Butterflies & Moths
Order Lepidoptera
809 speciesKnown for their large, often colorful wings covered in tiny scales. Lepidoptera undergo complete metamorphosis through egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages.
Species in this Order
Mormon Metalmark
Apodemia mormo
A small butterfly with dark brown wings covered in white spots arranged in irregular bands. Several ...
Morpho Portis Butterfly
Morpho portis
An Atlantic Forest endemic Morpho butterfly with dark brown wings marked by a violet-blue iridescent...
Mother of Pearl Moth
Patania ruralis
A large crambid moth with translucent pearlescent wings bearing subtle brown markings. It is one of ...
Mother Shipton
Euclidia mi
A day-flying moth whose forewing markings resemble the profile of a witch's face. It is named after ...
Mother-of-Pearl Butterfly
Protogoniomorpha parhassus
A large butterfly with shimmering pearly white wings that reflect iridescent blue and pink. It inhab...
Mottled Umber Moth
Erannis defoliaria
A variably patterned brown moth where males range from pale to almost black. Females are completely ...
Mountain Fritillary
Boloria napaea
A small fritillary with rich orange-brown wings marked with black spots. It occurs in damp alpine me...
Mountain Ringlet
Erebia epiphron
A small dark brown butterfly with orange-ringed eyespots found only at high altitudes. In Britain it...
Muga Silk Moth
Antheraea assamensis
A semi-domesticated wild silk moth producing a naturally golden silk unique to Assam, India. Its shi...
Muslin Moth
Diaphora mendica
A sexually dimorphic moth where males are dark smoky grey and females are pure white with black spot...
Naga Nawab Butterfly
Polyura nepenthes
A powerful fast-flying butterfly with green-washed wings and short tails on the hindwings. It is dra...
Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth
Hemaris tityus
A bumblebee mimic with largely transparent wings and a furry olive-and-brown body. It flies by day, ...
Natterer's Longhorn Beetle
Heliconius nattereri
A rare heliconiine butterfly endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. One of the most threatened bu...
Navel Orangeworm
Amyelois transitella
The most damaging pest of almonds, walnuts, and pistachios in California. Larvae bore into nuts and ...
Neotropical Atlas Moth
Arsenura armida
A large silkmoth with wavy brown and grey wings and distinctive scalloped wing margins. Its caterpil...
Neotropical Blue Hairstreak
Pseudolycaena marsyas
A brilliant iridescent blue hairstreak butterfly with delicate tail streamers on the hind wings. Its...
Nessus Sphinx Moth
Amphion floridensis
A day-flying sphinx moth with dark chocolate-brown wings and two bright yellow bands across the abdo...
Nettle Pug
Eupithecia venosata
A small pug moth associated with bladder campion, not nettles despite its name. Larvae feed inside t...
Nettle-tree Butterfly
Libythea celtis
A medium butterfly with angular wings and an extremely long snout formed by elongated palps. Its win...
New Zealand Magpie Moth
Nyctemera annulata
A distinctive day-flying moth endemic to New Zealand, with black and white spotted wings. It is comm...
New Zealand Red Admiral
Vanessa gonerilla
An endemic New Zealand butterfly with striking red and black wing patterns. It is found throughout b...
New Zealand Yellow Admiral
Vanessa itea
A native New Zealand butterfly closely related to the red admiral but featuring prominent yellow-ora...
Norse Grayling
Oeneis norna
A medium-sized grayish-brown butterfly with subtle orange patches and small eyespots. The wings have...
Northern Clouded Yellow
Colias hecla
A bright orange-yellow butterfly with broad dark borders on the upperwings. The underside is greenis...
Numata Longwing
Heliconius numata
A remarkable butterfly that exists in over a dozen wing pattern forms, each mimicking a different sp...
Nymphidium mantus
Nymphidium mantus
White butterfly with dark wing edges resembling a tiny pierid. Caterpillars are tended by ants in a ...
Oak Eggar
Lasiocampa quercus
A robust moth with rich brown wings and a distinctive white spot on each forewing. Males are active ...
Oak Leaf Roller Moth
Archips xylosteana
A medium-sized tortrix with brown patterned forewings showing darker oblique bands. Larvae roll oak ...
Oak Processionary Moth
Thaumetopoea processionea
A moth whose caterpillars march nose-to-tail in long processions along tree branches....
Oberthur's Grizzled Skipper
Pyrgus armoricanus
A small greyish-brown skipper with white spots, very similar to related species but with distinct un...
Oberthur's Loepa Moth
Loepa oberthuri
A bright golden-yellow silk moth with distinctive violet-centered eyespots surrounded by rings of ye...
Old Lady Moth
Mormo maura
A large, sombre dark-brown moth whose wing pattern was thought to resemble a shawl worn by elderly w...
