Butterflies and Moths

A Monarch butterfly visits a thistle flower.

Butterflies and moths are the second largest order of insects (Lepidoptera), but relatively few of them live in Canada. These insects are obviously among the easiest to notice and identify, due to their large and often colourful wings. However, they are not major pollinators. Butterflies and moths tend to sit at the edges of flowers, and extend their long tongues (probosces) to reach nectar. They rarely come in contact with the pollen at the centers of the flowers. Nevertheless, some moths are effective pollinators of deep-throated flowers that require the insects to crawl inside to reach the nectar.

There is no simple rule of thumb to tell the difference between butterflies and moths. Butterflies often feed during the day, and most moths feed at night, though there are exceptions. Butterflies must land on flowers to feed, while many moths are able to flutter before a flower while feeding. This affects the types of flowers that these insects prefer: butterflies need a large landing platform, so they prefer large, flat flowers, while moths can be attracted to cup-shaped flowers. Day-feeding butterflies and moths also prefer colourful flowers, often blues and violets, while night-feeding moths require flowers that are pale or white, easily seen by moonlight, and strongly scented.

Butterflies are easy to follow in the garden or meadow, since they fly at a constant height, usually within four feet of the ground. They lay their eggs on specific host plants (e.g. Monarchs use milkweed), and have a very short lifespan, sometimes going through several generations each season. Where there are butterflies present, watch for eggs and cocoons on host plants, but please don't disturb or remove them.