North America is home to more than 12,000 species of moths and butterflies of the order Lepidoptera. Some, like the luna moth, the blue morpho, and the monarch, are renowned for their beauty and grace, while others provide humans with silk or serve asa food source in certain cultures.It is, however, the larvae of certain moths and butterflies (commonly called "caterpillars") that are famous for behaviors that are of the greatest concern to gardeners. While most moths and butterflies sip nectar through a coiled, strawlike mouthpart, all caterpillars have superstrong chewing mouth-parts, called "mandibles." They use these sharp mandibles to tunnel through fruit, chop leaves into digestible pieces, sawholes through natural fabrics, and consume dried food. Many caterpillars are specialists, using only one plant species or a single plant family as a food resource. In the garden, where concentrations of a favorite food source can be readily found, caterpillars can wreak havoc in short order. If not controlled, the most troublesome caterpillars can defoliate a garden plant or an entire garden in just a few days.
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