Can you identify these butterflies and ? Papilionidae Nymphalidae Danaidae A first: Butterflies and moths Take a look around and you’ll spot them flitting about or resting. Can’t see Pieridae Morphidae some of them? Their species may not actually be present in the greenhouse (nocturnal) butterflies and moths have a sweet “tooth”! today. With living creatures, nature has the last word, after all. Heliconiidae Brassolidae To feed, the inserts its proboscis into tasty tropical fruit Butterflies Go Free has always presented butterflies or nectar-rich flowers, like these ones: and moths from the Americas, but there are more of them than ever this year. Even better, some Quebec ones are joining the party for the first time. It’s quite a feat! Normally, they would be outdoors under the snow, waiting until spring to continue developing. It takes the special skills of the Insectarium’s experts to awaken them from their “slumber” during winter’s deep freeze. Graphium agamemnon Parides iphidamas Heliconius melpomene Morpho polyphemus Tailed jay Transandean cattleheart Postman White morpho Asia (5-6 cm) Central America (5-6 cm) South and Central America (7-8 cm) Central America (10-13 cm)

Lantana camara Heliotropium arborescens Yellow sage Common heliotrope

Papilio memnon Troides rhadamantus Heliconius sara Caligo eurilochus Great Mormon Small troides Small blue Grecian Owl butterfly Southeast Asia (10 cm) Asia (10-12 cm) South and Central America (6-7 cm) South and Central America (10-13 cm)

Pentas lanceolata Fruit platter LUNA luna Star cluster Bananas, kiwis, mangoes, oranges, peaches, etc. Like other Saturniid moths, luna moths have no mouth parts. They live only 4 to 10 days – just long enough to breed! Papilio palinurus Hebomoia glaucippe Cethosia biblis Danaus plexippus Banded peacock Great orange tip Red lacewing Monarch Southeast Asia (8-9 cm) Asia (7-9 cm) Southeast Asia (5-7 cm) Americas (10 cm)

Buddleia davidii Calliandra haematocephala Butterfly bush Red powderpuff Papilio polytes Dryadula phaetusa Hypolimnas bolina Idea leucone Common Mormon Banded orange Great eggfly bolina Rice paper POLYPHEMUS MOTH Asia (7-8 cm) South and Central America (6-7 cm) Southeast Asia (7-8 cm) Southeast Asia (10-12 cm) You may spot one of these moths in defensive mode:

. resting on the ground and forcefully beating its wings, h c

n making the eyespots “blink.” It’s a pretty impressive show! e

r May-June F

r A male and female moth mate. o n

i The life cycle t a

L June

m The female lays 200 to 300 eggs on o r f leaves. She lays only a few on each tree s n

o or bush to make sure that there are i t a

l enough leaves to feed the caterpillars s

n when they emerge. a r t

Papilio rumanzovia Dryas julia Parthenos sylvia Ideopsis juventa l a i

c July

Rumanzovia swallowtail Julia Clipper Wood nymph i f f

Southeast Asia (10 cm) South and Central America (7-8 cm) Southeast Asia (7-8 cm) Southeast Asia (6-7 cm) o The caterpillar grows, moults, n

u grows, moults … four times e r a

s August e

m … and then spins the a n cocoon in which it will h s i l turn into a chrysalis g n

E and spend the winter.

e CECROPIA MOTH Hyalophora cecropia h t

f May o These are the largest of all Quebec butterflies or moths,

e A NEW moth is born!

m with a wingspan of up to 17 centimetres. They also have o S a remarkable sense of smell. A male can detect a female Papilio thoas Heliconius hecale Morpho helenor Attacus atlas 8 kilometres away. Thoas swallowtail Golden helicon Blue morpho Cobra moth Central America (9-11 cm) South America (7-8 cm) South and Central America (9-13 cm) Southeast Asia (15-25 cm)