Snout Butterfly (Libytheana bachmanii)
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The Snout Butterfly belongs to the smallest butterfly family in North America. There is only one species. The "snout" is really composed of the labial palpi, mouthparts which protect the proboscis. While a single snout butterfly is not particularly impressive, they sometimes migrate in groups so large that it looks like wind-blown leaves along the highways. The reason for the sporadic migrations seems to be a combination of environmental factors that lead to a high reproductive rate, then some stress that forces them to disperse.
class: Insecta / order: Lepidoptera / family: Libytheidae / genus: Libytheana / species: bachmanii
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