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Family - Butterflies and moths are part of the Lepidoptera family. They are insects characterized by scales on their wings and their ability to undergo complete metamorphosis.

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Scales - You may be thinking: scales on butterflies? Yes, their wings are actually fully transparent but the protein that makes up their exoskeleton stores the beautiful colors.

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Moths and butterflies -

Butterflies are generally larger and have more colors on their wings when compared to moths.

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Moths and butterflies - Butterflies also tend to fold their wings up vertically over their body, whereas moths create a tent with their wings to cover their bodies.

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More differences - Butterflies flutter around in the day because they are diurnal, but moths are usually only around at night, as they are nocturnal.

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More differences - Butterfly and moth antennae are very different. If you look at a butterfly, you will see that the antennae are usually bare and come out of the head directly. In contrast, moths often have leafy antennae that spread backward over their heads.

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Caterpillars -

Butterflies and moths enter the world as caterpillars. They come from larvae and then eat their way through all the leaves they come across.

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Caterpillars - When they are eating, from larvae to adult caterpillar stage, they can increase their body mass 10,000-fold. It is the same relative growth as a human baby growing to the same size as a sperm whale.

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Pupation - When caterpillars are full and ready, they will stop eating. Some caterpillars will create a chrysalis to hang in, others create pupae. These are casings that don’t hang and can be just about anywhere.

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Metamorphosis - Inside the chrysalis or pupae, the caterpillar will begin to digest itself using its enzymes. It is hard to know exactly what happens inside the casings because if a caterpillar is disturbed during the metamorphosis process, it can easily die.

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Transformation - If it works, then a beautiful moth or butterfly will emerge from the casing. Some studies have suggested that butterflies and moths remember what they learned in their caterpillar stage even after they have changed.

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Size - Butterflies have a wide range of sizes. They can be anywhere from ⅛ inch (0.3 cm) to 12 inches (30 cm).

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Sight - Butterflies can only see red, green, and yellow. They also have a much wider view field and are able to see ultraviolet light.

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Sight -

Even though they can see things up close, after 10-12 ft (3-3.6 m) everything gets very blurry.

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Speed - The top speed for butterflies is 12 mph (19.31 kph).

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Journeys - Despite their slow speed, Monarch butterflies undertake an incredible journey every year. They travel from 2,000 miles (3,200 km) from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.

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Temperature - If a butterfly's body temperature is less than 30°C (86°F), then it cannot fly.

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Global - You can find butterflies in every country in the world except for Antarctica.

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Species - There are over 24,000 species of butterflies in the world. Moths species significantly outnumber butterfly species with a whopping 140,000 different species.

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Life length -

They usually do not live very long. The Brimstone butterfly is known to have the longest adult life at 9-10 months. The average adult lifespan is only two weeks long.

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Mouths - Some moths in adult life cannot eat anything because when they metamorphose they lose their mouths!

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Taste - Some butterflies can use their feet to taste the ground beneath them. This is so they know whether it is a good place for their larvae to munch away when they hatch.

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Food - Butterflies live completely off a liquid diet. They all have a straw that unfurls from their body to suck up nectar from flowers. They are not able to chew at all.

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Assembly - When butterflies first come out of their cocoon, their mouth is actually in two parts. They have to put it together in order to create the tube that lets them eat the liquid.

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Skeleton -

Butterflies have an exoskeleton, meaning a skeleton on the outside of their body. It protects the butterfly’s body from outside forces and keeps it dry.

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Pollinate - Butterflies are useful critters to have in your garden. They go from flower to flower pollinating. They are responsible, alongside bees and some moths, for the reproduction of your garden.

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Puddling - You may sometimes notice butterflies settle on a puddle. This is called puddling. Butterflies need salts and minerals to live, not just nectar. Luckily, mud provides just what they need. It is usually male butterflies who go puddling to strengthen their sperm with nutrients.

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Wings - When the butterfly first comes out of its cocoon, its wings are shriveled around its body. They have to pump liquid into the veins in order to spread the wings out.

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Dry -

Only after a few hours of waiting for the wings to dry and harden can the butterfly soar through the air. It is one of the most vulnerable periods of its life.

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Predators -

Butterflies are a tasty treat for many animals that hang around. Their wings are colorful precisely so they can hide from them through camouflage. Their colors also indicate that they are toxic to eat, but this is just a trick to ward off potential threats.

Sources: (ThoughtCo) (Australian Butterfly Sanctuary) (Scientific American)

See also: Marvel at the most radiant wildlife on earth

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