Old World Bollworm
Helicoverpa armigera
One of the most destructive agricultural pests globally, attacking over 200 crop species. Larvae bor...
Oleander Hawkmoth
Daphnis nerii
A large hawkmoth with beautiful camouflage patterns in shades of green and pink that perfectly match...
Orange Oakleaf Butterfly
Kallima inachus
A butterfly with bright orange upperwings but underwings that perfectly mimic a dead leaf....
Orange Sulphur
Colias eurytheme
Orange-yellow butterfly with black wing borders and a pink-rimmed silver spot on the hindwing unders...
Orange Swift Moth
Triodia sylvina
A ghost moth whose larvae bore into the roots of various trees and herbaceous plants. Males have bri...
Orange-barred Sulphur
Phoebis philea
A large bright yellow butterfly with orange bar markings on the upper forewings. Females are more mu...
Orange-tip
Anthocharis cardamines
Males have bright orange wingtips; females are plain white with black tips. A herald of spring in Eu...
Orchard Swallowtail
Papilio aegeus
A large black swallowtail where females display white and red markings mimicking toxic butterflies. ...
Oregon Silverspot Butterfly
Speyeria zerene hippolyta
A medium-sized fritillary butterfly with bright silver spots on its hindwing undersides. It inhabits...
Oriental Fruit Moth
Grapholita molesta
A small dark moth whose larvae first bore into peach shoot tips, then later generations attack fruit...
Orizaba Silk Moth
Rothschildia orizaba
A magnificent New World silk moth with large reddish-brown wings bearing conspicuous triangular clea...
Ornate Tiger Moth
Arctia flavia
A rare alpine tiger moth with cream forewings bearing irregular brown markings and orange-yellow hin...
Owl Butterfly
Caligo memnon
A very large tropical butterfly with enormous owl-eye patterns on the underside of its hindwings. Th...
Owl Moth
Brahmaea wallichii
A large moth with intricate swirling wing patterns resembling owl feathers....
Painted Bat Moth
Alcidis zodiaca
A day-flying moth with iridescent blue-black wings marked with bands of brilliant orange and white p...
Painted Jezebel
Delias hyparete
A brightly colored butterfly with white uppersides and strikingly colorful undersides featuring red,...
Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui
The most widely distributed butterfly in the world, found on every continent except Antarctica and S...
Painted Lichen Moth
Hypoprepia fucosa
A small moth with distinctive grey forewings bearing bright red-orange stripes running from base to ...
Palamedes Swallowtail
Papilio palamedes
A large dark swallowtail of southern swamp forests with yellow bands and a distinctive yellow postme...
Pale Arctic Clouded Yellow
Colias werdandi
A pale greenish-yellow butterfly with very faint dark wing borders. It is closely associated with Sc...
Pale Brown Hawk Moth
Theretra nessus
A sleek hawk moth with uniform brown coloring and darker lateral stripes along the body. It is wides...
Pale Grass Blue
Zizeeria maha
One of the smallest and most common butterflies in Japan, known as 'yamato-shijimi.' Found everywher...
Pale Triangle
Graphium eurypylus
A fast-flying swallowtail with pale blue-green triangle markings on black wings. It frequently puddl...
Pale Tussock
Calliteara pudibunda
A fluffy grey-white moth with distinctively feathered legs held forward at rest. Its caterpillar is ...
Pallid Emperor Moth
Cirina forda
A medium-sized saturniid moth with pale brownish-grey wings. The caterpillars, known as shea worms, ...
Palos Verdes Blue
Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis
A tiny blue butterfly endemic to the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County. It was thought ex...
Pandora Sphinx Moth
Eumorpha pandorus
A large sphinx moth with olive-green forewings marked with darker patches and pink hindwings. Its ca...
Paradise Birdwing
Ornithoptera paradisea
A spectacular birdwing butterfly endemic to Papua New Guinea, notable for the elongated tails on the...
Paris Peacock
Papilio paris
A magnificent large swallowtail with velvety black wings bearing a large iridescent blue-green patch...
Pea Moth
Cydia nigricana
A small tortrix moth whose larvae feed inside pea pods. A significant pest of commercial and garden ...
Peach Blossom
Thyatira batis
A charming moth with olive-brown forewings adorned with pink and white spots that resemble peach blo...
Peach Twig Borer
Anarsia lineatella
A small gray moth whose larvae bore into new shoots and developing fruits of stone fruit trees. It i...
Peachtree Borer
Synanthedon exitiosa
A clearwing moth that is the most destructive borer of peach trees in North America. Larvae feed in ...
Peacock Butterfly
Aglais io
Reddish-brown wings with four large blue and yellow eyespots resembling peacock feathers. Undersides...
