This week’s envelope art…

How do you distinguish a moth from a butterfly? Keeping in mind that there are exceptions, below is a list of physical and behavioral differences.

• Moths are nocturnal. Butterflies are out and about during the day.
• When at rest, butterflies will fold their wings back. Moths flatten their wings against their bodies or spread them wide.
• During pupal stage, a moth cocoon is made of silk. A butterfly emerges from a chrysalis, which is hard and smooth.
• Butterfly antennae are smooth and have a ball at the tip. The moth has antennae that are feathery or like a comb.

For more information, see THIS PAGE from livescience.com.

Above is an Emperor Gum moth.

————–

Photo of the Emperor Gum moth by Fir0002 at English Wikipedia – Adapted (background edited) from File:Polyphemus moth.jpg (Own work) (Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=153565