moth

moth facts

Moth Physical Characteristics

color

• Brown
• yellow
• Red
• Black
• white
• orange

skin type

scales

• Some moths measure less than an inch, while other species have a wingspan of 11 inches.

• These insects carry pollen from flower to flower like butterflies.

• Males have an excellent sense of smell.

• The luna moth has no mouth and cannot eat, so it only lives about a week.

• When they see an electric light, it gets confused, disoriented and flies towards the light.

Gynnidomorpha alisman is the scientific name for these insects. Moths belong to the class Insecta and belong to the family Saturnidae. Both moths and butterflies belong to the order Lepidoptera. This comes from the Greek and means scales (lepis) and wings (pteron).

There are thousands of subspecies of moths. Some examples include Gypsy-, Luna-, Isabella the Tiger-, Bella-, Ceremone-, Hummingbird-, Eagle-, Atlas- and Catmoth.

The moth's body is covered with scales that look like tiny hairs. It has two antennae that look almost like tiny feathers attached to its head. They have one large wing and one small wing on each side of their body. They have six legs and two small black eyes designed for seeing at night.

The size of the moth depends on what type of moth it is. The Cecropia moth is the largest moth species in North America. It has a wingspan of five to six inches and weighs about two to three grams. A Cecropia moth with outstretched wings is about half the length of the wooden ruler you used at school. It weighs about the same as a small cotton ball.

Some of these insects, such as the Luna moth, have a wingspan of 2 to 4 inches, while very small insects, such as the pygmy moth, have a wingspan of only 4 mm. Put together three small grains of sand from the beach and you have the length of a pygmy moth!

The Atlas moth is one of the largest moths in the world, with a wingspan of over nine inches. A row of 16 nickels is about the size of the wingspan of an Atlas moth. The moth is about the same size as the Queen Alexandra swallowtail, the largest butterfly in the world. This butterfly lives in Papua New Guinea and has a wingspan of nearly ten inches.

The color of the moths also varies from species to species. For example, moths have white bodies. It has gray spots on its head and gray swirls on its wings. This moth gets its name because its furry scales make it look like a cat. Alternatively, male gypsy moths have dark brown scales while females have white and black scales.

The colorful patterns on this insect aren't just for show. The moth's colorful designs help it hide from predators. The horned moth's color makes it look like a brown leaf hanging from a tree. Brown gypsy moths blend easily into dark bark.

Sometimes, the presence of moths can scare off predators. For example, Lunar Hornet moths are very similar in appearance to bumblebees. Many predators see it and mistake it for a stinging insect! Not surprisingly, they kept their distance. Also, hummingbird moths (as the name suggests) look a lot like hummingbirds. As a result, many predators were fooled into believing it was a bird and not a moth.

These are solitary, shy insects. They have many predators, so they like to hide as much as possible.

Moths are highly adaptable and live all over the world except the polar regions. There are more than 11,000 species in the United States and 160,000 species worldwide.

They need warmer climates to survive, so when the weather turns colder in winter, the moths migrate south. A moth that lives in the U.S. Midwest in summer migrates to Mexico before the weather turns cold. Sometimes, insects find their way into homes seeking shelter during the cold winter months.

Some moths fly long distances during migration. For example, a hummingbird hawkmoth left North Africa for the south coast of England when the weather turned cold.

Moths adapt to their environment in a number of ways. Their eyes reflect light so they can see best at night. Most of them spend the day in the woods or hide in vegetation. Their coloring and wing design help them blend into their surroundings (trees, foliage, bushes) during the day when they are most vulnerable to predators.

Insects in the form of caterpillars are herbivores, eating the leaves of plants and sometimes fruit. Caterpillars can eat a large leaf every day. Fully grown moths drink nectar or sap for nourishment. Nectar is also a food source for butterflies.

Did you know that some insects don't eat at all? They don't eat because they don't have mouths! An example is the luna moth. This insect does not eat, so its lifespan is about a week. During that week, the insects mate to keep the species alive.

Moth caterpillars instinctively know which plants to eat. However, caterpillars may eat plants in the garden that have been sprayed with pest control poisons. When this happens, the caterpillar becomes sick and dies.

Moths can also become entangled in webs and eaten by spiders. If the insect flies close to the ground, it may also be eaten by the toad. Other predators include lizards and birds. Sometimes they are killed by pet dogs or cats.

These insects are attracted to porch lights, street lamps, and other lights that are lit around homes and buildings at night. Sometimes they fly into lights, many times they drop to the ground and are picked up by predators.

The mother leaves her eggs and does not return. Most eggs hatch in about 10 days. The number of eggs this insect lays depends on her species. Some species lay 250 eggs, while others only 50.

Next, the eggs enter the larval or caterpillar stage. This phase lasts about seven weeks. Most caterpillars eat eggshells because it contains protein and other nutrients they need to grow. Then, they start chewing on the surrounding plant leaves.

Although caterpillars have limited vision, they can use their senses of touch, smell and taste to find more leaves to eat. They can walk up and down the leaves of plants. The caterpillar must eat leaves equivalent to 2,700 times its own body weight in preparation for the pupal stage.

The caterpillar enters the pupal stage by spinning the silk into a shell, or cocoon, and stays there until it becomes a moth. This phase lasts from three weeks to a month. The caterpillar's body feeds on plant leaves before entering the cocoon.

Once adult moths emerge from their cocoons, they live an average of 40 days. The exact lifespan of an insect depends on its species. Adult luna moths only live for a week, while dark moths can live for 3 to 5 months. Hummingbirds and hawkmoths can live for two to three months.

More than 160,000 species of these insects live around the world, yet their official protected status is threatened. Keep in mind that some of these insects are more vulnerable than others. For example, the garden tiger and ermine moth are classified as endangered due to loss of woodland habitat and food sources.

Like butterflies, bats and bees, moths are pollinators that help plants grow. In addition, they are a food source for various animals. They may be small animals, but they are important to our ecosystem!

about the author

My name is Rebecca and I have been a professional freelancer for nearly ten years. I write SEO content and graphic design. When I'm not working, I'm obsessed with cats and pet mice.