Skip to content

Lepidoptera Mystery Cache

Hidden : 4/14/2016
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

The cache is NOT at the posted coordinates. I developed this cache series to share some facts about insects. Most of the answers can be easily googled. Some may take a little additional logic to get right. I hope fellow geocachers find this to be a fun and worthwhile series.

This cache is of a small size hidden along a roadway in mid-Missouri - no place special or particularly scenic. If nothing else, consider it an opportunity for a number boost!

To find the coordinates to this cache, you will research answers to questions about the insect order Lepidoptera – moths and butterflies.

The final location is at N38 5A.BCA W92 0D.CEF.

Choose the answer that is correct to fill in the coordinates.

A. Actias luna is a well-known moth with a range that covers nearly all of eastern North America. Their caterpillars are somewhat finicky about what they eat. Which of the following best describes the type of host plant used most often by this beautiful moth?
orchids = 6
aquatic plants = 7
trees = 8
corn = 9
B. The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar dispar, destroys approximately 1 million acres of hardwoods each year. This pest was deliberately introduced into North America by an amateur entomologist. What was the probable reason for this?
as a biological control effort against alligatorweed = 2
as part of research into silk production = 3
as a food source for horses = 4

C. “The Butterfly Effect” is not just an Ashton Kutcher movie about time travel, but also a concept derived from and used to explain which theory?
Theory of Evolution = 6
Chaos Theory = 7
Theory of Relativity = 8
Theory of Competitive Advantage = 9
D. Papilio glaucus, the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, is one of only a few organisms on earth that can exhibit both male and female characteristics in the same individual, due to genetic mosaicism. What is the term for this phenomenon?
allelopathy = 2
mutualism = 3
lepidopterism = 4
gynandromorphy = 5
E. What is the most likely cause of death for a Monarch butterfly?
ingestion of Bt corn pollen = 2
being struck by cars = 3
predation in the wild = 4
forest fires = 5
F. Micropterigoidea is a superfamily within the order Lepidoptera. Moths within this superfamily are considered to be the most primitive of all Lepidoptera. What is different about Micropterigoids?
asexual reproduction = 6
three pair of wings = 7
raptorial forelegs = 8
functioning mandibles = 9

You are looking for a camouflaged pill bottle. I boiled and washed out the bottle myself - so no worries on the pharmaceutical residues!

You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

ba gur tebhaq

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)