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
Puerto Rican Harlequin Butterfly
Atlantea tulita
A small endangered butterfly endemic to Puerto Rico with orange and black checkered wings. It inhabi...
Punched Metalmark
Adelotypa annulifera
Brown metalmark with distinctive pale-ringed dark spots giving a punched-hole appearance. Active in ...
Puriri Moth
Aenetus virescens
New Zealand's largest moth, with a wingspan up to 150 mm. The caterpillars bore into the trunks of n...
Purple Emperor
Apatura iris
A majestic woodland butterfly whose males display an intense iridescent purple sheen visible only at...
Purple Hairstreak
Favonius quercus
A small dark butterfly with a purple-blue sheen visible only at certain angles, living almost exclus...
Puss Moth
Cerura vinula
A furry white moth whose caterpillar has whip-like tail filaments and sprays formic acid....
Queen Butterfly
Danaus gilippus
A close relative of the Monarch butterfly with similar orange coloring but darker. Found across the ...
Queen of Spain Fritillary
Issoria lathonia
A powerful-flying fritillary with large, brilliant silver spots covering the underside of its hindwi...
Question Mark Butterfly
Polygonia interrogationis
Orange butterfly with dark spots and irregular wing margins. A silvery question-mark shape on the un...
Rajah Brooke's Birdwing
Trogonoptera brookiana
A striking birdwing butterfly with jet black wings crossed by brilliant electric green tooth-shaped ...
Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta
A bold black butterfly with red-orange bands and white spots, commonly seen in gardens. It is a stro...
Red Helen
Papilio helenus
A large, elegant swallowtail butterfly with black wings marked by large creamy-white patches on the ...
Red Lacewing
Cethosia biblis
A large butterfly with brilliant red-orange wings boldly bordered in black and white. The underside ...
Red Underwing
Catocala nupta
A large moth with bark-like grey forewings and vivid red and black banded hindwings flashed as a sta...
Red-banded Hairstreak
Calycopis cecrops
Small dark butterfly with a prominent red-orange postmedian band on the underside. Hindwings bear fa...
Red-banded Jezebel
Delias mysis
A tropical butterfly with white upper wings and vivid red bands on the hindwing underside. It is fou...
Red-belted Clearwing
Synanthedon myopaeformis
A clearwing moth with a distinctive red band around its abdomen. Larvae bore beneath the bark of app...
Red-bordered Metalmark
Caria ino
A dark metalmark butterfly with bright red-orange borders along the wing edges and metallic blue-gre...
Reed Leopard Moth
Phragmataecia castaneae
A cossid moth whose larvae bore into the stems of common reed and bulrush. It is widespread across E...
Regent Skipper
Euschemon rafflesia
A large, strikingly colored skipper butterfly with black wings marked by bold yellow and blue patche...
Rhetenor Blue Morpho
Morpho rhetenor
A strikingly vivid Morpho species known for its intensely saturated metallic blue coloring, consider...
Riband Wave Moth
Idaea aversata
A small greyish moth occurring in both banded and plain forms. The banded form has a conspicuous dar...
Rice Stem Borer
Scirpophaga incertulas
A small white moth whose larvae bore into rice stems, causing the devastating symptoms known as 'dea...
Richmond Birdwing
Ornithoptera richmondia
A large subtropical birdwing butterfly with green and black males and brown females. It is threatene...
Ringed China-mark Moth
Parapoynx stratiotata
A pretty white moth with brown ringed markings, closely associated with aquatic habitats. Its caterp...
Ringlet
Aphantopus hyperantus
A dark chocolate-brown butterfly with small ringed eyespots on the underwings. Flies in shady grassl...
Ross's Alpine
Erebia rossii
A dark brown butterfly with small reddish-orange eye spots on the forewings. Its cryptic coloration ...
Rosy Footman Moth
Miltochrista miniata
A beautiful small moth with orange-pink forewings crossed by delicate yellow lines. It is one of the...
Rosy Maple Moth
Dryocampa rubicunda
A small fluffy moth with striking pink and yellow coloring that resembles cotton candy. Adults emerg...
Rosy Underwing
Catocala electa
A large moth with camouflaged grey-brown forewings hiding vivid rosy-pink and black hindwings. When ...
Rothschild's Silkmoth
Rothschildia jacobaeae
A large silkmoth with reddish-brown wings featuring bold triangular translucent patches. Each wing a...
Rothschildia Silk Moth
Rothschildia lebeau
A spectacular large moth with rich brown wings featuring prominent triangular translucent windows. T...
Round-winged Muslin Moth
Thumatha senex
A tiny moth with rounded translucent whitish wings marked with faint grey spots. It is among the sma...
Rounded Metalmark
Calephelis perditalis
A small reddish-brown metalmark with distinctly rounded wing margins and two rows of metallic silver...
