Moths are far more numerous than butterflies, revealing an astonishing diversity.
"Butterflies are the children of good weather and sunshine!".
Yes, but that's a very fragmented view. The vast majority of Lepidoptera do not actually wake up until dusk! There are ten times as many species of moth (around 160,000) as there are butterflies, and curiously enough, some of these nocturnal butterflies wait until the long, cold winter evenings to become active.
This is a vast and disparate 'family' of insects, which includes both malabars (with wingspans of almost 30 cm) and minus ones (less than 3 mm), shy creatures hiding behind inconspicuous colours and ambiguous shapes, but also histrionics displaying the most ostentatious and flamboyant finery. And to top it all off, many species traditionally classified as moths are in fact strictly diurnal..
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Lydd Beauty at night under the moon - Spain
2050502 RM
Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus), Keystone Heights, Florida, USA
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Lime Hawk-Moth (Mimas tiliae) on a trunk in city at night, France
2048035 RM
Comet Moth on trunk - Ranomafana Madagascar ; Madagascar Moon Moth is the largest of the Malagasy [...]
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Saturniid moth (Antheraea korintjiana), Kinabalu NP, Borneo, Malaysia
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Giant peacock moth (Saturnia pyri) on vegetation, Prairies du Fouzon, Loir-et-Cher, France
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Mottled beauty (Alcis repandata), on wood, top view, open wings, Gers, France.
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Willow Beauty on bark - Vosges France
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Giant leopard moth (Ecpantheria scribonia) on bark, Florida
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Spanish moon moth (Graellsia isabellae) on a branch of Pine (Pinus sp), Hautes-Alpes, France
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Spanish moon moth male on a Pin Valais Switzerland [...]
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Spanish moon moth (Actias isabellae) on a pine branch in front of the lights of a village in the [...]
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Winter moth (Operophtera brumata) male
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Oak Eggar (Lasiocampa quercus) moth on tree, Tessin, Switzerland
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Small butterfly (Pancalia leuwenhoekella) with shiny metallic scale dress
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Hypena moth (Hypena lividalis) on a blade of grass, Gard, France
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Moth (Macrocilix maia), with false fly spots, Kinabalu NP, Borneo, Malaysia
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Small emperor moth (Saturnia pavonia), male, captive, Thuringia, Germany, Europe
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Sundaroa (Sundaroa sexmacula), imago, Kinabalu NP, Borneo, Malaysia
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Amerila (Amerila omissa), imago on a leaf, Kinabalu NP, Borneo, Malaysia
2050160 RM
Atlas moth (Attacus atlas), Florida, USA
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Lappet moth (Gastropacha quercifolia) on bark, Saint-Brieuc, Côtes d'Armor, Brittany, France
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White Plume Moth (Pterophorus pentadactyla)
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Death's Head Hawk-Moth (Acherontia atropos) sitting on honeycomb, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
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Hummingbird hawk-moth in flight - Spain
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Burnet (Zygaena fausta) on flowers, Mont Ventoux, France
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Six-spot Burnet (Zygaena fillipendulae) on flower, Allamps, Lorraine, France
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Tarsolepis (Tarsolepis sommeri), on a branch, Kinabalu NP, Borneo, Malaisie
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Box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis). Emergence of a female of dark shape. Burgundy, France 71 on [...]
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Small Elephant Hawk-moth on a leaf Lorraine France [...]
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Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpinum) Mimetic imago at daytime rest on a piece of wood, [...]
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Twin-spot carpet (Mesotype didymata) imago on a rock, Mimicry, undergrowth with blueberry, [...]
2544466 RM
Tamarisk plume (Agdistis tamaricis), Perfectly mimetic Imago at rest on a tamarisk branch, Plérin, [...]
2458950 RM
Snout moth (Sacada sp), imago, PN Kinabalu, Malaysia
1647713 RM
Brahméide Owl Silkmoth on bark France
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Chinese Character (Cilix glaucata), Imago of 11mm mimicking a bird's fowl, garden and borders, [...]
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Moth (Orcynia calcarata) on dead leaf, Montagne de Fer, Guyane Française
2458981 RM
Saturniid moth (Loepa megacore), male imago on a leaf, Kinabalu NP, Borneo, Malaysia
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Scarlet-bodied Wasp Moth (Cosmosoma hector), Corcovado, Osa, Costa Rica
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Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) Imagos mating on a twig. The female of this species has atrophied [...]
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Moth (Lechriolepis tapiae) Mating on the female's cocoon, the male is darker, Nocturnal imago, [...]
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Lepidoptera ; moth releasing pheromones ; moth releasing pheromones ; Singapore
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Trichromia moth (Trichromia perversa) on a leaf, Saramaca, French Guiana
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Twenty-plume moth (Alucita hexadactyla) on a wall, France
2459145 RM
Tiger moth (Euagra cerymica), imago, El Valle de Anton, Panama
2459276 RM
Picture-winged leaf moth (Glanycus coendersi), imago on leaf, Kinabalu NP, Borneo, Malaisia
2465621 RM
Cratoplastis (Cratoplastis rectiradia) on black background, Saramaca, French Guiana
2458984 RM
Geometer (Eucyclodes albisparsa), imago on a leaf, Kinabalu NP, Borneo, Malaysia
2440324 RM
One-eyed Sphinx Moth (Smerinthus cerisyi), California.
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Tortrix Moth (Rubropsichia fuesliniana) on a leaf, Manzanillo, Costa Rica