On Winter walks in Atlanta, the only living creatures I am fortunate to encounter are deer, squirrels, and birds. But today near my path, I met a tiny moth. He didn’t seem able to fly, so perhaps he had just left his cocoon. I clearly annoyed him trying to capture a photo, and honestly, I didn’t think a photo of it would prove very interesting, but I was clearly wrong. When I enlarged the photo, how surprised I was to see not only a spring green abdomen, but green eyes peering back at me. I am perpetually amazed at the beautiful details in the small, even microscopic, creatures we just pass by.
Receiving the side eye because I continually poked my phone in its face!
As we learned in my previous post, bees and butterflies aren’t the only pollinators. On a walk through a local park, I noticed a variety of insects on the base of a tree. (I didn’t spy all the tiny insects until I was reviewing the photos!) There were some hornets, so I didn’t venture too close, but one visitor piqued my interest. I had discovered a hummingbird moth! With body parts and behavior similar to a hummingbird, it is often mistaken for one. Moths are nocturnal, but this moth is diurnal and a lesser-known pollinator. I’m uncertain what was drawing all the insects to the tree – sap or some other sweet substance? What do you think?
Look carefully. Do you see the feathery antennae, a plump body covered with hair resembling feathers, six legs, and an abdomen that flairs like a tail? The moth is able to hover like the bird it is mimicking, but it collects nectar with a proboscis, not a beak. There are four types of hummingbird moths in North America. They move quickly, approximately 15 miles per hour, so I felt fortunate to have captured a photo. Unexpected discoveries are the best!
Do you know how to distinguish between a butterfly and a moth? Although there are similarities, there are also striking differences.
Moths are nocturnal while butterflies are active during the day (diurnal). Moths usually have plain wings, and butterfly wings tend to be more colorful. When a moth is resting, its wings are at its sides, but a butterfly rests with its wings together and upright. There are differences in antennae too. A butterfly has clubbed antennae, but a moth has straight or feathery ones. Finally, a butterfly’s body is thin, but a moth’s body is often thicker. During metamorphosis, a butterfly caterpillar makes a chrysalis, but a moth caterpillar forms a cocoon during the pupal stage. Now when you find a lepidoptera on a walk with your child or students, determine whether it is a moth or butterfly.
Click here to learn how to watch caterpillars move through metamorphosis. Click here for a previous cocoon post. I have made other posts about butterflies and moths. Go to the search bar on the right top corner of the home page to find them.
Observe butterflies in a garden or nursery. Turn on a light outside at night and watch for moths.
Wishing all the mothers out there a very happy Mother’s Day! I’m grateful for my miracle daughter and my own mom who could not be a better role model. Looking forward to spending time with both of them this summer. Click here to watch mothers in the animal kingdom.
Mrs. Bowman shot this video as she got out of her car at King’s Ridge on Tuesday morning. Click here to watch the video. She thought they were bats, but discovered they were actually moths. When I went outside as the sun rose, only one remained visible. He flew away after I took his picture. Look at the large spots on their wings that look like owl eyes. It is a great defense mechanism to scare away predators!
I did some research on these silk moths. Click here.
On a recent post, I shared how I have been restoring linens and doilies. I also inherited my grandmother’s sewing box filled with all kinds of novelties, including buttons. They are little pieces of art, and I was curious about their history. Studying buttons is a multidisciplinary exploration, connecting history, art, math, and science (button material and construction.) What do you know about buttons?
Some Fun Facts
Buttons were originally used for decoration, not fastening. Until the 19th century, buttons were found primarily on men’s clothing. Women’s clothes were fastened with laces and hooks and eyes. Wearing decorative buttons was seen as a sign of prosperity.
Through history, buttons were made of fabric, bone, metal, glass, horn, painted enamel, wood, celluloid (the first plastic), ceramic, ivory, and shells!
Buttons remain the best-selling fastener and are preferred over zippers.
I am learning, but I think these are some of my oldest buttons. Buttons were so valuable that when a garment wore out, the owner would cut off the buttons and save them.
These buttons are twentieth century. Zoom in and look at the patterns! Note the colors and geometric designs.
For a deep dive into button history, check out this video from a button museum. Go here to view full screen.
Children will enjoy sorting and classifying buttons by attributes such as color, size, shape, and number of holes. Count your sets and compare using math terms like more and less. Add the sets of buttons together.
Teach your child how to sew a button onto a piece of fabric. Such a great life skill! For your youngest learners, place articles of clothing on a table with various sizes of buttons and task them with buttoning and unbuttoning them to develop fine motor and self-help skills.
Corduroy, a classic tale, recounts how a small toy bear loses a button off his overalls and searches for a new one. Use it as a mentor book for identifying story structure – characters, setting, problem, and resolution. Go here to view full screen.
