Do any butterflies fly at night or is that just the prerogative of moths? Stuart Blackman takes a look <\/p>
Gaudy, sun-loving exhibitionists versus subtle, introverted creatures of the night \u2013 there\u2019s something of the yin and yang about butterflies and moths. But there are a few awkward characters out there that refuse to conform to expectations. <\/p>
Among the moths, no one could accuse cinnabars, burnets, clearwings or hummingbird hawks<\/a> of skulking under the cover of darkness. But it\u2019s only in the past decade or so that it has been established that there are any nocturnal butterflies. <\/p> The 35 or so species of the family Hedylidae, known as American moth-butterflies, have long puzzled taxonomists. <\/p> Like butterflies, they rest with their wings open and have long, slim abdomens. But they have moth-like antennae and fly at night. In keeping with their nocturnal habits, they have developed a vision system that utilises a suite of light-sensitive molecules similar to those of moths and they are attracted to artificial lights.<\/p> Historically, they were lumped in with moths, but modern genetic techniques now place them solidly within the butterfly lineage.<\/p> Wondering how to tell the difference between moths and butterflies?<\/a> Check out our handy guide.<\/p> Check out our expert guides, including can butterflies hear? And why do moths have ears and butterflies not?<\/a><\/strong>, how do butterflies smell? And what about moths?<\/a><\/strong>, butterflies of the UK: common species to see, how to submit sightings, and how they’re being helped<\/a><\/strong> and how does a caterpillar turn into a butterfly?<\/a><\/strong><\/p> Main image: Macrosoma bahiata \u00a9 James Sullivan, Research Collection of J. B. Sullivan<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n Do any butterflies fly at night or is that just the prerogative of moths? Stuart Blackman takes a look <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":37341,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"2"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/04\/are-there-any-nocturnal-butterflies.jpg",640,480,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/04\/are-there-any-nocturnal-butterflies-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/04\/are-there-any-nocturnal-butterflies-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/04\/are-there-any-nocturnal-butterflies.jpg",640,480,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/04\/are-there-any-nocturnal-butterflies.jpg",640,480,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/04\/are-there-any-nocturnal-butterflies.jpg",640,480,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/04\/are-there-any-nocturnal-butterflies.jpg",640,480,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Do any butterflies fly at night or is that just the prerogative of moths? Stuart Blackman takes a look","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/37340"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}More fascinating butterfly facts<\/h3>
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