Moth

Moths make up the vast majority of the order Lepidoptera, sharing the order with butterflies but far outnumbering them, with well over 150,000 described species worldwide. They range from tiny, inconspicuous micromoths only a few millimeters across to spectacular giant silk moths with wingspans exceeding six inches.

Moths are ecologically vital: as adults many pollinate night-blooming flowers, while their caterpillars are a foundational food source for birds and other wildlife. Their incredible diversity in size, color, and wing pattern makes the group one of the richest in the insect world, occupying nearly every terrestrial habitat on Earth.

• Stout, often furry or scaled body, ranging from under 1 cm to over 15 cm in wingspan depending on species.
• Wings typically held flat or tented over the body at rest, unlike the upright wings of most resting butterflies.
• Antennae usually feathery, comb-like, or simple threadlike filaments, lacking the clubbed tip typical of butterflies.
• Colors range from drab browns and grays for camouflage to vivid patterns in some day-flying or brightly marked species.
• Lookalike: distinguished from butterflies mainly by resting wing posture, antennae shape, and generally duller, more robust bodies, though many exceptions exist.

Moths occur on every continent except Antarctica, occupying forests, grasslands, deserts, wetlands, and urban gardens. Most species are nocturnal and are commonly observed at porch lights or bait traps, though a significant number of species are day-flying and visit flowers like butterflies.

Adult moths feed on nectar, tree sap, or in some species not at all, relying on fat reserves stored during the caterpillar stage. Many use scent and pheromone communication to locate mates over long distances at night, and some produce ultrasonic clicks as a defense against echolocating bats. Their caterpillars feed on an enormous range of plant material, making moths key links in terrestrial food webs as both herbivores and prey.

Moths undergo complete metamorphosis: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa, and adult. Eggs are laid on or near host plants, hatching into caterpillars that feed and molt through several stages before spinning a cocoon or forming a chrysalis-like pupa. Depending on species and climate, moths may produce one to several generations per year, overwintering as eggs, larvae, pupae, or occasionally adults.