Some are colored to look very much like a food plant in order to help the insect hide. Eggs of lepidoptera often have very elaborate shells, and may be either brightly colored or cryptic. The egg shell or chorion, are usually very hard to prevent predators from eating them. The adults of butterflies and moths are well known for their beauty. They provide food for many other animals.
Some species are active pollinators.
Negative Larvae of lepidoptera can be harmful when they eat crops, and when their numbers get to be very large, as happens with the Gypsy moth. In general, however, the larvae of butterflies and moths do very little harm, and, are important in maintaining controlled plant growth. Collecting Live Insects Where to find Butterflies and moths can be difficult to find, but looking for known food plants makes the task easier. Different swallowtail caterpillars eat parsley, dill, citrus leaves and sometimes carrot greens. If milkweed grows in your area, monarch caterpillars will be on the plants in the spring or summer.