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About 38,100,000 results (0.19 seconds)

How can you tell the difference between a butterfly and a moth...

19 Nov

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How did butterflies get their English name?

No one knows for sure, since the word has been in the English language for centuries. The word was "buterfleoge" in Old English, which means "butterfly" in our English today. Because it is such an old word, we don't really know who or when someone said "That 'thing' over there is a 'butterfly'." One story is that they were named so because it was thought that butterflies, or witches that took on the shape of butterflies, stole milk and butter. (Someone else wondered if the word was really meant to be "flutter-by" ). In other languages, the word for our fluttery friends has no such derivation as "butter" + "fly". One can only speculate on why the English language uses such an unlikely name. jade

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The oldest butterflies kept at the Museum date from Singapore's colonial period. British colonisers established a trading post in Singapore in ....kayla

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Gossamer-winged butterfly, Lithopsyche antiqua. Its forewing is around 15mm across, its hindwing 8.2mm. Read more. 0 ...

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This is the first mastodon fossil from Britain ever described. It belonged to William Smith, creator of Britain’s first geological map.

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The caterpillar is banded with yellow, black and white stripes. The chrysalis is blue-green with a band of black and gold. Range: Throughout the U.S....kayla

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Butterflies have been recorded in fossils dating back to the mid-Eocene epoch, around 40-50 million years ago, although their origin is thought to be earlier.

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this butterfly isfrom 1670 zhuqi

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They journeyed thousands of miles in cramped boats to discover new plants and animals, were astounded by their first glimpse of a pineapple, and even helped introduce the British public to chocolate.

Explorers, doctors and scientists of the seventeenth century were brave, competitive and curious, and their desire for knowledge took them far across the planet for months at a time.

They are responsible for the oldest collection of butterflies still in existence, now stored in the Museum.

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The Museum's historical British butterfly and moth collection is revealing ... Discover the explorers responsible for the oldest butterfly ...

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Unfortunately, butterflies do not have very long lifespans.

Butterflies are in the adult stage of the life cycle.

Many factors can contribute to how long a butterfly may live. jade

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Butterfly can only see 3 colours

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The least skipper butterfly belongs to a family that’s known for its widely-spaced antennae which curl at the ends. The least is the smallest of the skippers with its 3/4 inch wingspan. It is found east of the Rocky Mountains in marshy areas and often flies low to the ground.

The wings of the little metalmark butterfly (another butterfly with a 3/4 inch wingspan) have a lacy orange, black, and silver pattern that looks like metal. Little metalmarks are mostly found in the southeastern United States in uplands, along roads, in pine savannas and sandhills.

The smallest butterfly in North America, and probably in the world, is the Western Pygmy Blue, with a wingspan of a little under half an inch to a little over .78 of an inch. They’ve been found as far north as Oregon and as far south as Venezuela.

Even big butterflies are small in size. Even the largest ones, like the Queen Alexandra Birdwing, with a wingspan of 11 inches and a weight of 0.42 ounces, are able to be easily held in a man’s hand. But there are butterflies whose size is truly minuscule, for they evolved to be able to pollinate the smallest flowers or fill some other niche that can’t be filled by the bigger boys and girls. This article lists 10 of the smallest butterflies in the world, from the largest of the smallest to the tiniest.

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Butterflies have been recorded in fossils dating back to the mid-Eocene epoch, around 40-50 million years ago, although their origin is thought to be earlier.

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The larval or caterpillar form initially resembles bird droppings, ... Pupae can be brown or green depending on the season, mimicking leaves of spring and

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Entomologist Gerard Talavera had traveled more than 2,000 miles from Spain to the remote Sahel Desert to seek out another long-distance voyager: the painted lady butterfly.

But a storm bearing down from the northeast kept Talavera's eyes focused on the sky instead of the low-lying shrubs where the insects may be hiding. Just as decided to pack it in on that day in 2014, a sudden gust of wind blew something into his face.

It was a painted lady. ( See stunning photos of butterflies around the world.)

"I was the only person looking for this butterfly in this part of the world, and the winds brought the butterfly to me," Talavera says.

With a grant from the National Geographic Society, Talavera and his mentor, Roger Vila, trekked across Africa's midsection to solve the long-standing mystery of where painted ladies spend the winter.

