October 2024 Kids’ Corner
Lepidoptera Investigators
Now that the sun is setting earlier you might be up late enough to see lots of winged insects flying around your lit windows or porches at night. This time of year it seems like there are tons of moths trying to sneak inside for a nice warm place to overwinter. But how can you tell if these winged creatures are butterflies or moths?
Butterflies and moths are part of a group of insects called Lepidoptera. They are set apart from other insects by three main characteristics
-Their wings are covered in tiny scales
-A long straw-like mouth part called a proboscis for drinking nectar
-Going through a process called metamorphosis where they change from a caterpillar into a butterfly
Butterflies and moths are similar in many ways. But by learning a few simple tricks you can tell them apart pretty easily.
Their antennae are different.
Butterflies have long thin antennae with a little ball at the tip.
Moths have feathery antennae.
2. Wing position.
If you want to know whether a lepidoptera is a moth or a butterfly try to watch it land. When a butterfly rests it usually holds its wings together above its body. WHen a moth rests its wings are usually out to the sides of its body in a more horizontal position.
Butterfly wings are usually more colorful that moth wings, but as you can see in these pictures that’s not always the case. The one on the left is a butterfly and the one on the right is a moth!
3. Time of day
Butterflies are active during the day. Some moths are active during the day, but many are nocturnal. If you see some winged friends trying to get into your house in the evening when there’s a light on, they are almost surely moths and not butterflies!
Fun Fact
Both butterflies and moths are important pollinators. This means that they help plants reproduce. Without pollinators we wouldn’t have up to 90 percent of the flowering plants we know today. That includes one in three plants that we rely on for food!
Your Turn:
Test yourself with this short quiz! Using the facts above, can you identify whether the following lepidoptera are moths or butterflies?
Under each picture write B for butterfly or M for moth.
Answers:
B, B, M, M, M, B
Thanks to our partner, the Gale River Cooperative Preschool in Bethlehem, for helping our area parents get kiddos outside for fun no matter the time of year.
