What kinds of plant parts do Lepidoptera caterpillars eat?

Lepidoptera caterpillars are highly diverse in their feeding habits, and nearly all parts of a plant can be consumed by various species. While leaves are the most commonly consumed plant part, caterpillars also feed on a wide variety of other structures:

• Reproductive parts: Many larvae feed on flowers, cones, fruits, and seeds.1
• Stems and shoots: Some species bore into soft, succulent stems or terminal shoots, while others, such as carpenter moths, tunnel into woody stems and rootstocks.1
• Other plant matter: Certain groups feed on grasses and sedges, while others consume dead or decaying plant matter, including moldy debris.1
• Specialized niches: Some caterpillars are leaf miners that feed within the tissues of leaves, while others live in plant galls.1

While the vast majority of food plants are conifers and flowering plants, a few groups also consume primitive plants such as mosses, liverworts, cycads, ferns, and lichens. Although most caterpillars are herbivorous, it is important to note that a small number of species have adapted to eat insects or other small animals rather than plant matter.12