Butterfly

Did you know that butterflies are found on all continents except Antarctica?

Beautiful butterfly exhibits are held every year at at The San Diego zoo and Wild Animal Park

Butterfly or moth: what's the difference?
Technically speaking, butterflies are types of moths. But there are some ways to tell them apart. Butterflies generally have long, smooth antennae that are rounded on the ends, while most moths have thick, feathery antennae. Moths also tend to have larger, fuzzier bodies than butterflies. Most moths fly at night, while most butterflies fly during the day. Because of when they're active, butterflies tend to be more colorful than moths, but that's not always the case. You can see another difference when they're resting: most moths flatten their wings out over their bodies, while most butterflies raise them up and against each other. And although both butterflies and moths develop in a chrysalis, most moths also spin a protective cocoon. When people talk about this family of insects in general, they may use "butterflies" or "moths" to describe them, and both are considered correct.

Fun facts
• In some places, the number of caterpillars feeding on plants is so large that you can actually hear them munching.
• The Asian vampire moth lives up to its name! It has a tough proboscis to break through thick-skinned fruits, but sometimes it also sucks the blood of water buffalo or deer.
• Many adult butterflies never excrete waste—they use up all they eat for energy!
• "Puddle clubs" are groups of butterflies that gather at mud puddles and wet soil to suck up salts and minerals.
• Butterflies can see red, green, and yellow, but they also see color in the ultraviolet range, which reveals patterns on flowers—and other butterflies—that we can't see.
• Some Arctic moths may spend 14 years as caterpillars, only active a few weeks each summer.
• Butterfly wings are actually clear—the colors and patterns we see are made by the reflection of the tiny scales covering them.

Thank you San Diego Zoo/Animalbytes for the above info!