Peak White
Pontia callidice
A white butterfly with greenish marbling on the underside of its hindwings. It is one of the highest...
Pearl Charaxes
Charaxes varanes
A medium-sized charaxes butterfly with pearly white underwings and tawny-orange uppersides. It is on...
Pebble Prominent Moth
Notodonta ziczac
A grey-brown moth with a tuft of scales on the trailing edge of each forewing that creates a promine...
Pellucid Hawk Moth
Cephonodes hylas
A strikingly beautiful day-flying hawk moth with entirely transparent wings and a bright green and y...
Pepe Para Riki (Common Copper)
Lycaena salustius
New Zealand's most common endemic butterfly, a small copper-coloured species found in open habitats ...
Pepe Tuna (Bag Moth)
Liothula omnivora
A native New Zealand bag moth whose caterpillars construct elaborate portable cases covered with twi...
Peppered Moth
Biston betularia
The classic textbook example of natural selection in action. During the Industrial Revolution, dark ...
Peppered Moth Dark Form
Biston betularia f. carbonaria
The dark melanic form of the famous peppered moth, a textbook example of natural selection. Became d...
Peppered Moth of New Zealand
Cleora scriptaria
An endemic New Zealand geometrid moth known as the kawakawa looper, whose caterpillars feed on kawak...
Philippine Atlas Moth
Attacus lemairei
A giant silk moth endemic to the Philippines with rich chestnut-brown wings and large transparent tr...
Philippine Birdwing
Troides rhadamantus
A large birdwing butterfly endemic to the Philippines with black forewings and bright golden-yellow ...
Pine Emperor Moth
Imbrasia cytherea
A large South African emperor moth with brown and cream banded wings. Its caterpillars can become si...
Pine Hawk-moth
Sphinx pinastri
A sleek grey hawk-moth with dark streaks that provide perfect camouflage against pine bark. It is st...
Pine Processionary
Thaumetopoea pityocampa
A grey moth whose caterpillars march in long nose-to-tail processions between their silk nests and f...
Pine Shoot Moth
Rhyacionia buoliana
A small bright orange moth with silver-grey crosslines on the forewings. Its larvae bore into the te...
Pine White
Neophasia menapia
Delicate white butterfly with black forewing veins. Uniquely among pierids, larvae feed on conifer n...
Pine-tree Lappet
Dendrolimus pini
A large moth that can be a devastating forest pest, with caterpillars capable of completely defoliat...
Pink Bollworm
Pectinophora gossypiella
A small dark moth whose pink-tinged larvae bore into cotton bolls and damage the fibers and seeds. I...
Pink Glasswing
Cithaerias pireta
A forest-floor butterfly with mostly transparent wings and delicate pink-tinted hind wing patches. I...
Pipevine Swallowtail
Battus philenor
A dark swallowtail with brilliant iridescent blue hindwings and an orange-spotted underside. Its tox...
Plain Tiger
Danaus chrysippus
An orange butterfly with black borders and white spots that is extremely widespread across Africa an...
Polar Fritillary
Boloria polaris
A small butterfly with warm orange upperwings marked with dark spots and zigzag lines. The underside...
Police Car Swallowtail
Graphium policenes
A striking swallowtail butterfly with black wings covered in small pale green spots resembling a pol...
Polyphemus Moth
Antheraea polyphemus
A large tan moth with prominent purple-ringed eyespots on its hindwings. It is named after the cyclo...
Poplar Admiral
Limenitis populi
Europe's largest nymphalid butterfly with broad dark wings bearing white bands and orange submargina...
Poplar Hawk-moth
Laothoe populi
A large grey-brown hawk-moth that holds its hindwings forward of the forewings at rest, creating an ...
Poplar Kitten Moth
Furcula bifida
A small relative of the puss moth with a caterpillar that also has tail whips....
Postman Butterfly
Heliconius melpomene
A slender long-winged butterfly with black wings and a bold red band across the forewings. It is a c...
Priamus Birdwing
Ornithoptera priamus
A large and variable birdwing butterfly found across Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and part...
Privet Hawk-moth
Sphinx ligustri
Britain's largest resident moth, with a massive body bearing pink and black abdominal stripes. Its h...
Processionary Caterpillar Moth
Ochrogaster lunifer
A moth whose caterpillars are famous for travelling in long, nose-to-tail processions through the Au...
Promethea Moth
Callosamia promethea
A large silk moth with strong sexual dimorphism. Males are dark with tan margins while females are r...
Provencal Burnet
Zygaena occitanica
A small day-flying moth with dark blue-green metallic forewings bearing red spots and bright red hin...
Provence Short-tailed Blue
Cupido alcetas
One of Europe's smallest butterflies with violet-blue males and dark brown females. It lacks the tai...