edHelper.com Animal Themes Insects Invertebrates

Is It a Butterfly or a Moth?

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Is It a Butterfly or a Moth?
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 3 to 6
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	6.76

Vocabulary

challenging words:

species, subtle, sugary, upright, mainly, slender, difference, contrast, knob, between, however, aside, neither, fold, often, glance

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Other Languages
     Spanish: żEs una Mariposa o una Polilla?

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Is It a Butterfly or a Moth?

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¹     Can you tell the difference between a butterfly and a moth? At first glance, the two insect species have identical body structures - they both have one pair of antennae, two pairs of wings, and three pairs of legs. Even their diet is the same. Both of them love drinking sugary liquids (such as nectar) through a long, straw-like feeding tube called a proboscis. When a butterfly or a moth is not eating, it coils up its proboscis and stores it neatly under its head.
 
²     However, aside from the similarities, there are some subtle differences between the two winged insect species -

• A butterfly is usually more brightly colored than a moth.
• A butterfly has a small, rounded knob at the tip of its antenna. A moth doesn't have the knob, and its antenna is either straight or feather-like.
• We often see a butterfly during the day and a moth during the night.
• A butterfly likes to rest with its wings folded upright over its back. A moth prefers to hold its wings flat.
• A butterfly has a long, slender body. A moth, in contrast, has a short, plump, hairy body.

³     Unfortunately, we may still make incorrect judgments even with these useful guidelines on hand. Well, believe it or not, there are about 3,000 insect species possessing physical traits from both butterflies and moths. For those confusing ones, we group them together and call them skippers!

Paragraphs 4 to 5:
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