Lepidoptera
Grab a magnifying glass and take a closer look!
Butterflies and moths are the mature adult life stage of a group of insects known as ‘Lepidoptera’. Butterflies are active during the day, and moths mostly at night.
Many have eyespots on their wings. It's thought that these are a type of mimicry, a deterrent to intimidate predators. It’s a as if a butterfly is saying ‘Look at my big scary eyes!’
Butterflies are some of the most colourful insects, and - although the colours of some moths are more muted, others match the beauty of butterflies with their bold patterns and bright colours.
Now look at the picture on the wall, the one framed in the big magnifying glass. It shows an extreme close-up of the eyespot of Saturnia pavoniella – the Ligurian emperor moth. The wings of Lepidoptera are covered by thousands of tiny scales which reflect light in different colours.
Most moths and butterflies lare short-lived, but they bring much colour to the natural world.
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