An Introduction to Moths and Butterflies
Butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) are characterized by large, often brightly colored wings that fold together at rest and flutter when flying. The oldest butterfly fossils date back 56 million years.
Characteristics of Moths and Butterflies
Often brightly colored, butterflies can commonly be seen flying around Montana throughout the summer.
- They feature a head, thorax, and abdomen like all insects.
- From their head protrudes antennae, which are clubbed (like the head of a golf club)) unlike those of moths, which can be feathery or threadlike.
- A long proboscis can be coiled when not in use for sipping nectar from flowers.
- The thorax has 3 segments each with its own pair of legs.
Moths are more active during night and low-light parts of the day
- Their wings lay flat when not in uses
- Moths are typically not as colorful as butterflies and come a wide variety of sizes and shape.
Overview of the Moth and Butterfly Lifecycle
- Their 4-stage lifecycle begins as the adult lays eggs on the food on which their larvae, also knowns as caterpillars, will feed.
- The caterpillars generally grow rapidly and once fully developed pupate in a chrysalis.
- Once this state is complete, the adult insect climbs out, expands its wings to dry, and then flies off.
- In colder environments, some butterflies reproduce every year, where others take several years to pass through their entire life cycle.
- In their adult stage, butterflies can live from a week to nearly a year
Montana Fly Fishing: Moths and Butterflies
- Spruce moths are closely linked to the conifer trees that line the Montana rivers.
- They become active in mid-July and Montana trout quickly key into them during the early stages of their first appearances of the summer.
- The Gallatin, Blackfoot, and Big Hole Rivers are legendary among Montana fishing guides for the dry fly fishing opportunities with spruce moth patterns in midsummer.
5 Best Spruce Moth Fly Patterns for Fly Fishing in Montana
