These early flying species may look alike but they aren’t closely related because one is a moth!
Which of the species pictured below is a butterfly?
- Left
- Right
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The photo on the right shows the butterfly, a Northern Azure. The photo on the left shows the Bluish Spring Moth, a confusing lookalike and day-flying moth.
While butterflies and moths are closely related, there are a number of key characteristics that you can (usually) use to tell them apart. Moths typically have thicker and fuzzier bodies than butterflies and duller colors. However, sometimes this rule can be broken - like the thick, fuzzy bodies of Swallowtails living at higher elevations.
If you look closely at these pictures, you will notice the most telling difference - their antennae. Moths usually have feathery, thick, or comb-like, while butterflies have antennae ending in clubs or hooks. The Northern Azure’s antennae ends in a rounded, black club while those of the Bluish Spring Moth are unadorned and comparatively thick.
The Bluish Spring Moth, while occasionally found nearby, is a mid-Atlantic species who has not been seen in Vermont (yet). Northern Azures are an uncommon but present species, if you can identify them.
Bluish Spring Moth by Ben Keen (iNaturalist)
Northern Azure by Kent McFarland (iNaturalist)
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