Top 20 Most Common Insects in Montreal

The moths are very different in size and reach a wing span of 27 to 40 mm. They have very variable wing tops, from pale yellowish and ocher yellow to brownish. Mostly on the forewing underside near the tip of a small, brightly knurled eye spot is formed, which often shines on the top. At the leading edge there are sometimes further smaller eye spots. On the darker colored light, dark brown or gray rear wing underside as well usually several white or brightly gerandete black Augenflecken are to be seen with silver point, which can also be missing. Unmistakable feature of the species is there a white irregular and interrupted bandage, which already begins at the front edge of the hind wings. The egg is large, ovate and very finely meshed. It is initially pale yellowish green and later marbled reddish brown. The hairless caterpillar is about 25 millimeters long and has small, yellowish point warts and is tapered backwards. It is light green in Europe with a narrow, dark midline and a narrow upper white-yellow and dark upper bound and a lower broader, pale yellow and sharply delineated line. In North America, it varies from green to olive green to brown and has alternately bright and dark vertical stripes. At the end of the abdomen they carry two small pink lobes, which mark the caterpillars of the eye-butterflies (Satyrinae). The head is green or tan. The pupa is green in Europe and North America with light longitudinal lines and in California green to brown.

The red-Spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) is a beautiful butterfly that shows off a metallic-blue color. They are also known as White Admirals due to the brilliant, white band that is seen on them. Males are incredibly aggressive in defending areas that have high female traffic. They will regularly patrol these areas to ensure other males do not take over claimed territories.

Western honey bee（Apis mellifera） is the most common species of honeybee in the world. Among the first domesticated insects, its cultural and economic impact on humanity has been vast and far-reaching, providing honey, wax and its services as a pollinator. Western honey bee faces challenges worldwide, such as colony collapse disorder, and populations are thought to be decreasing.

The gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) spends nearly its entire life on the same host tree, stripping leaves off of it. However, they will occasionally fly as a colony from one host tree to another. They are commonly recognized by their fuzzy larvae, which have dark bodies with red and blue spots. The adults are usually a pale brown color though.

The viceroy (Limenitis archippus) is a butterfly that mimics the Monarch Butterfly. The viceroy is distinct because it is smaller than the Monarch. Still, it manages to use this to ward off most predators. There is also polymorphism, meaning that the colors of this butterfly can change depending on the territory.

With a wingspan of 2.5 - 3 cm, it is very similar in appearance to the small skipper Thymelicus sylvestris. They can be told apart by the undersides of the tips of their antennae: the essex skipper's antennae are black, whereas those of the small skipper are orange.

The great spangled fritillary (Speyeria cybele) is a beautiful butterfly that is orange in color and has a variety of spots on its body like a leopard. Females tend to be a bit darker than their male counterparts. Their caterpillars are black with orange spots and often caught feeding on violets. 

The painted lady is a migratory butterfly that spends part of the year in Northern Africa and then migrates to Europe during the warmer months. Although the adults feed on nectar from flowers, the larvae feed on the leaves of nettles and thistles.

The upperside of the summer form's hindwings are all black, whereas the winter forms hindwings are reddish orange. The underside of both forms is striped with dark and light brown. There is a silvery comma mark in the middle of the hindwing in both forms. Its wingspan is 4.5 - 6 cm.

This small butterfly has slim, triangular wings. The upper side of the male's wings is mostly orange with the margins being dark brown.