Commonly Amazing

One of the world's most ubiquitous butterflies, the painted lady is found on every continent except South America and Antarctica. ( Read about the strange, secret life of a jungle butterfly.)

Scientists already knew the painted ladies that blanket North America in the warmer months migrate to Mexico and Central America during the winter.

They've also tracked Eurasian painted ladies as far south as the Sahara, but then the butterflies disappear off the map. Talavera and Vila knew they had to be somewhere in tropical Africa.

Lo and behold, in Chad, Benin, and Niger, Talavera and Vila found vast swarms of painted ladies overwintering in the warmer climes-as many as 20,000 butterflies per hectare.

The discovery proves that the two-inch butterfly can migrate nearly 2,500 miles from Europe, traversing such obstacles such as the Mediterranean Sea, North Africa's mountains, and the Sahara Desert.And, unlike monarch butterflies, chemical signatures in the painted lady wings reveal that they can make the trip in a single generation. ( Read about how monarchs migrate 3,000 miles across North America.)

It's the longest continuous butterfly migration ever recorded.

"It's a common butterfly that does some really unique and amazing things," Talavera says.

Amazing Trip

Before their trip to Africa, Talavera and Vila built a computer model of the locations most likely to be hospitable to painted lady butterflies. Though the team's model was successful, Talavera cautions that studying migratory animals, from birds to turtles to whales, is often a huge challenge-particularly when it comes to migrating insects. ( Read more about the world's great migrations in the magazine.)

Adding to the difficulty is the fact that painted lady butterflies can fly at a much higher altitude than other insects, according to Rebecca Simmons, an entomologist at the University of North Dakota.

Unlike monarchs, which are frequently mistaken for painted ladies, the high-flying insects don't overwinter in the same spot every year. Nor do they migrate on a regular timetable or always make the entire 2,500-mile return trip in a single go.

Baby Steps

"Painted ladies breed along the way. They take these little steps, a generation at a time," Simmons says. Painted ladies can, but don't always, make the migration in a single generation.

Because so little is known about insect migration in general, and painted ladies in particular, Simmons says studies like this are crucial to our understanding of the natural world.

Now that Vila and Talavera have a general idea of where the butterflies spend the winter months, they're building a more detailed map that show what factors, such as food availability, influence the butterflies' movements.

"It's an amazing trip-the type of trip known to birds, but not insects," Talavera says.

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This Tiny Butterfly Can Fly a Record 2,500 Miles at a Time From Europe to Africa

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Entomologist Gerard Talavera had traveled more than 2,000 miles from Spain to the remote Sahel Desert to seek out another long-distance voyager: the painted lady butterfly. But a storm bearing down from the northeast kept Talavera's eyes focused on the sky instead of the low-lying shrubs where the insects may be hiding.

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The wold oldest butterfly is specimen   Name hannah

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Woolly legs, with a wingspan of 3/4 to 1.25 inches, is found in Sub-Saharan Africa. It belongs to the same family as the blue butterflies, and as in the blues, the female is a little larger than the male. It is a rather drab insect with wings and body in shades of brown and white, and it is often mistaken for a moth. Its name is apt because it does indeed have strange-looking wooly legs. The reason for this is because instead of nectar, they drink the honeydew made by aphids. Ants also like the honeydew produced by aphids, and the butterfly has grown fluffy legs to protect against their bites and stings. The caterpillar of the woolly legs also eats aphids and scale insects and is welcomed in the garden.

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Skippers are natural sprinters. They can reach speeds of up to 37 miles per hour and have some of nature's fastest reflexes. They could keep pace with a horse in a race, and they get their name from their quick flight patterns.

There are nearly 4,000 different species of skipper, found everywhere in the world except Antarctica.

