A recent discussion among friends centered on a pair of one-eyed sphinx moths. The moths had claimed a spot on a door and seemed content to stay there.
Then it dawned on me that I couldn’t remember the quick identification method to tell the difference between a moth and a butterfly. It has to do with the ends of the antennae, but I couldn’t remember which key belonged to which insect.
Ah, where do those brain cells go when one reaches a certain age? I’ve recovered my wits now, and want to share the two quickest ways to answer the butterfly-or-moth question.
When the insect is at rest, look at its wings. Are they held perpendicular to its back (butterfly) or flat along the body (moth)? Look at the antennae. Do the ends have little knobs on them (butterfly; think bumps and butterflies) or are they thin, even featherlike in some cases (moth)?
There are, of course, exceptions to rules-of-thumb. A butterfly may be holding its wings out because it is warming in the sun.
Generally, butterflies are active during the day; most moths are nocturnal. Butterfly colors are almost always more vivid; moths are usually shades of grays, whites and browns, but with many exceptions, such as the lime-green luna moth or the garden tiger moth.
If you make a side-by-side comparison, there will be a plump and fuzzy body (moth) and a smooth, slender body (butterfly).
A less-evident difference comes at an early stage of their lives. Both start out as caterpillars and undergo dramatic changes in form (metamorphosis) that turns them into adults, but while both change in a chrysalis, only moths spin a silk cocoon around that shell.
Both are members of the order Lepidoptera, Latin for scaly winged, which refers to the tiny scales that come off if a wing is touched. The scales are so tiny that to our eyes, it appears to be powder.
Researchers believe that it’s an evolutionary defense against predators because the scales make the wings slippery, in part because of the properties of chitin, in part because the scales easily come off.
There are literally hundreds of thousands of species of moths. The sphinx (or hawk) moths are in the sphingid family, far and away outnumbering butterfly species and with some of the largest moths in the world.
Compared to butterflies, most moths have small wings relative to a heavy body, so they need a rapid wing beat to fly. Some species are so strong that they are among the fastest flying insects and can reach 30 mph, researchers say.
On the other hand, there are a few species with wingless females.
You’ll find them flying from May to August, although an individual moth lives only 10 to 30 days.
Another curious fact is that moths in this family have proboscis that’s body length or longer (some up to 14 inches long), allowing them to feed on trumpet-shaped flowers while hovering. Moths are valuable pollinators, by sheer numbers arguably more valuable than butterflies.
The hummingbird hawk moth can hover while feeding on nectar, and its flying ability is often studied by researchers. And because they are nocturnal, most moths have to trigger a shivering reflex to warm up and get into flying mode.
As to the one-eyed sphinx, it’s remarkable for its hind wing. The wing has a blue eyespot with a black bull’s-eye in the middle and a black outer ring, as well as its pinkish coloring around the eyespot.
The one-eyed is one cool moth among many.
Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-3964 or www.songandword.com.
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