Royal Walnut Moth
Citheronia sepulcralis
A rich brown moth with orange veins and small yellow spots. It is closely related to the regal moth ...
Ruby Tiger Moth
Phragmatobia fuliginosa
A small tiger moth with dark brownish-red forewings and rosy-red hindwings spotted with black. It is...
Rush Veneer Moth
Nomophila noctuella
A migratory snout moth with warm brown forewings and pale hindwings. It is a strong flier that regul...
Rustic Sphinx Moth
Manduca rustica
A striking hawk moth with dark brown forewings marked with white patches and a banded abdomen. It is...
Sachem Skipper
Atalopedes campestris
A small tawny-orange skipper with a distinctive large dark patch on the male's forewing. Females are...
Saddleback Caterpillar Moth
Acharia stimulea
A dark brown moth best known for its extraordinary caterpillar, which is bright green with a brown s...
Sallow
Xanthia icteritia
A pretty golden-yellow moth found in autumn, associated with sallow trees. Adults can be attracted t...
Sallow Kitten
Furcula furcula
A small, fluffy white moth with delicate grey markings. Named for its resemblance to a small cat. La...
Samoan Swallowtail
Papilio godeffroyi
A rare and beautiful swallowtail butterfly endemic to Samoa. It has dark wings with pale markings an...
Sara Longwing
Heliconius sara
A striking longwing butterfly with velvety black wings marked by brilliant blue iridescent bands. It...
Sara Orangetip
Anthocharis sara
Small white butterfly with vivid orange forewing tips and mottled greenish hindwing undersides. Flie...
Satin Moth
Leucoma salicis
A pure white moth with a satin-like sheen and strikingly chequered black-and-white legs. It can beco...
Saunders' Case Moth
Metura saundersi
A smaller relative of the large case moth that constructs a tapering case of silk and plant debris. ...
Scalloped Hook-tip
Falcaria lacertinaria
A small moth with strongly curved wingtips and scalloped wing margins that rests resembling a dead l...
Scalloped Oak Moth
Crocallis elinguaria
A warm ochre-yellow moth with a distinctive dark brown band across the forewings. It rests with wing...
Scarce Copper
Lycaena virgaureae
A brilliant fiery-orange butterfly with black-spotted forewings, the male being one of the most inte...
Scarce Swallowtail
Iphiclides podalirius
A pale yellow swallowtail butterfly with bold black tiger stripes and long tailed hindwings tipped w...
Scarce Umber Moth
Agriopis aurantiaria
An autumn-flying moth with warm orange-brown wings marked with darker speckles. Females are wingless...
Scarlet Tiger Moth
Callimorpha dominula
A striking day-flying moth with black forewings spotted with white and yellow, and brilliant scarlet...
Schaus Swallowtail
Heraclides aristodemus ponceanus
A dark swallowtail with yellow bands and rusty-brown hindwing patches restricted to hardwood hammock...
Scotch Argus
Erebia aethiops
A dark brown butterfly with russet-orange bands containing eyespots, found in northern grasslands an...
Sertania Metalmark
Sertania circumdata
Small brown butterfly with orange patches and metallic scaling on the underside. Endemic to the Braz...
Setaceous Hebrew Character
Xestia c-nigrum
A grey-brown moth with a dark mark on the forewing resembling a Hebrew letter. It is a migratory spe...
Shepherd's Fritillary
Boloria pales
A variable fritillary butterfly of high alpine pastures. Its wing pattern varies greatly between pop...
Shuttle-shaped Dart Moth
Agrotis puta
A small, pale greyish-brown moth with a shuttle-shaped claviform stigma. Males and females show diff...
Siam Crown Moth
Attacus taprobanis
A large silk moth closely related to the Atlas moth with warm cinnamon-brown wings and distinctive a...
Silk Moth
Bombyx mori
The fully domesticated moth used in sericulture for over 5,000 years. Completely dependent on humans...
Silky Hairstreak
Pseudalmenus chlorinda
A small dark butterfly with metallic blue-green sheen and orange-spotted hindwing tails. Its larvae ...
Silver Y
Autographa gamma
A migratory moth marked with a bright silvery Y or gamma symbol on each forewing. Billions migrate n...
Silver-ground Carpet
Xanthorhoe montanata
A common and attractive geometer moth frequently disturbed from vegetation during daytime walks. Whi...
Silver-spotted Ghost Moth
Sthenopis argenteomaculatus
A large ghost moth from North America with silver-spotted wings. Caterpillars bore into the roots of...
Silver-spotted Skipper
Hesperia comma
A small golden-brown butterfly with distinctive silvery spots on the green underside of its hindwing...
Silver-striped Hawk Moth
Hippotion celerio
A medium-sized hawk moth with olive-brown forewings and bright pink hindwings, featuring silver stri...