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Butterflies are primarily diurnal, flying in the daytime. Moths are generally nocturnal, flying at night. However, there are moths that are diurnal, such as the buck moth and there are butterflies that are crepuscular, meaning they fly at dawn and dusk.-Shi Yun

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As far as we know, butterfly speed has not been measured! Certainly, some fast-flying skippers can fly 30 miles per hour or faster. Slow flying butterflies probably fly five miles per hour or a little faster. (Kingsley)

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As far as we know, butterfly speed has not been measured! Certainly, some fast-flying skippers can fly 30 miles per hour or faster. Slow flying butterflies probably fly five miles per hour or a little faster. (Kingsley)

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Caterpillars are grayish brown and darker at the ends. ... Pupae can be a variety of colors including a metallic green, brown, or bluish-white.

www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Vanessa_cardui/

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Butterflies rest with their wings closed together above the body, making only the undersides of the wings visible.…kayla

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Caterpillars are grayish brown and darker at the ends. ... Pupae can be a variety of colors including a metallic green, brown, or bluish-white.

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Skippers are natural sprinters. They can reach speeds of up to 37 miles per hour and have some of nature's fastest reflexes. They could keep pace with a horse in a race, and they get their name from their quick flight patterns.

There are nearly 4,000 different species of skipper, found everywhere in the world except Antarctica.

Researchers have recently found that when skippers are startled, they react at least twice as quickly as a human does.

Huertas says, 'Fast reactions and flight speeds help skippers deal with danger and avoid predators.'

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Anatomy

As its common name implies, the blue morpho butterfly’s wings are bright blue, edged with black. The blue morpho is among the largest butterflies in the world, with wings spanning from five to eight inches. Their vivid, iridescent blue coloring is a result of the microscopic scales on the backs of their wings, which reflect light. The underside of the morpho’s wings, on the other hand, is a dull brown color with many eyespots, providing camouflage against predators such as birds and insects when its wings are closed. When the blue morpho flies, the contrasting bright blue and dull brown colors flash, making it look like the morpho is appearing and disappearing. The males’ wings are broader than those of the females and appear to be brighter in color. Blue morphos, like other butterflies, also have two clubbed antennas, two fore wings and two hind wings, six legs and three body segments—the head, thorax and abdomen.

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The fastest butterfly is Monarch butterfly

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Butterflies are less efficient pollinators than bumblebees because they lack specialized structures for pollen collection. For example, honeybees have corbiculae, also known as pollen baskets, on their hind legs for efficiently collecting pollen. Bumblebees are especially good at pollinating tubular-shaped flowers because of their long, thin tongue. The small hairs on their body collect pollen while they are working their way across the flower. Butterflies do not collect pollen to use as food as bees do, rather they inadvertently pollinate flowers with their wings when they drink their nectar.

There are over 24,000 species of butterflies that are exceptionally diverse in size, color, and shape. Interestingly, a butterfly’s wings are covered with small scales measuring between 30-80 micrometers by 30-500 micrometers in an area that refract light to produce the vibrant colors we see. The bright patterns on butterfly wings are thought to serve many purposes including attracting mates and deceiving predators.

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Butterflies have been recorded in fossils dating back to the mid-Eocene epoch, around 40-50 million years ago, although their origin is thought to be earlier. Lithopsyche is about 34 million years old, ‘so it’s an old flapper,’ says Claire.

‘Lepidoptera [butterflies and moths] are very rare as fossils because they are so delicate. Even in a fossil hotspot like the Insect Limestone you would be lucky to find one butterfly in 1,000 fossils collected.’ jade

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Scientists usually study butterfly lifespans and habits by marking them in the wild and then either recapturing or sighting them later and recording the data. While they can also study them in captivity, it is always best to study creatures in their natural habitats in order to get the most complete picture of how they live their lives.

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The blue butterflies, which belong to the Lycaenidae family of butterflies, are some of the smallest in size. This butterfly, with a wingspan of ...kayla

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Today, Queen Alexandra's birdwing is recognised as the world's biggest butterfly. The largest specimen, which has a wingspan of 27.3cm, is also cared for by

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As far as we know, butterfly speed has not been measured! Certainly, some fast-flying skippers can fly 30 miles per hour or faster. Slow flying butterflies probably fly five miles per hour or a little faster.

During fall migration, migrating Monarchs
(link is external) (Danaus plexippus) have been seen flying by tall buildings such as the Empire State Building at more than 1,000+ feet. Butterflies are picked up by storm fronts and moved hundreds of miles, probably at altitudes of several thousand feet.

What species is this?

Click the image to find out!

