moth: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Nov. 2, 2026

News •

Scientists change the shape of moth wings for the first time • Oct. 29, 2026, 10:20 AM ET (Earth.com)

Photos and Videos

Brahmaea hearseyi moth with wide, patterned brown and tan wings rests on a green leaf, with soft-focus foliage in the background.

Rosy maple moth (Dryocampa rubicunda) with bright pink and yellow wings resting on a green leaf.

A Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus) with large tan wings featuring distinctive eye spots rests on a green leaf.

White spring moth (Lomographa vestaliata) with pale, outstretched wings rests on soil and twigs in the Netherlands.

Two light-colored and two dark melanic peppered moths (Biston betularia) rest on a textured, two-toned tree trunk, demonstrating camouflage and industrial melanism.

A banded woolly bear caterpillar (Pyrrharctia isabella) with fuzzy black and orange bands crawls on a textured wooden surface.

A large, pale blue-green Atlas moth caterpillar with white spiny protuberances clings to a branch surrounded by green leaves.

A flannel moth caterpillar (Megalopyge opercularis) with dense, tan and gray hair rests on a green leaf at night.

A brightly colored Spurge hawk-moth (Hyles euphorbiae) caterpillar with yellow, black, red, and white markings crawls along a brown twig against a blurred green background.

A Biston strataria larva, resembling a twig, is camouflaged on a tree branch with green leaves against a blurred brown background.

Vintage illustrations of colorful moths.

What can bionics researchers learn from butterflies and moths?

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Topics

What’s the difference between moths and butterflies?Yponomeutoidea Bombycoidea Cossoidea Gelechioidea Geometroidea Noctuoidea Pyraloidea Tortricoidea Zygaenoidea heteropteran Coleoptera ant grasshopper wasp bee fly social insect apterygote Insects That Wear Things

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