinction between
moths and butterflies?
Antennae / Feelers
Moths

have comb-like or
feathery
antennae, or
filamentous and
unclubbed.
Butterflies

thin slender
filamentous
antennae which
are club shaped at
the end.
Pupae
Moths

spin a cocoon
made of silk
within which they
metamorphose
into the pupal
stage.
Butterflies

form an exposed
pupa which is also
termed as a
chrysalis.
Coloration
of Wings
Moths


Nocturnal moths
are usually plain
brown, grey, white
or black and often
with obscuring
patterns of zigzags
or swirls which
help camouflage
them as they rest
during the day.
Many day-flying
moths are brightlycolored,
particularly if they
are toxic.
Butterflies

have bright colors
on their wings.

A few butterflies
are also plaincolored, like the
Cabbage White
butterfly.
Time of Activity
Moths

are nocturnal –
night activity

There are however
exceptions,
including the
diurnal Gypsy
moth and the
spectacular
"Uraniidae" or
Sunset moths
Butterflies

are diurnal – both
day and night
activity
Resting Posture
Moths

usually rest with
their wings spread
out to their sides.
Butterflies

frequently fold
their wings above
their backs when
they are perched
although they will
occasionally
"bask" with their
wings spread for
short periods.
3 . Identify and describe
some moths and/or
butterflies by their
cocoons.
Monarch Butterfly
Pieris Rapae
Actias luna (Luna Moth)
Dogbane tussock moth
Gulf Fritillary
4. What causes colored
powder to come off on your
hands when you handle the
wings of a butterfly or
moth?

This powder is made from tiny scales
which cover the butterfly's wings.
These scales give the wings their
color, as the membrane beneath the
scales is nearly transparent. The
scales detach when contacted by a
finger, much as the skin on a person's
knee is abraded when it contacts a
sidewalk.
5 . Name some harmful tree
moths and harmful house
moths. Tell during what
stage of their lives they
each do their damage.
Gypsy Moth
The gypsy moth was
introduced into the United
States in 1868 by a French
scientist. It is now one of
the most notorious pests of
hardwood trees in the
Eastern United States.
Gypsy moths eat only during their larval stage.
Tent Caterpillar
Species occur in North
America, Mexico, and
Eurasia. Twenty-six
species have been
described, six of which
occur in North America.
Caterpillars build a single large tent which is typically occupied
through the whole of the larval stage.
Lesser Wax Moth
Wax moths were first seen in
North America in 1806.
People believe they came over
with honeybees from Europe..
The larvae are the only ones
that eat, the adults will not
eat.
Codling Moth
Coddling moths are known as an agricultural pest, their
larva being the common apple worm or maggot. It is native
to Europe and was introduced to North America, where it
has become one of the regular pests of apple orchards.
Clothing Moth
Like most moth caterpillars,
it can (and will) derive
nourishment not only from
clothing but also from many
other sources. Eggs hatch
into larvae, which then begin
to feed. Once they get their
fill, they pupate and undergo
metamorphosis to emerge as
adults.
White Shouldered Moth
The White Shouldered House Moth is a very common
moth and occurs regularly inside buildings, and being
continuously-brooded, can be found at any time of year,
mainly found indoors via open doors, windows etc. It is a
widely distributed species whose larvae infest stored
grain
6 . What famous butterfly
follows the birds
southward every winter
and comes northward in
the spring ?
Monarch Butterfly

Monarch butterflies are especially noted for
their lengthy annual migration. They make
massive southward migrations starting in
August until the first frost. A northward
migration takes place in the spring. Female
Monarchs deposit eggs for the next generation
during these migrations. By the end of
October, they reach their overwintering
grounds. How the species manages to return to
the same overwintering spots over a gap of
several generations is still a subject of
research; the flight patterns appear to be
inherited, based on a combination of circadian
rhythm and the position of the sun in the sky.
Monarch Butterfly Video
7. Describe the life cycle
of a butterfly or moth.
What lesson can be
learned in connection
with the resurrection of
the righteous.

Butterflies and moths are
notable for their unusual life
cycle with a larval caterpillar
stage, an inactive pupal stage,
and a spectacular
metamorphosis into a familiar
and colorful winged adult form.

