Insects trivia
More Insects Trivia
Bugs, butterflies, and the insect world.
Insects Mini Quiz
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
Compared with a typical butterfly, which body clue more often points to a moth?
A moth's thicker coat of scales can create a furry look, while a butterfly's body often looks slimmer and smoother.
Which moth famously hovers at flowers in daylight like a tiny bird?
The hummingbird hawk-moth beats its wings rapidly and sips nectar while hovering, so people often mistake it for a bird.
Female butterflies often test leaves before laying eggs mainly to check for what?
A flower that feeds an adult may not feed its young; many caterpillars need leaves from a narrow range of host plants.
Monarch caterpillars get many of their defensive chemicals by eating which plant?
Milkweed supplies cardenolides that monarch caterpillars store, and their bold stripes warn many predators away.
Peppered moth caterpillars can match twig colors by sensing light through which body part?
Even with their eyes covered, these caterpillars changed color; light-sensitive proteins occur throughout their skin.
Which tree shelters eastern monarchs at their main Mexican winter sites?
Dense oyamel canopies act like a blanket, buffering clustered monarchs from wind and dangerous cold.
What does the insect order name Lepidoptera literally mean?
Lepidoptera pairs Greek roots for "scale" and "wing," naming the layer that colors both butterflies and moths.
What are the microscopic scales that cover butterfly and moth wings?
Like roof shingles, the separate scales overlap in neat rows across each wing.
Which object does a giant swallowtail caterpillar resemble to avoid notice?
All five larval stages share the mottled look of bird droppings, though the smaller young caterpillars copy them best.
What guides first-time fall monarchs toward their Mexican wintering grounds?
Monarchs use a time-adjusted sun compass, correcting their course as the sun moves across the sky.