I first created this site back in 1998 to document the wild plants that I encountered. But it has grown into a clearinghouse of information on landscaping, backyard birds, butterfly gardening, plant identification and making paper from plant fiber. After leaving Kansas, I thought of deleting the site. But realize it has a wealth of information that people rely upon.
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Gardens & Wildlife > Butterflies
Yard Butterflies & Moths
Photo Gallery
All of these photos are of butterflies and moths that have been attracted to my yard. Using native plants is the best way to attract butterflies as moths as many use them as host plants for their larva. Planting a variety of different plants from different plant families will create a diverse habitat for butterflies and moths.
Learn more about Butterfly Gardening with native plants.
Learn more about Host Plants of butterflies.
American Idia moth (Idia americalis) http://bugguide.net/node/view/16249
American snout butterfly on common hackberry http://bugguide.net/node/view/440
Asimina webworm moth caterpillars (Omphalocera munroei) on paw paw http://bugguide.net/node/view/121234
Armyworm Moth (Mythimna unipuncta) http://bugguide.net/node/view/10901
Beet Webworm moth (Hymenia perspectalis) http://bugguide.net/node/view/9731
Bent wing owlet Moth (Bleptina caradrinalis) http://bugguide.net/node/view/15091
Bicolored Angle Moth (Macaria bicolorata) http://bugguide.net/node/view/15712
female black swallowtail
black swallowtail egg on golden alexander seed
black swallowtail larva (1st instar) on golden alexander
black swallowtail larva (4th instar)
Black swallowtail larva on Lomatium
black swallowtail larva (3rd instar) on golden alexander
Brown Bark Carpet (Horisme intestinata) http://bugguide.net/node/view/15294
Brown shaded Gray Moth (Iridopsis defectaria) http://bugguide.net/node/view/19280
cabbage white on clammyweed
Chickweed Geometer (Haematopis grataria) http://bugguide.net/node/view/14995
larva on clammyweed
clearwing moth, http://bugguide.net/node/view/195648
clouded sulphur on New England aster
female clouded sulphur http://bugguide.net/node/view/12864
cloudless sulphur egg on the underside of a Maryland senna leaf
Cloudless sulphur caterpillar
Clover Looper (Caenurgina erechtea) http://bugguide.net/node/view/9680
Common buckeye http://bugguide.net/node/view/516
Common Gray (Anavitrinella pampinaria) http://bugguide.net/node/view/11536
Common Idia Moth (Idia aemula) http://bugguide.net/node/view/16245
Common Tan Wave (Pleuroprucha insulsaria) http://bugguide.net/node/view/11617
Copper Underwing Moth (Amphipyra pyramidoides) http://bugguide.net/node/view/13299
Corn Earworm Moth (Helicoverpa zea) http://bugguide.net/node/view/5718
Corn Earworm Moth (Helicoverpa zea) http://bugguide.net/node/view/5718
crambid moth
Delaware skipper on milkweed vine, http://bugguide.net/node/view/9602
Dingy Cutworm moth (Feltia jaculifera) http://bugguide.net/node/view/10464
dun skipper on climbing milkweed
dun skipper on climbing milkweed, http://bugguide.net/node/view/3255
Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma) http://bugguide.net/node/view/5509
Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma) http://bugguide.net/node/view/5509
Eastern tailed blue butterfly
eastern tiger swallowtail on beebalm, http://bugguide.net/node/view/491
Eastern tiger swallowtail on canada verbena, http://bugguide.net/node/view/491
Eggplant Leafroller (Lineodes integra) http://bugguide.net/node/view/36773
Fiery Skipper on clammy weed (Polanisia dodecandra), http://bugguide.net/node/view/406
Arcigera Flower Moth (Schinia arcigera) http://bugguide.net/node/view/5814
Forage Looper (Caenurgina erechtea) http://bugguide.net/node/view/9681