Unlike many insects, butterflies
do not experience a nymph
period, but instead go through a
pupal stage which lies between
the larva and the adult stage.
The four stages of a
butterfly's life cycle
are…..
Stage 1 - Egg

Butterfly eggs are fixed to a leaf with a special
glue which hardens rapidly. As it hardens it
contracts, deforming the shape of the egg. Eggs
are usually laid on plants. Each species of
butterfly has its own host plant range and
while some species of butterfly are restricted
to just one species of plant, others use a range
of plant species, often including members of a
common family.
Stage 2 - Caterpillar

Larvae, or caterpillars, are multi-legged
eating machines. They consume plant leaves
and spend practically all of their time in
search of food. Caterpillars mature through a
series of stages, called instars. At the end of
each instar, the larva moults the old cuticle,
and the new cuticle rapidly hardens and
pigments. Development of butterfly wing
patterns begins by the last larval instar.
Stage 3 - Pupa

When the larva is fully grown, hormones
are produced. At this point the larva stops
feeding and begins "wandering" in the
quest of a suitable pupation site, often the
underside of a leaf. The larva transforms
into a pupa (or chrysalis) by anchoring
itself to a substrate and molting for the
last time. The chrysalis is usually
incapable of movement, although some
species can rapidly move the abdominal
segments or produce sounds to scare
potential predators.
Stage 4 - Imago

the adult, sexually mature, stage of the insect
is known as the imago. After it emerges from
its pupal stage, a butterfly cannot fly until the
wings are unfolded. A newly-emerged butterfly
needs to spend some time inflating its wings
with blood and letting them dry, during which
time it is extremely vulnerable to predators.
Some butterflies' wings may take up to three
hours to dry while others take about one hour.
Resurrection

The life cycle of the butterfly has parallels to
the life cycle of a Christian. During the larval
stage, a butterfly lacks the beauty of an adult.
It spends all of its time feeding itself, often
causing major damage to plants. This stage of
a butterfly's life can be likened to the
unrighteous state of man, in that it is
unlovely and often ignorant of the damage it
causes.

Eventually, the caterpillar pupates. This
stage is parallel to death.

While inside its chrysalis, the butterfly is
transformed. This is not something it is
conscious of doing. At the resurrection of the
righteous, the Christian will also transformed
by Christ into a new person, free from all
defects. Gone are the selfish desires and the
ugliness. It is a beautiful creature free from
sin.
8. Identify and describe 25
species of moths and
butterflies.
Follow the directions on the
following slides to complete
this requirement.
American Snout Butterfly

The American Snout ( Libytheana carinenta ) is a
butterfly that has long labial palps (mustache-like
scaly mouthparts on either side of the proboscis) that
look like a long snout. The butterfly has a 1 3/8 - 2
inch (3.5 - 5 cm) wingspan. The front pair of legs on
the male (but not the female) are reduced in size.
Eggs are laid in groups on the hackberry plant. The
caterpillar eats hackberry (celtis); the adult sips
nectar of the flowers from asters, dogbane, dogwood,
goldenrod, sweet pepperbush, and more. Adult
American Snout butterflies look like dead leaves.
They sometimes go on long migrations. They are
brush-footed butterflies (Family Libytheidae).
Blue Morpho Butterfly

The Blue Morpho butterfly ( Morpho menelaus ) is
a species of neotropical butterfly that has
iridescent blue wings (the females are are not as
brilliantly colored as the males and have a brown
edge with white spots surrounding the iridescent
blue area). The undersides (visible when the
butterfly is resting) are brown with bronzecolored eyespots. Adults drink the juices of
rotting fruit. The caterpillar of the Blue Morpho
is red-brown with bright patches of lime-green on
the back, and it eats the plant Erythroxylum
pilchrum nocturnally (at night). Blue Morphos
live in rainforests from Brazil to Venezuela. Blue
Morphos belong to the Family Nymphalidae,
Genus Morpho, and species menelaus.
Garden Tiger Moth

The Garden Tiger ( Arctia caja ), also
known as the Great Tiger Moth, is a
common moth that is has a 1.8-2.8
inch (4.5-7 cm) wingspan. Its
caterpillar, the black woolly bear, has
long black hairs on top and rustcolored hairs on the underside. It is
found in Europe and Asia in
temperate regions, and less
frequently in the Canada and
Northern USA. Family Arctiidae.
Goliath Birdwing Butterfly

The Goliath Birdwing ( Ornithoptera
goliath ) is the second-largest
butterfly in the world. This brightlycolored butterfly is poisonous and has
a wingspan up to 11 inches (28 cm)
wide. It has black, yellow and green
wings and a yellow and black body.
This butterfly in found in tropical
forests in Indonesia. Family
Papilionidae.
Milbert’s Tortoiseshell

Milbert's tortoiseshell (Nymphalis
milberti) is a small butterfly with a
squared-off fore-wing. The wingspan
is 1.6 - 2.5 inches (4.2 - 6.3 cm). It
lives in North America from southern
Alaska down to Mexico. Huge batches
of eggs (up to 900) are laid on nettles.
The caterpillar eats nettles; the adult
feeds on flowers (thistles, goldenrods,
and lilacs), sap and rotting fruit.
Painted Lady Butterfly

