Butterflies and moths belong to the order of insects called Lepidoptera which means ‘scale wings’
The only way to tell a butterfly from a moth is by the antennae – a butterfly’s are club shaped whereas a moth’s are feathered
Butterflies tend to fly only in the day
Many moths are just as colourful as butterflies, such as the Scarlet Tiger Moth shown to the right
A butterfly, like all insects has 3 main body parts: the head, thorax and abdomen
A butterfly’s tongue is called a proboscis. It is like a drinking straw for sipping nectar from flowers
The complete life cycle of a butterfly is known as metamorphosis
Butterflies have special sensory organs in their feet allowing them to detect sugary nectar as soon as they land on a plant
Female butterflies can determine whether a plant is suitable for egg laying by stamping or scratching at the leaves with their feet
Butterflies have a pair of compound eyes, each one made up of hundreds or thousands of tiny lenses
Caterpillars have very simple eyes which can detect light or dark but cannot see detail
The antennae can detect scents that the human nose could not possibly smell and they help the female to find the correct food plant for their caterpillar
Caterpillars have some 2000 muscles in their tiny bodies, five times more than ours
Butterflies and moths belong to the order of insects called Lepidoptera which means ‘scale wings’
