Peter Gaska, age 12, or West Allis, Wis., for his question:
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BUTTERFLY AND A MOTH?
Of all the insects, the favorites of most boys and girls are probably the butterflies and moths. The reason for this could be that they are the second largest group of insects, but old Andy suspects that children of all ages love them just because they are so beautiful.
If you have ever touched the wing of a butterfly or moth, you may have noticed a soft powdery material left on your fingers. If you were to look at this powder under a microscope, you would see that it resembles teeny, tiny scales. These scales cover the wings of butterflies and moths and overlap each other like shingles on a roof. While there are a number of general ways to tell the moths from the butterflies, to be really sure you would have to remove all the scales and examine the veins of their wings.
To keep from marring these beauteous wings, however, let's look at their general differences. First, most butterflies are active during the day, while the moths are generally night fliers. Butterfly bodies are most always slender and elegant, while moths are more on the plumpish side. When at rest, the moth sits with her fuzzy wings spread out flat. The butterfly will hold her wings gracefully over her back in tent¬ like fashion. If you notice one of these insects at rest, creep up very quietly, and you may get a chance to look at her antennae. The butterfly will have slender antennae, to match her slender body, and these end in small knobs. The antennae of the moth are shorter, not knobbed, and are often feather like.
Other small differences that may help separate one from the other are coloration and the type of home the caterpillar builds. Butterflies are by far the more dapper and colorful of the two. Moths tend to be a bit drab in dress. When the moth caterpillar is ready to undergo the process that will change it into a full fledged moth, he spins himself a silken cocoon. Yew butterflies spin cocoons. A butterfly spins a button of silk and grips the button with her rear prolegs and hangs head downward. The pupa, which has already formed inside the caterpillar's skin, will wiggle free and attach itself to the silk button. A hard shell, or chrysalis, forms and the pupa then settles down to wait for her emergence as a butterfly.
The life cycle of all lepidoptera, or scaly winged insects, goes through the same four stages. Life begins for each as an egg. As the egg hatches, the larva, or caterpillar, emerges and begins its part of the cycle. After the caterpillar has reached its full growth, the pupa, or resting stage, begins. The adult stage represents the completion of the life cycle.