Vanessa cardui is a widespread butterfly
in temperate and some tropical areas. It
also known as the thistle butterfly and
the cosmopolitan. The Painted Lady has
a 2 - 2 7/8 inches (5.1 - 7.3 cm) wingspan.
Adults sip thistle nectar and some
hibernate. The life cycle begins with tiny,
pale green eggs. The yellow-striped,
brown-green spiny caterpillar builds a
silky, webbed nest, usually in thistle.
Family: Nymphalidae
Peacock Butterfly

The peacock butterfly ( Inachis io ) is a common
butterfly from temperate parts of Europe
(including Britain) and Asia. This butterfly
makes a hissing sound when it is alarmed
(usually upon seeing a bird); it makes the
sound by rubbing its wings together. The wings
are brownish-purple with a bright eyespot on
each wing (the wings look a bit like an owl's
face). The undersides of the wings are mottled
grayish-brown. The larval host plant is the
stinging nettle; the caterpillar is black with
spines. Classification: Family Nymphalidae
(brush-footed butterflies), genus Inachis,
species I. io .
Postman Butterfly

Heliconius melpomene is a poisonous
butterfly from neotropical habitats in
Central America to Brazil. This
butterfly has long antenna, and wings
that are brown with orange spots.
They have a wingspan of 2.5 to 3.25
inches (6 to 8 cm). The caterpillars
eat passion vines (Passiflora). Family:
Nymphalidae, genus Heliconius,
species H. melpomene .
Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing is the
biggest butterfly in the world, with a
wingspan up to 1 ft (30 cm) wide. The
female is larger than the male and is
brown with cream spots; the male is
brown with blue and green markings and
has a bright yellow abdomen. The
caterpillar is black with red tentacles
and has a cream-colored spot in the
middle of its body. This rare butterfly is
found in the lowland forests of northern
Papua New Guinea (east of the Owen
Stanley Mountains).
Red Admiral

The Red Admiral ( Vanessa atalanta )
is a common migratory butterfly
found in marshy north temperate
regions of Asia, Europe and North
America. It is a fast flier. Its
caterpillar lives only on nettles.
Classification: Family Nymphalidae.
Saturn Butterfly

The Saturn Butterfly ( Zeuxidia
amethystus) has a wingspan of about
3.9-4.3 inches (10-11 cm) and lives in
the shady forest understory. The
female is paler than the male (above).
The Saturn Butterfly is found in
Malaysia, Borneo, the Philippines,
Burma, and Sumatra. It was named
by Butler in 1865. Classification:
Family Nymphalidae (Subfamily
Morphinae).
Summer Azure Butterfly

The Summer Azure Butterfly
( Celestrina neglecta ) is a small, lilacblue butterfly with a paler underside.
It has a wingspan of 3/4 to 1 1/8 inch
(2- 2.75 cm). It lives in open areas
and grassy fields, and it sips clover
nectar. It is found in most of eastern
North America. The Summer Azure is
the palest of the Azure butterflies. It
was named by Edwards in 1862.
Classification: Family Lycaenidae.
Ulysses Butterfly

Papilio ulysses , also known as the
Ulysses butterfly, the Blue Mountain
Swallowtail, the Blue Emperor, and the
Mountain Blue, is a spectacular
Australian butterfly. The male is an
iridescent blue-green with a dark
background. The female is more subdued
in color. They have a wingspan of about
5.5 inches (14 cm). Both have a long
"swallowtail." Males are attracted to
most blue objects (mistaking them for
females). There are 16 known subspecies.
Viceroy

The Viceroy butterfly ( Limenitis archippus ) is
a brown and orange non-poisonous butterfly
that is very similar to the Monarch; it is a
Batesian mimic of the poisonous Monarch. It
can be distinguished from the Monarch by the
black line that crosses its wings. Also, the
undersides of its wings are quite similar to the
topside (unlike the Monarch, whose underside
is much lighter). It has a wingspan of 2.75 to 3
inches (7 to 7.5 cm). The Viceroy is found from
Canada to Mexico. The caterpillar is olive
green and brown with bristly tufts behind the
head; it eats mostly willow and cottonwood.
Classification: Family Nymphalidae.
Zebra Swallowtail

The Zebra Swallowtail ( Eurytides
marcellus ) is a butterfly with distinctive
black and white markings and elongated
tails on its hindwings. The caterpillar is
yellow-green with black and yellow
stripes. Larvae eat pawpaw. The Zebra
Swallowtail has a wingspan of about 22.75 inches (5-7 cm). The Zebra
Swallowtail lives for about 6 months in
its adult stage. It is found in the eastern
part of North America from Canada to
Florida, USA. Family Papilionidae.
Tiger Swallowtail

