Io moth

Discover interesting facts and information about the IO moth, including its appearance, behavior, and habitat. Learn how to attract this beautiful species to your garden.
Types Of Butterflies, Flying Flowers, Beautiful Bugs, Beautiful Butterflies, Silkworm Moth, Io Moth, Colorful Moths, Moth Caterpillar, Moth Tattoo

Very docile, once they settled down. Tended to drop to the ground if disturbed (perhaps a defense mechanism against bats?), but happy to perch on a finger. They expose the hindwings, which look like an owl, to startle potential predators. Picked this one up and placed on this leaf for a nice photo op. Wingspan 8 cm.

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Christine
When threatened, the Io moths (Automeris io) will spread their wings to reveal a startling eyespot pattern, used to deter predators! Types Of Butterflies, Flying Flowers, Birds Butterflies, Flying Insects, Bugs And Insects, Beautiful Bugs, Beautiful Butterflies, Lovely, Io Moth

Image: t_buchteleButterflies and moths belong to the order Lepidoptera, which is derived from the Greek words for "scaled wing." There are over 180,000 species in this order, only about 10 percent, however, are butterflies - the rest are moths. The first primitive moths evolved over 140 million years ago (butterflies, the belles of the ball, came fashionably late about 40 million years ago).Moths are usually glossed over for butterflies, their "prettier, more attractive" cousins. But no…

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Beth Hoffman