Moths and butterflies are in the Order Lepidoptera and just part of the world’s million plus species of insects.

In North America, over 91,000 insect species have been identified. Many, I’m sure, still need to be cataloged.

Of those 91,000, moths and butterfly species are the second largest order. Lepidoptera, in simpler terms, means scale wings. If you ever handled a butterfly or moth, and however carefully you did that, you probably had many of those scales stuck to your fingers or hands. The legs, bodies and wings are all covered with these scales.

There are a number of major differences between moths and butterflies.

Moths for the most part are nocturnal. (If you are a camper, think of those that flew into your nighttime campfire.) Moths’ bodies (abdomens) are usually rather thick in comparison to the thin (skinny) one of butterflies.

Butterflies are usually much more vividly colored, while the moths are usually duller or drabber. Moths are noted for their great sense of smell.

Moths have feathery antennae, while a butterfly’s antennae are thin, with a small club-like distal end. Moths rely on that sense of smell to locate flowers so they can get to the nectar.

Night blooming flowers don’t have to be “showy,” and in fact, are usually white and tubular. These flowers advertise with their fragrance. Daytime blooming flowers are brightly colored to attract bees, and of course butterflies, so that they can be pollinated.

It is truly amazing how organisms interact.

For example, how different plants depend on a certain insect or insects that are active at the time they need to be pollinated. That’s another reason you need to protect as many species as possible because they all fill a special niche (role) in nature.

Back to the moth’s amazing sense of smell. The feathery antennae of a moth have thousands of receptors along the sections of the antennae. Moths use this sense, of course, to find the nectar they need. But male moths use these super sensitive antennae to locate mates. The male gypsy moth can detect a female’s pheromones from about 1.5 miles away. Male moths fly a zigzag pattern to home in on her scent.

Adding some trivia here. To be politically correct, the name gypsy moth has now been changed to spongy moth.

Moths and butterflies use complete metamorphosis. This involves four stages: the egg, larva, pupa and adult.

Larva of moths and butterflies are caterpillars. The pupal stages of moths differ from butterflies. A caterpillar of a moth usually produces a fuzzy covering over it and it is referred to as a cocoon. A caterpillar of a butterfly, like a monarch, pupates in a thinner, non-fuzzy covering called a chrysalis.

Overall, moths and butterflies are both very beneficial, but sometimes devastating. Caterpillars provide a tremendous food source to so many species of birds. At the same time, you’re not happy when cabbage butterfly caterpillars eat your cabbage or broccoli. On a larger scale, spongy moth caterpillars can destroy huge sections of forests.

Look for some of our bigger moths over the next month or so. You may want to check out your porch light area at night or at dawn to see what species it may have detected. Nature viewing without getting out there. Enjoy.

Nature hint: When you read this column, about 95% of our bird species have returned. Get out there before all the leaves form to get some nice looks at them.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: True/False: There are about 10 times as many moth species as butterfly species in North America.

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: The great crested flycatcher often places a shed snake skin in its cavity nesting hole.

Email Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com