Editing Lepidoptera (section)

=== Pollination ===
{{Further|Entomophily|Pollination syndrome}}
[[File:Hummingbird hawkmoth a.jpg|thumb|left|A day-flying [[hummingbird hawk-moth]] drinking nectar from a species of ''[[Dianthus]]'']]

Most species of Lepidoptera engage in some form of [[entomophily]] (more specifically psychophily and phalaenophily for butterflies and moths, respectively), or the [[pollination]] of flowers.<ref name="Gilbert">{{Cite journal|last=Gilbert |first=L. E. |year=1972 |title= Pollen feeding and reproductive biology of ''Heliconius'' butterflies |journal=[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences]] |volume=69 |pages=1402–1407 |doi=10.1073/pnas.69.6.1403|pmid=16591992 |issue=6|bibcode = 1972PNAS...69.1403G |pmc=426712 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Most adult butterflies and moths feed on the [[nectar]] inside flowers, using their probosces to reach the nectar hidden at the base of the petals. In the process, the adults brush against the flowers' [[stamen]]s, on which the reproductive [[pollen]] is made and stored. The pollen is transferred on appendages on the adults, which fly to the next flower to feed and unwittingly deposit the pollen on the [[stigma (botany)|stigma]] of the next flower, where the pollen [[germinates]] and fertilizes the seeds.<ref name="Resh and Carde"/>{{Rp|813–814}}

Flowers pollinated by butterflies tend to be large and flamboyant, pink or lavender in color, frequently having a landing area, and usually scented, as butterflies are typically day-flying. Since butterflies do not [[digestion|digest]] pollen (except for [[Heliconius|heliconid species]],<ref name="Gilbert"/>) more nectar is offered than pollen. The flowers have simple nectar guides, with the nectaries usually hidden in narrow tubes or spurs, reached by the long "tongue" of the butterflies. Butterflies such as ''[[Thymelicus|Thymelicus flavus]]'' have been observed to engage in [[flower constancy]], which means they are more likely to transfer pollen to other conspecific plants. This can be beneficial for the plants being pollinated, as flower constancy prevents the loss of pollen during different flights and the pollinators from clogging stigmas with pollen of other flower species.<ref>{{Cite journal|year=1997 |title= Foraging strategies in the small skipper butterfly, ''Thymelicus flavus'': when to switch?|journal=Animal Behaviour |volume=53 |pages=1009–1016|last1=Goulson |first1=D. |first2=J. |last2=Ollerton |first3=C.  |last3=Sluman|doi=10.1006/anbe.1996.0390|issue=5|s2cid= 620334}}</ref>

Among the more important moth pollinator groups are the [[hawk moth]]s of the [[family (biology)|family]] Sphingidae. Their behavior is similar to [[hummingbird]]s, i.e., using rapid wing beats to hover in front of flowers. Most hawk moths are [[nocturnal]] or [[crepuscular]], so moth-pollinated flowers (e.g., ''[[Silene latifolia]]'' ) tend to be white, night-opening, large, and showy with tubular [[Corollaceous|corollae]] and a strong, sweet scent produced in the evening, night, or early morning. A lot of nectar is produced to fuel the high [[metabolic rate]]s needed to power their flight.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Helen J. Young |author2=Lauren Gravitz |year=2002 |title=The effects of stigma age on receptivity in ''Silene alba'' (Caryophyllaceae) |journal=American Journal of Botany |volume=89 |pages=1237–1241|doi=10.3732/ajb.89.8.1237 |issue=8 |pmid=21665724|doi-access= }}</ref> Other moths (e.g., [[noctuids]], [[Geometer moth|geometrids]], [[Pyraloidea|pyralids]]) fly slowly and settle on the flower. They do not require as much nectar as the fast-flying hawk moths, and the flowers tend to be small (though they may be aggregated in heads).<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Oliveira PE |author2=PE Gibbs |author3=AA Barbosa |year=2004 |title=Moth pollination of woody species in the Cerrados of Central Brazil: a case of so much owed to so few? |journal=Plant Systematics and Evolution |volume=245 |issue=1–2 |pages=41–54 |doi=10.1007/s00606-003-0120-0|bibcode=2004PSyEv.245...41O |s2cid=21936259 }}</ref>