Visit BAMONA

Butterflies and Moths of North America
Learn about butterflies and moths.
(link is external)
Submit your observations.
(link is external)
Find help with identification.
(link is external)

Yujie

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Have you ever seen a

caterpillar transform into a beautiful butterfly? There are few transformations in nature as miraculous and fascinating as the process of becoming a butterfly.

Butterflies go through a life cycle that involves several stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The metamorphosis from a caterpillar into a butterfly occurs during the pupa stage. During this stage, the caterpillar's old body dies and a new body forms inside a protective shell known as a chrysalis.

Moth caterpillars and many other insect larvae spin silk coverings for the chrysalis. These silk casings are called cocoons. Cocoons can be soft or hard, solid or web-like and any of several different colors or even see-through.

Cocoons provide camouflage and additional protection for the chrysalis. Many moth caterpillars will spin their cocoons in concealed locations, such as the underside of leaves, at the base of a tree, or hanging from a small branch.

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The painted lady is the longest continuously migrating butterfly ever ... This jellyfish can sting at 5 million g—the fastest on Earth.…kayla

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The painted lady is the longest continuously migrating butterfly ever ... This jellyfish can sting at 5 million g—the fastest on Earth

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Skippers are natural sprinters. They can reach speeds of up to 37 miles per hour and have some of nature's fastest reflexes. They could keep pace with a horse in a race, and they get their name from their quick flight patterns.

There are nearly 4,000 different species of skipper, found everywhere in the world except Antarctica.

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Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing butterfly has a much larger than average wingspan for a butterfly.

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The blue butterflies, which belong to the Lycaenidae family of butterflies, are some of the smallest in size. This butterfly, with a wingspan of 3/4 of an inch to 1 inch wide, is one of the largest of the smallest. It’s found mainly in eastern North America but is also found in Central America, up the west coast of the United States, and into southern Canada. The wings of the males are a beautiful purple-blue, while those of the females are grayish but sometimes with hints of blue. The underwings are grayish-white with eyespots on each hind wing. The butterfly gets its name because the hindwings each have a tiny tail.

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Fastest butterfly: skipper. Skippers are natural sprinters. They can reach speeds of up to 37 miles per hour and have some of nature's fastest reflexes.

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As far as we know, butterfly speed has not been measured! Certainly, some fast-flying skippers can fly 30 miles per hour or faster. Slow flying butterflies probably fly five miles per hour or a little faster.

During fall migration, migrating Monarchs
(link is external) (Danaus plexippus) have been seen flying by tall buildings such as the Empire State Building at more than 1,000+ feet. Butterflies are picked up by storm fronts and moved hundreds of miles, probably at altitudes of several thousand feet.

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The Atticus Atlas is a giant moth with a wingspan of up to 9.4 inches and a wing surface area of about 25 inches! Its wingspan is only surpassed by the white witch moth and the Attacus caesar moth, and its wing surface area is only surpassed by the Hercules moth. This makes it one of the largest lepidopterans in the world!

Tropical and subtropical rainforests are the primary habitats of these fascinating bugs. They’re mostly found in Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, which includes countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar (Burma). They can also be found in nations in Asia such as Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka.

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The wings of the little metalmark butterfly (another butterfly with a 3/4 inch wingspan) have a lacy orange, black, and silver pattern that

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The least skipper butterfly belongs to a family that’s known for its widely-spaced antennae which curl at the ends. The least is the smallest of the skippers with its 3/4 inch wingspan. It is found east of the Rocky Mountains in marshy areas and often flies low to the ground.

The wings of the little metalmark butterfly (another butterfly with a 3/4 inch wingspan) jade

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Despite the romantic notions surrounding the butterflies, the sad fact is that they tend to have relatively short lifespans and most butterflies only live a few weeks at the most.-Jia En

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With a wingspan of 0.5 inch (1.3 centimeters)

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Inside the cocoon and the chrysalis, the caterpillar is transforming into a new creature. This requires that the old caterpillar body be broken down and turned ...kayla

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Melissa butterfly is the world smallest butterfly

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Scientists usually study butterfly lifespans and habits by marking them in the wild and then either recapturing or sighting them later and recording the data. While they can also study them in captivity, it is always best to study creatures in their natural habitats in order to get the most complete picture of how they live their lives.

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A moth is smaller than a butterfly

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Unfortunately, butterflies do not have very long lifespans.

