There are over 50 species of Butterflies in the UK - here they all are in one minute!
The variety of butterflies and moths is amazing - and infinite...
Compare these two moths!
The tiny moth on the left has a caterpillar that mines tunnels between the upper and lower layers of tree leaves, the male Oak Eggar Moth on the right is a very large species commonly seen on summer evenings.
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These are two forms of the same species of moth
The Peppered Moth. Which form is better camouflaged against the lichen-covered tree trunks?
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Camouflage
Why is the Lappet Moth on the left so brilliantly camouflaged, yet the Cream-spot Tiger is brightly coloured black, white and orange?
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Some caterpillars are highly camouflaged, some are very brightly coloured, while others are extremely hairy!
 | The Brimstone butterfly caterpillar is very well hidden! |
 | The Mullein Moth larva is very brightly coloured and shows up clearly against the green Mullein leaves. |
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The Fox Moth is one of the largest and hairiest of our caterpillars!
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All Butterflies and Moths have scales on their wings
Some have fantastically iridescent colours like this Burnished Brass Moth
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| Some have almost no scales at all like this Clearwing Butterfly |  |
Teachers
Link here to the Teachers' Resources pages and here to link to the Teachers' Introduction to the Life-cycles pages.
Moths - the masters of camouflage!
Below is a gallery of images to illustrate some of the fantastic camouflage that moths exhibit. Imagine these moths sitting on tree trunks, or among leaves or flowers, and they could be completely hidden from the prying eyes of predators.
Click on the first image to enlarge it and scroll through the photos by hovering the mouse over each image and clicking on the 'next' button that will appear on the right hand side of it.
