Butterflies of the city

Abstract

Butterflies and moths are highly sensitive to changes in their habitat, therefore an increase in urbanization decreases their diversity and abundance, however, it is still posible to find them within and in the surroundings of urban areas because of the remaining green spaces. Because resources are limited in cities, those butterflies with generalist habits are more likely to survive. Fortunately, in cities of the Valley of Mexico there is a great diversity of these insects, and many species survive thanks to the existing native vegetation and the plants considered as weeds. Therefore, planting, maintaining and caring for host and nectariferous plants are some of the main measures to help their conservation.