

The male io moths are yellow, blue, and pink, whereas the females are reddish-brown. The Io Moth, like the luna moth, is found in the eastern half of North America.

The wingspan of this moth is up to three inches, making it one of the bigger North American moths. Scientists haven’t figured out exactly what causes this strange, seemingly random boom-and-bust population cycle across its range. Some years, populations of Hyles lineata will boom in one area and be non-existent in another. This sphinx moth is an incredible North American pollinator. White-lined Sphinx Moth – Hyles lineata, Sphingidae Moths are not only brown, as you may think. As you will see, moths can be just as striking as their butterfly counterparts.

While an entomologist could make the case that every moth is beautiful in its own way, some are clearly more attractive than others. There are over 160,000 different species of moths in the world! The list below covers 40 noteworthy ones divided into five categories beautiful moths, agricultural nuisance moths, moths of cultural and economic importance, edible moths, and invasive moths. There are some stunningly beautiful moth species that fly during the day! While this is generally true, it isn’t a tried-and-true method of moth identification. Most people think moths are nocturnal and brown and butterflies are diurnal and colorful. Moths differ from butterflies in a few ways. They have four wings and live across the world. Lepidopteran insects go through a larval stage (commonly known as a caterpillar), a pupal stage (known as a chrysalis or cocoon), and an adult stage (known as a moth or butterfly). The other important pollinator orders are Hymenoptera (bees and ants), Coleoptera (beetles), and Diptera (flies). This is one of the main orders of pollinators. Moths Versus Butterflies: What’s the Difference?īoth moths and butterflies belong to the insect order Lepidoptera. It would take many lifetimes to learn everything there is to know about moths, especially because there are 10 times as many moths species than butterfly species in the world. They can also be huge pests, harming agriculture and forestry. They can be gorgeous, colorful, massive, and important pollinators. Moths are much more interesting than you may think.
