Holding a Cecropia Moth caterpillar.
Photo by BJ Lecrone

Megan McCarty talked about butterflies at Rust Library on June 20 during a program co-sponsored by Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Loudoun County Public Library.  Megan  has always enjoyed studying nature, particularly insects, and offered some interesting insight on raising caterpillars, hunting chrysalises and identifying butterflies on the wing (not to mention the veritable zoo of garden critters that occupied her childhood bedroom). She has even studied microleps, which are tiny moths that most of us never knew were there. Her presentation An Overview of the Butterflies of Virginia gave attendees a good, clear background on the insect order of Lepidoptera, from life cycle to classification and beyond. We also learned that the host plants, where a butterfly lays her eggs, is more important to the butterfly than nectar plants (and some plants can be both).

Have you wondered what is the difference between a butterfly and a moth?”  Megan waded into the weeds with broad descriptions of wings and antennae, down to microscopic details on the bodies. The takeaway: all butterflies are moths, but not all moths are butterflies.

Don’t forget that you can register to participate in the Annual Butterfly Count that takes place on August 3, 2024.

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