Butterflies – Lepidoptera – West Yorkshire

Butterflies belong to the insect group Lepidoptera. Butterflies and Moths have a life cycle in four stages – egg, caterpillar (larva), pupa (chrysalis) and imago (adult). This change from one form to the next is called metamorphosis.Difference between a butterfly and moth.There is no absolute rule to determine the classification of the two groups, for instance it is generally agreed that moths fly at night, however, there are many examples of day time moths such as the Burnett moth.The nearest rule to differentiate the two groups is their antennae. The butterflies are thin and have a blob at the end, the moth does not have the blob and the antennae on some species is thicker. The male moths antennae are usually feathery compared to the females. This classification would work had it not been for a butterfly Pseudopontia paradoxa found in Africa that does not have a blob on the end of its antennae.