Butterflies and Moths

Hackberry Butterfly, Asterocampa

From the order Lepidoptera, butterflies and moths are the second largest group of animals just after beetles. The name of the order comes from the scales covering both wing and body. Within the families, there are almost twelve times more moths than butterflies. The three most common characteristics to use to try and differentiate are body, antennae, and wings. The body of a butterfly is more slender while a moth is more plump, the antennae of moths are often shorter and fuzzy, and the butterfly often have bright wings while a moth is more earthen toned. Another noted difference is that butterflies are diurnal, while moths are more often nocturnal. If you ever find a cocoon, a moth actually prefers near or under the ground. While far from being accurate, it can give somewhere to start when trying to identify the species.