Butterfly vs Moth: How to Tell the Difference

Rules of thumb: Butterflies are usually day-active, moths night-active. Butterflies have club-tipped antennae, moths have feathery or threadlike. Butterflies rest with wings folded vertically, moths with wings flat.

But there are many exceptions — there is actually no scientific distinction. Butterflies are essentially a group of day-flying moths. Some moths (like the Sunset Moth) are more colorful than any butterfly.

There are 180,000 Lepidoptera species: 20,000 butterflies and 160,000 moths..