"Lepidoptera" means "Scale-wing".
These wing scales are tiny overlapping pieces of chitin on a butterfly or moth wing.
Lepidotera includes butterflies, skippers, and moths which are not scientific terms. Typically whay we call a moth has feathery or thread-like antenna and fly at night. They create a cocoon of silk around their chrysalis. Butterflies and skippers fly at day and have antenna that end in knobs. They do not create cocoons. However, this is just a rule of thumb.
Adults typically have two pairs of wings with the foewing larger than the hind wing and have a coiled proboscis for siphoning nectar. Caterpillars have chewing moth parts.
"Inchworm, inchworm
Measuring the marigolds
Seems to me you'd stop and see
How beautiful they are"
by Frank Loesser; from the movie "Hans Christian Anderson"
These wing scales are tiny overlapping pieces of chitin on a butterfly or moth wing.
Lepidotera includes butterflies, skippers, and moths which are not scientific terms. Typically whay we call a moth has feathery or thread-like antenna and fly at night. They create a cocoon of silk around their chrysalis. Butterflies and skippers fly at day and have antenna that end in knobs. They do not create cocoons. However, this is just a rule of thumb.
Adults typically have two pairs of wings with the foewing larger than the hind wing and have a coiled proboscis for siphoning nectar. Caterpillars have chewing moth parts.
"Inchworm, inchworm
Measuring the marigolds
Seems to me you'd stop and see
How beautiful they are"
by Frank Loesser; from the movie "Hans Christian Anderson"
Family Noctuidae - Owlet Moths
Galleries 44
215 photos
Family Erebidae
Galleries 21
82 photos
Family Geometridae - Geometer (or Geometrid) Moths
Galleries 39
113 photos
Family Pyralidae - Pyralid Moths
Galleries 11
30 photos
Family Crambidae - Crambid Snout Moths
Galleries 28
87 photos
Family Tortricidae - Tortricid Moths
Galleries 14
41 photos
Other moth families
Galleries 28
115 photos
All images © Kim Moore (contact for use)