Green-banded Urania | Peru | Lepidoptera | Urania leylus Moth

Butterflies are one of the more beautiful insects in our world. They are distinctive in that they (butterflies and moths) are the only species of insects that have scales that cover their wings. According to the Smithsonian Institute, there are somewhere around 160,000 different species of moths in the world with 11,000 species JUST in the United States.
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Moths can be distinguished from butterflies mainly by their antennae which are either thread-like or feathery. Butterflies typically will have club-tipped antennae. Many moths have relatively dull wing colors, but there are plenty of species with patterns and spectacular colors. They are classified into five main families, but aren’t limited to,  Arctiidae (Tiger Moth- mainly red and yellow), Geometridae (2nd largest in the world, larvae are usually called “inch-worms”), Noctuidae (cutworms, fruitworms, and underwing moths), saturniidae (largest family and includes the luna moth), and Sphingidae (streamlined wings and robust bodies; larger; contains 1,000 species)
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The Urania leilus is a “day-flying” moth in the family uraniidae. They were first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 and are found in tropical South America east of the Andes. They do not travel outside of the mountains as the change in elevation and climate would cause them to die due to the lack of food for them.
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Symbolically, moths are for resurrection and transformation. Representing tremendous change, moths also seek the light. So though we can trust that changes are coming, it can mean more than one thing. Moths can also be burned for flying too close to a source of light.