Silver-washed Fritillary
Argynnis paphia
A large, fast-flying butterfly with bright orange upperwings marked with black spots and streaks. Th...
Silvery Blue
Glaucopsyche lygdamus
A small silvery-blue butterfly with a neat row of round black spots ringed in white on the grey unde...
Sinai Baton Blue
Pseudophilotes sinaicus
The smallest butterfly in the world by wingspan, found only in the Sinai Peninsula. It depends on a ...
Six-spot Burnet
Zygaena filipendulae
A day-flying moth with metallic blue-black forewings bearing six crimson spots. Its bright colours w...
Skin Moth
Monopis laevigella
A small dark brown moth with a pale spot on each forewing that breeds in bird nests and animal remai...
Skipper Butterfly
Epargyreus clarus
A stout-bodied butterfly with hooked antennae, brown wings with golden spots on the forewing, and a ...
Sleepy Orange
Eurema nicippe
Bright orange butterfly with irregular black borders and a small dark spot on the forewing. Named fo...
Small Apollo
Parnassius phoebus
A high-altitude alpine butterfly with translucent white wings bearing small red and black spots. It ...
Small Copper
Lycaena phlaeas
A vivid little butterfly with burnished copper-orange forewings spotted with black. It is feisty and...
Small Dusty Wave
Idaea seriata
A tiny pale moth with subtle wavy cross-lines. Commonly found inside buildings where larvae feed on ...
Small Elephant Hawk Moth
Deilephila porcellus
A smaller relative of the elephant hawk moth, with delicate pink and yellow-olive coloring. It is fo...
Small Emerald Moth
Hemistola chrysoprasaria
A small, delicate moth with uniformly pale green wings and fine white fringe. It is one of the daint...
Small Fan-footed Wave
Idaea biselata
A small, delicate moth with pale buff wings and fine dark cross-lines. Common in deciduous woodland....
Small Heath Butterfly
Coenonympha pamphilus
A small, plain orange-brown butterfly that always rests with its wings closed. It is one of the most...
Small Magpie Moth
Anania hortulata
A pretty white moth with black spots and a yellow head. Despite its name, it is a crambid rather tha...
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Boloria selene
A small orange fritillary with silver and rufous pearl spots on the hindwing underside....
Small Postman
Heliconius erato
A neotropical butterfly with black wings and vivid red, yellow, or white bands depending on the geog...
Small Ranunculus
Hecatera dysodea
A subtly attractive moth with pale grey-green wings marked with intricate darker patterns. It was on...
Small Rivulet
Perizoma alchemillata
A delicate small moth found in damp habitats where hemp agrimony grows. The larvae feed inside the f...
Small Tortoiseshell
Aglais urticae
A familiar orange butterfly with black and yellow markings and a row of blue crescents along the win...
Small-eyed Sphinx Moth
Paonias myops
A pinkish-brown sphinx moth whose hindwings bear a small blue eyespot ringed in black and yellow. It...
Smoky Wainscot
Mythimna impura
A dull brownish wainscot moth extremely common in grasslands. Larvae feed on various grass species. ...
Snailcase Bagworm
Apterona helicoidella
A tiny bagworm moth whose larva builds a coiled, snail-shell-shaped case from silk and sand grains. ...
Snout Moth
Vitessa suradeva
A large pyralid moth from Southeast Asia and New Guinea whose caterpillars spin webs on young leaves...
Snowberry Clearwing
Hemaris diffinis
A bumblebee mimic with largely transparent wings bordered in dark brown, a fuzzy olive thorax, and b...
Socotra Island Blue Butterfly
Azanus socotranus
A small blue butterfly endemic to Socotra Island in the Indian Ocean. Males have bright blue upperwi...
Socotran Emperor Butterfly
Charaxes balfouri
An endemic butterfly found only on the island of Socotra in the Indian Ocean. Part of the islands ex...
Sod Webworm Moth
Crambus praefectellus
A small straw-colored moth that holds its wings tightly rolled around its body at rest, giving it a ...
Sonoran Blue
Philotes sonorensis
Tiny blue butterfly with orange and black hindwing spots. One of the earliest-flying butterflies of ...
Sonoran Silk Moth
Sphingicampa hubbardi
A small saturniid moth with warm pinkish-tan wings and minimal patterning. It is adapted to the hars...
Sooty Ringlet
Erebia pluto
One of the darkest European butterflies, almost entirely black. It inhabits the highest scree slopes...
South American Clearwing Moth
Carmenta theobromae
A small wasp-mimicking clearwing moth with transparent wings and a banded black-and-yellow abdomen. ...
South American Luna Moth
Copaxa lavendera
A silkmoth with soft lavender-brown wings and prominent rounded eyespots. Its feathery antennae can ...