Butterflies are well known insects that are active by day. They land on flowers to feed so they prefer large, or flat flowers where this is possible. Butterflies pollinate many red flowers with short tubes.
Flowers that are pollinated by moths are often white or pale, and have a strong fragrance. The fragrance is often only released at night to attract nocturnal moths that emerge in the evening or at night to feed. Hawkmoths are very large moths that are active at flowers at dusk. With powerful wing beats they hover before a flower, and use their extra long tongues to access the nectar.
About 4 % of all the plants in Kenya, including Papaya (pawpaw) fruit, and many different African orchids are pollinated by hawkmoths.
Playboy butterfly sipping nector by D. J. Martins
Fulvous hawkmoth at Combretum flowers by D. J. Martins
Verdent hawkmoths and White-lined Sphinx on Pergularia flowers by D. J. Martins
Unidentified hawkmoth on forest Vernonia by D. J. Martins
Colotis sp. on Kalanchoe flowers by D. J. Martins
One pip policeman skipper butterfly on Acacia brevispica by D. J. Martins
Brown-viened white Belenois aurota, on a Sphaeranthus flower by D. J. Martins
Small verdant hawkmoth, Basiothia medea visits a flowering Carissa by D. J. Martins
Common Scarlet butterfly, Axiocerses sp. sips nectar by by D. J. Martins
Convolvulus hawkmoth visiting flowers of Turraea sp. by D. J. Martins
Acraea butterfly on bidens flower by D. J. Martins
Green-patch Swallowtail sipping salts from mud by P. Usher