giant swallowtail egg on prickly ash
giant swallowtail
giant swallowtail caterpillar, first instar on prickly ash
Glossy Black Idia Moth (Idia lubricalis) http://bugguide.net/node/view/4501
gray hairstreak on tall joe-pye
Great spangled fritillary on mint-leaf beebalm (Monarda fistulosa), http://bugguide.net/node/view/4221
Greater Black Letter Dart (Xestia dolosa) http://bugguide.net/node/view/381174
Green Cloverworm moth (Hypena scabra) http://bugguide.net/node/view/9540
Hackberry Emperor http://bugguide.net/node/view/552645
Hackberry Emperor http://bugguide.net/node/view/552645
Horace's duskywing http://bugguide.net/node/view/17268
Ipsilon Dart Moth http://bugguide.net/node/view/38914
Ipsilon Dart Moth (Agrotis ipsilon) http://bugguide.net/node/view/38914
little yellow on baldwin ironweed
Lunate Zale Moth (Zale lunata) http://bugguide.net/node/view/4197
Maple Looper moth (Parallelia bistriaris) http://bugguide.net/node/view/3356
Monarch on New England aster
Monarch on button gayfeather, moth on gray goldenrod
Monarch on swamp milkweed
Monarch caterpillar on swamp milkweed
monarch caterpillar
Monarchs on New England Aster
Moths attracted to bait
Mourning Cloak Butterfly http://bugguide.net/node/view/4239
Oldwife underwing (Catocala palaeogama) http://bugguide.net/node/view/45164
painted lady on New England aster
Parthenice Tiger Moth (Grammia parthenice) http://bugguide.net/node/view/5907
pearl crescent on swamp milkweed, http://bugguide.net/node/view/411
Peck's skipper on Baldwin's ironweed, http://bugguide.net/node/view/3246
promiscuous angle moth, http://bugguide.net/node/view/172164
Question Mark butterfly eating "bait"
Question Mark butterfly
Question Mark Butterfly
Question Mark Butterfly without the dot on the question mark
Red admiral
red admiral on downy goldenrod http://bugguide.net/node/view/448
red-banded hairstreak on snow-on-the-mountain http://bugguide.net/node/view/575
red-banded hairstreak (Shawnee county record)
red spotted purple butterfly eating butterfly bait
red spotted purple
Sachem skipper, http://bugguide.net/node/view/9521
silver spotted skipper on beebalm, http://bugguide.net/node/view/4936
sleepy orange
female sleepy orange on Baldwin's ironweed, http://bugguide.net/node/view/501
sleepy orange sulphur caterpillar on Maryland senna, http://bugguide.net/node/view/3815
snowberry clearwing moth at swamp milkweeda
snowberry clearwing on swamp milkweed
Somber Carpet moth (Disclisioprocta stellata) http://bugguide.net/node/view/9875
Summer azure
Sweetheart moth (Catocala amatrix) http://bugguide.net/node/view/29697
tawny-edged skipper on ironweed
Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton) nectaring on "bait" http://bugguide.net/node/view/2646
Tripudia moth (Tripudia rectangula) http://bugguide.net/node/view/402923
Variegated Midget (Elaphria versicolor) http://bugguide.net/node/view/37649
Viceroy Butterfly
wavy lined emerald geometer moth caterpillar coverered with plant debris http://bugguide.net/node/view/421718
white lined sphinx (Hyles lineata) caterpillar on wild four o'clock
White-lined sphinx (Hyles lineata) http://bugguide.net/node/view/3071
wild indigo duskywing
wild indigo dusky wing skipper caterpillar on canada milkvetch
Yellow Collared Scape Moth (Cisseps fulvicollis) http://bugguide.net/node/view/447
Yellow Striped Armyworm Moth (Spodoptera ornithogalli) http://bugguide.net/node/view/12522
Zebra swallowtail on butterfly milkweed, http://bugguide.net/node/view/383694
zebra swallowtail on butterfly milkweed, http://bugguide.net/node/view/383694
zebra swallowtail larva on paw pawDISCLAIMER: This page contains affiliate links in the right hand panel, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support my website and allows me to continue to add new content. Thank you for the support!