ETYM Perh. from the color of a yellow species. AS. buter-flęge, buttor-fleóge; cf. German butterfliege, Dutch botervlieg. Related to Butter, and Fly.
Diurnal insect typically having a slender body with knobbed antennae and broad colorful wings.
Insect belonging, like moths, to the order Lepidoptera, in which the wings are covered with tiny scales, often brightly colored. There are some 15,000 species of butterfly, many of which are under threat throughout the world because of the destruction of habitat.
Butterflies have a tubular proboscis through which they suck up nectar, or, in some species, carrion, dung, or urine. Metamorphosis is complete; the pupa, or chrysalis, is usually without the protection of a cocoon. Adult life span may be only a few weeks, but some species hibernate and lay eggs in the spring.
The largest family, Nymphalidae, has some 6,000 species; it includes the peacock, tortoiseshells, and fritillaries. The family Pieridae includes the cabbage white, one of the few butterflies injurious to crops. The Lycaenidae are chiefly small, often with metallic coloration, for example the blues, coppers, and hairstreaks. The large blue Lycaena arion has a complex life history: it lays its eggs on wild thyme, and the caterpillars are then taken by Myrmica ants to their nests. The ants milk their honey glands, while the caterpillars feed on the ant larvae. In the spring, the caterpillars finally pupate and emerge as butterflies. The mainly tropical Papilionidae, or swallowtails, are large and very beautiful, especially the South American species. The world’s largest butterfly is Queen Alexandra’s birdwing Ornithoptera alexandrae of Papua New Guinea, with a body 7.5 cm/3 in long and a wingspan of 25 cm/10 in. The most spectacular migrant is the orange and black monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus.
Y from N Canada to Mexico in the autumn.
Butterflies usually differ from moths in having the antennae club-shaped rather than plumed or feathery, no “lock” between the fore- and hindwing, and resting with the wings in the vertical position rather than flat or sloping. + prikaži više

1. Folded over to protect the contents.
2 A folded cover or large envelope for holding or filing loose papers
3. An organizational element of a computer operating system used to group files or other folders together

ETYM Old Eng. mothe, AS. moththe; akin to Dutch mot, German motte, Icel. motti, and prob. to Eng. mad an earthworm. Related to Mad, Mawk.
Typically crepuscular or nocturnal insect having a stout body and feathery or hairlike antennae.
Any of the various families of mainly night-flying insects of the order Lepidoptera, which also includes the butterflies. Their wings are covered with microscopic scales. The mouthparts are formed into a sucking proboscis, but certain moths have no functional mouthparts, and rely upon stores of fat and other reserves built up during the caterpillar stage. At least 100,000 different species of moth are known.
Moths feed chiefly on the nectar of flowers, and other fluid matter; some, like the hawk moths, frequent flowers and feed while hovering. The females of some species (such as bagworm moths) have wings either absent or reduced to minute flaps. Moths vary greatly in size. In many cases the males are smaller and more brightly colored than the females.
The minute Nepticulidae sometimes have a wingspread less than 3 mm/0.1 in, while the giant Noctuid or owlet moth Erebus agrippina measures about 280 mm/11 in across.
The larvae (caterpillars) have a well-developed head and three thoracic and ten abdominal segments. Each thoracic segment bears a pair of short legs, ending in single claws; a pair of suckerlike abdominal feet is present on segments three to six and ten of the hind-body. In the family Geometridae the caterpillars bear the abdominal feet only on segments six and ten of the hind body. They move by a characteristic looping gait and are known as “loopers”,“inchworms”, or geometers. Projecting from the middle of the lower lip of a caterpillar is a minute tube or spinneret, through which silk is emitted to make a cocoon within which the change to the pupa or chrysalis occurs. Silk glands are especially large in the silkworm moth. Many caterpillars, including the geometers, which are sought by birds, are protected by their resemblance in both form and coloration to their immediate surroundings. Others, which are distasteful to such enemies, are brightly colored or densely hairy.
The feeding caterpillars of many moths cause damage: the codling moth, for example, attacks fruit trees; and several species of clothes moth eat natural fibers.
The corn earworm moth infests corn. The largest North American moths are the cecropia moth and polyphemus moth with wingspreads up to 14 cm/5.5 in. + prikaži više

A feeling of hollowness or queasiness caused especially by emotional or nervous tension or anxious anticipation.