The tiger swallowtail butterfly ( Papilio
glaucas ) is a strong flier with distinctive
yellow and black striped markings on its
wings and body (some females are brown
or black, mimicking the poisonous
pipevine swallowtail). This butterfly has
a wingspan of 3.5-6.5 inches (9-16.5 cm)
and is found throughout the USA and
Canada. The caterpillar is plump and
green with yellow eyespots; it looks like
bird droppings when young. Larvae eat
leaves from the tulip tree, sweet bay, wild
black cherry, ash, lilac, aspen, birch, and
choke cherry.
Southern Dogface

The southern dogface butterfly, Colias
cesonia , is a yellow butterfly that is also
known as the dog's head butterfly. The
wings are mostly yellow; there is a small
dark circle in the center of the forewing
and the margins of the wings are black)
they look a bit like a dog's face). Males
have brighter coloration than females. The
wingspan is 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 inches (58-65 cm).
The caterpillar is green with black and
yellow stripes. This butterfly lives in open
woods in the southern half of the USA. The
larval host plant is the false indigo bush,
Amorpha fruticosa (a legume).
Classification: family Pieridae, genus
Colias (Zerene), species C. cesonia .
Mourning Cloak Butterfly

( Nymphalis antiopa , Linnaeus 1758) The
mourning cloak (also known as Camberwell
beauty) is a butterfly with unusual
forewing outlines. The dark maroon wings
have pale, speckled edges and a dark inner
margin with blue spots. Eggs are laid in
large clusters on elm, poplar, and willow
trees. The caterpillar is black with white
spots and has maroon patches on the back.
This larva eats the leaves of poplar, elm,
salix, and betula. Adults sip fermenting
fruit juices, oak sap, and flower nectar. The
mourning cloak is found in riparian forests
in Europe, North America, and temperate
areas in Asia.
Julia

The Julia is a yellow-orange tropical
butterfly with long forewings. It is about 34 inches wide. The female Julia is a duller
shade of orange and has more dark
markings. The small, yellow-to-gold eggs
are oval and the pupa is angular. The Julia
caterpillar feeds on passion flower vine
(Passiflora); the adult sips nectar from the
flowers of the lantana and shepherd's
needle. Julias are found from South and
Central America to the southern USA. The
Julia belongs to the Heliconians, tropical
butterflies that have a large head and have
a bad taste and smell. It is a brush-footed
butterfly (Family Nymphalidae).
Karner Blue Butterfly

The Karner Blue Butterfly ( Lycaeides melissa samuelis )
is a small, blue butterfly that has a wingspan of about 1
inch (2.5 cm). This endangered species lives in oak
savannas and pine barrens and is associated with wild
lupine ( Lupinus perennis , a plant that the caterpillar
eats). Adults drink the nectar of horsemint,
butterflyweed, and bachelors button. The adult male
(pictured above) and female have a very different
appearance. The upper sides of the male's wings are
silver to dark blue with white and black margins. The
upper sides of the female's wings are gray -brown to blue,
with some bands of orange crescents along the bottom of
the hind wing, and white and black margins. The
underside of the wings of both sexes are grayish in
colorwith orange crescents and some metallic spots along
the bottom of both hind wings. The green caterpillar is
tended by ants; these ants collect a sugary liquid that is
secreted by the caterpillar, and the ants protect the
caterpillar from some predators and parasites.
Monarch Butterfly

The Monarch ( Danaus plexippus ) is a
common poisonous butterfly found
worldwide. It eats milkweed in its
larval stage and lays eggs on the
poisonous milkweed plant. Monarchs
have a wingspan of 3 3/8 - 4 7/8
inches (8.6 - 12.4 cm).
Still Need More?
 The
rest of the butterflies
and moths that you need
can be found within the
previous pages of this
PowerPoint.
(Right Click – “Go to slide”)
Quiz Time!

Take this quiz to
complete this honor
1.
What is the difference between the
moth’s and the butterfly’s antennae?
2.
List (in the correct order) the life
cycle stages.
3.
What give the butterfly’s wings its
color?
4.
How is the gypsy moth harmful?
5.
Where does the Monarch Butterfly
overwinter?
6.
How does the Monarch Butterfly
return to the same overwintering
location each year?
Check Your Answers
1.
Butterfly have antennae with club
shaped ends. Moth antennae are
comb-like or feathery
2.
Egg, Caterpillar, Pupa, Imago
4.
Damages hardwood trees in eastern
United States
5.
California Coast & Mexico
6.
Circadian Rhythm & the position of
the sun in the sky
Congratulations!
You have completed the Moths & Butterflies
honor. Please take your paperwork to your
instruction and have it signed.