Butterflies are in the adult stage of the life cycle.

Many factors can contribute to how long a butterfly may live.

Butterflies are beautiful and remarkable creatures and a source of unending amazement. Here are some facts about butterflies that you never knew:

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On average, most adult butterflies only live for about 15-29 days (Kingsley)

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Butterflies with longer lives often live in tropical or subtropical environments where vegetation is consistent all year long, but many species ...

https://a-z-animals.com/blog/how-does-a-caterpillar-turn-into-a-butterfly/

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Harmless viceroy butterflies use Batesian mimicry to defend themselves against predators. ... Viceroy butterflies are tasty to predators and have ...kayla

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On average, most adult butterflies only live for about 15-29 days. Some

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Butterflies tend to fold their wings vertically up over their backs. Moths tend to hold their wings in a tent-like fashion that hides the abdomen.

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The least is the smallest of the skippers with its 3/4 inch wingspan. It is found east of the Rocky Mountains in marshy areas and often flies low to the ground.-Jia En

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they are also very important pollinators.

The world’s largest butterfly is the Queen Alexandra’s birdwing and has an 11 inch wingspan. jade

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Monarchs are large, beautifully colored butterflies that are easy to recognize by their striking orange, black, and white

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They stay in the cocoon for 2 weeks

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The Atticus Atlas is a giant moth with a wingspan of up to 9.4 inches and a wing surface area of about 25 inches! Its wingspan is only surpassed by the white witch moth and the Attacus caesar moth, and its wing surface area is only surpassed by the Hercules moth. This makes it one of the largest lepidopterans in the world!

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What really makes these moths unique is their snake-like wings. To protect themselves from predators, Atlas moths have cobra-like designs on their upper wings, making them known as “snakeheads,” or as “snake’s heads.” From Greek mythology, the Atlas moth gets its name from the gigantic god Atlas, who had to carry the sky on his shoulders. The moth’s Cantonese name translates as “snake’s head moth,” due to the snake-like markings on its wings.

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short lifespans and most butterflies only live a few weeks at the most.

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An adult butterfly probably has an average life-span of approximately one month. In the wild, most butterflies lives are ...kayla

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An adult butterfly probably has an average life-span of approximately one month. In the wild, most butterflies lives are ...kayla

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Cocoons provide camouflage and additional protection for the chrysalis. Many moth caterpillars will spin their cocoons in concealed locations, such as the underside of leaves, at the base of a tree, or hanging from a small branch.

While some people think of cocoons as a resting place, there's no resting going on inside the cocoon! To the contrary, there's a lot of activity. Inside the cocoon and the chrysalis, the caterpillar is transforming into a new creature. This requires that the old caterpillarbody be broken down and turned into something new. Think of it as insect recycling!

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Female Queen Alexandra's birdwings are the biggest butterflies in the world

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Female Queen Alexandra's birdwings are the biggest butterflies in the world

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kayla

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The caterpillar it is egg after it is hatched

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The female Jamaican giant swallowtail, also known as the Homerus swallowtail, can have a maximum wingspan of about 6 inches. This butterfly is endemic to Jamaica and is classified as endangered. There are only two isolated populations in Jamaica in existence today. In the caterpillar stage, the Jamaican giant swallowtail has a unique organ called an osmeterium behind its head that emits a foul smell when the caterpillar feels threatened by predators.

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Butterflies sip nacter with is leg

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The world’s largest butterfly is the Queen Alexandra’s birdwing and has an 11 inch wingspan.-Ann

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The smallest butterfly in North America, and probably in the world, is the Western Pygmy Blue, with a wingspan of a little under half an inch to a little over .78 of an inch.-Rebecca

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On average, most adult butterflies only live for about 15-29 days. Some may live up to six weeks, and the ones that migrate to more tropical climates may live even longer before they return home to mate.

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Even big butterflies are small in size. Even the largest ones, like the Queen Alexandra Birdwing, with a wingspan of 11 inches and a weight of 0.42 ounces, are able to be easily

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Butterflies are typically larger and have more colorful patterns on their wings. Moths are typically smaller with drab-colored wings.

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Butterflies are typically larger and have more colorful patterns on their wings. Moths are typically smaller with drab-colored wings.

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