MOTHS VS BUTTERFLIES – THE SHAKE DOWN

The line between moths and butterflies is a fine one.  Both groups are classified within the order Lepidoptera.  Lepidoptera literally means “scale wings”.  The wings are covered with fine, powdery scales.  If you have ever held a butterfly or moth in your hands, you have seen this powder first hand.  What separates the butterflies from the moths is the time of day they are active and their coloration.  Which are sometimes fuzzy arbitrary-seeming definitions. 

Moths are primarily active at night.  They hangout during the day on bark and other spots where they can blend in through camouflage.  Those that blend in the best have cryptic colors such as browns and greys.  Butterflies, on the other hand, are active during the day and can be brightly colored.  Remember though, coloration is rather arbitrary.  There are butterflies that are cryptic and “drab” and there are moths that are gorgeous such as the luna moth.   

FYI, look for the luna moths at your porch lights on warm nights.  If you want to increase your odds of finding one… smear a tree with banana.  Who figures this stuff out?  Who wakes up and thinks… I’m going to smear a tree with banana and see what happens.  Probably a pre-schooler.