Moths Do Not Navigate by the Moon
A moth is a mostly nocturnal insect related to butterflies. The reason they circle lamps is newly understood.
A moth is an insect of the order Lepidoptera, mostly nocturnal, with feathery antennae and wings usually held flat at rest. The old explanation for why moths circle lamps, that they mistake them for the moon, has not held up. High-speed filming shows they tilt their backs toward the brightest light to stay upright, a reflex that works under an open sky and sends them into a helpless orbit around a nearby bulb. *Moth* is Old English and originally meant the clothes-eating grub rather than the adult insect.
- A nocturnal insect. *A large moth.*
- Clothes moth. *A clothes moth.*
- Lepidoptera — the order. *Lepidoptera.*
- Moth-eaten — damaged by larvae. *Moth-eaten.*
- Old English — *moththe*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | moth | A moth. |
| Plural | moths | Moths. |
| Adjective | moth-eaten | Moth-eaten. |
| Order | Lepidoptera | Lepidoptera. |
| Old English | moththe | A moth. |
- A moth circled the lamp.Behaviour.
- The larvae eat wool.Damage.
- It tilts its back to the light.Explanation.
Telling moths from butterflies
- Antennae — feathery in moths, clubbed in butterflies
- Resting wings — usually flat in moths, folded up in butterflies
- Activity — moths mostly at night, butterflies by day
- Body — moths tend to be stouter and furrier
- None of these holds for every species
Old English *moththe*, originally the clothes-eating larva, of Germanic origin.
Why are moths attracted to light?
They tilt their backs toward the brightest light to stay upright. Under the sky that works; near a bulb it traps them in an orbit.
What eats woollen clothes?
The larvae, not the adult moths. Adult clothes moths do not feed on fabric at all.