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Making up the second largest order (Lepidoptera) of the largest class of animals (Insecta) in the world, moths, butterflies and skippers are intimately intertwined with the lives of the flowering plants. The increase in diversity and number of flowering plants is in part the result of their symbiotic relationship with insects, especially butterflies and bees. The life cycles of the lepidoptera with complete metamorphosis in 4 stages (egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and adult) is synchronized with the seasons and the lives of their food plants. One obvious advantage to this is that adults are not competing with juveniles for the same food source. The adult of the Black Swallowtail (above) feeds on nectar while the caterpillar eats plants of the carrot family.
The HGM has a diverse collection of moths and butterflies, with many representatives from the tropics--Africa, Central and South America and the Australasian region--and North America. The collection is organized partly along geographic lines, but also as a teaching collection to illustrate genetic diversity, survival mechanisms, evolutionary theory and cultural importance.
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