Is it a Moth or a Butterfly?

As moth’ers, one of the questions we get asked most frequently (if not THE most frequently asked question) is, of course, What is the difference between a butterfly and a moth?

We’ve all got our stock answer to rattle off: butterflies have club-tipped antennae, most moths are nocturnal while most butterflies are diurnal (though there are exceptions), moths have a small hook to fasten their hindwings to their forewings while butterflies do not, butterflies are pretty moths are ugly (KIDDING, moths are gorgeous!), etc.

However, in this cool blog post by Alex Wild, of the awesome site, Myrmecos.net, we see a butterfly perched on a wall looking just like…a moth! Perhaps it’s avoiding predation, but no one knows for sure what this Common mapwing is actually doing. Check out the post!

Common mapwing, Cyrestis thyodamas (Photo by Cj Samson, via wikimedia)
Common mapwing, Cyrestis thyodamas (Photo by Cj Samson, via wikimedia)

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