KILDARE WILDLIFE WATCH: Spot the difference - is it a moth or butterfly
Nuala Madigan from the Bog of Allen Centre
Did you know that there are approximately 1,500 different moth species in Ireland? Moths are insects with some day flying but mostly they are associated with nighttime.
They are most closely related to butterflies, and it is thought that butterflies evolved from moths over 100 million years ago.
Today the key differences to identify whether you are observing a butterfly or a moth in your community include the shape of the antennae with those of the butterfly being club shaped, while moths mainly have feathery antennae.
The bodies of moths are usually hairy and stocky while the body of a butterfly is slim and smooth.
When at rest, butterflies close their wings together above their bodies while moths lay their wings flat. It is thought butterflies close their wings together as they are generally more brightly coloured than moths.
There are exceptions to all these identifying features and one example is the Elephant hawk-moth which has both feathery antennae and is olive-gold and pink in colour.
This moth is often found in gardens, parks, woodlands or grassy habitats where nectar is plentiful from their preferred food plant honeysuckle and fuchsia.
When feeding the adult does not actually land on the plant instead it hovers and uses a long proboscis to suck the nectar from the flower.
When the female is ready to lay her green eggs, she will often be found close to rosebay willowherb or bedstraw as these are the typical food plants of the caterpillar.
The caterpillar of the Elephant hawk-moth are greyish-brown with two large black eyespots to help warn off predators.
The shape of the caterpillar body looks like that of an elephants trunk and it is believed why this moth is so called.
You can observe the Elephant hawk-moth on the wing in your community from May to September each year and the caterpillars from July to September before they pupate for the winter ahead.
Learn more about Irish moths by visiting www.irishmoths.net.
Don’t forget if you come across a wildlife species that you would like help identifying I would be happy to help, contact me at [email protected].