I’m sharing 8 facts about moths and a fun contact paper nature elephant hawk moth craft. Also, you may love Fun and Easy Hands-on Life Cycle Butterfly Activity for Kids.
Typically, we think of moths as dull nighttime flyers and butterflies as beautiful bright creatures, but many moths are colorful and beautiful like the Hawk Moth.
The Garden Tiger Moth, the False Tiger Moth, the Oleander Hawk Moth, the Luna Moth, and the Comet Moth, to name a few, rival the most colorful butterflies in their beauty.
There is much more to moths than what you see flitting around your porch light in the evening.
They are just as fascinating as butterflies.
Moths are very important in food webs as a food item for songbirds, mammals, and other insects.
Too, moths are also crucial pollinators, especially those that are active after dark when other pollinators are sleeping.
In honor of the poor unappreciated moth, we are making a fun and pretty giant moth to decorate the window.
We get to combine two activities for this piece, a lovely relaxing nature walk with an indoor art project to preserve some finds and recreate a moth that stays put.
This craft is typically one that is done with preschoolers or toddlers.
But I am sure an artistic or nature-loving older child would also love this and could be challenged to make an even more intricate design than a younger sibling.
8 Fascinating Moth and Hawk Moth Facts
Next look at these facts about moths.
- Moths far outnumber butterflies. For every butterfly that you see flying around, there are over nine times as many moths.
- Hawk Moths are from the Sphingidae family of moths, also known as Sphynx moths.
- Many of their caterpillars are known as “hornworms” and are a nuisance to tomato plants.
- Hawk moths have the longest tongues of any other moth or butterfly, some of them are as long as 14”.
- Moths range from small, like the tiny Stigmella Maya with its forewing measuring just .04 inches to large specimens bigger than a human hand, like the largest moth, Hercules Moth at 14”.
- They have an amazing sense of smell. A male emperor moth can smell a female from about seven miles away.
- Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History has over 25,000 different specimens of Hawk Moths, which are closely related to butterflies.
- Not all moths fly only at night, some moths are nocturnal, but others are diurnal.
Next, look at some of the books to add to your unit study or learning day.
Books and Resources For Learning About Moths
Add a few of these books about moths to your unit study or for hands-on activities.
Moths are a crucial insect group encompassing more than 160,000 species, and they are among the most ancient of Earth's inhabitants, with some fossils believed to be 190 million years old. This richly illustrated guide to their biology, evolution, and history demonstrates the incredible diversity of these winged insects and reveals the ruthless survival tactics used by some--including blood-sucking moths, cannibalism in the cocoon, and carnivorous caterpillars. The book also explores their extraordinary life cycle, charting development from egg to larva to cocoon to airborne adult, as well as the surprising variations of color and wing patterns that moths have evolved. Engaging narrative and specially commissioned photographs of moth specimens make Moths: A Complete Guide to Biology and Behavior a perfect gift book for scientists and science enthusiasts alike.
Peterson First Guides are the first books the beginning naturalist needs. Condensed versions of the famous Peterson Field Guides, the First Guides focus on the animals, plants, and other natural things you are most likely to see. They make it fun to get into the field and easy to progress to the full-fledged Peterson Guides.
- REAL framed luna moth!
Southeastern North America is home to an incredible variety of moths, from drab browns to bright yellows and pinks, the small and simple to the flashy or bizarrely shaped. Just a few are common house and garden pests; thousands more harmless species live hidden in woods and meadows. This comprehensive guide of more than 1,800 common species is the best tool for identifying and appreciating these ubiquitous insects.
Butterflies and moths captivate nature enthusiasts with their beauty and variety, but in addition to being attractive they are also of huge biological importance. This superb book, in a sumptuous new edition, covers the lifecycle of these creatures, with information on anatomy, feeding, flight and breeding. It then profiles some of the world’s best-loved and intriguing butterflies, moths and skippers, with a geographically-split directory of detailed entries, each containing useful identification summaries and quick-reference panels on distribution, habitat, food and wingspan.
See the world in a whole new way! Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman combines art and science in this exciting and educational guide to the structure, function, and personality of the natural world. Explore the anatomy of a jellyfish, the inside of a volcano, monarch butterfly migration, how sunsets work, and much more. Rothman’s whimsical illustrations are paired with interactive activities that encourage curiosity and inspire you to look more closely at the world all around you.
There are thousands of moth species in the northeast of North America, and while it might seem that they are all drab grays and browns, there is actually a startling variety. They come in a rainbow of colors, from brilliant oranges and pinks to soft greens and violets. There are moths with colorful leopard-like spots, and ones that look more like B-movie aliens; some that are as large as your hand, and others the size of a grain of rice. With helpful tips on how to attract and identify moths, range maps and season graphs showing when and where to find each species, and clear photographs that use the unique Peterson arrow system for easy identification, this guide provides everything an amateur or experienced moth-watcher needs. Sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute.
Also, add some more hands on ideas about moths.
More Moth Resources
Here are a few more beautiful moth crafts, resources, and activities to help you learn more about these mysterious creatures.
- Sweet little Pinecone Moths are pretty enough to leave all around your home.
- Make the pretty bright Luna Moth Craft.
- These Paper Moths would be a great project for middle and high schoolers.
- I just love these DIY Moth Wings for dramatic play and a unique art project.
- A young artist will enjoy learning How to Draw a Moth.
- Have your child research the differences between butterflies and moths.
- A budding lepidopterist (an entomologist who specializes in studying butterflies and moths) might enjoy a moth specimen to begin or celebrate finishing up a moth study
Finally, look how to make this fun contact paper hawk moth.
How to Make A Contact Paper Nature Elephant Hawk Moth
This is a fun simple activity that can also be used to teach your child about the anatomy of a moth, colorations, and simple vocabulary.
You will need:
- Clear contact paper
- Painters tape
- Permanent marker
- Flowers and leaves
First, find and print out a picture of the moth you would like to create. We chose the Elephant Hawk Moth knowing we had pretty pink flowers in the yard to create some of its lines.
Then head outside for a nature walk, gathering fresh or dried leaves, flower petals, and other lightweight nature items.
Next, cut a piece of clear contact paper out as large as you would like to make it and tape it down to your work surface with low tack tape like painter’s tape, backing side down (do not peel it off yet).
Use a permanent marker to draw the outlines of the moth.
Peel off the tape and move to the window you want to use, slowly peel off the contact paper backing and tape the contact paper to the window, sticky side facing outward.
Set their nature walk finds nearby and have them press them into the sticky side of the contact paper.
For younger children, you can let them get creative and cover their moth in whatever pattern and gathered materials they like.
For older children, challenge them to try to recreate the colors and patterns of their chosen moth.
Tips:
- Add a moth photo or two to your window as inspiration.
- Be sure that they press firmly to be sure their items are attached.
- Small light pieces will adhere the best.
- If you want to preserve their picture just lay another piece of contact paper over it, sticky side to sticky side, and cut out around your moth.
- They don’t have to complete this activity in one sitting, you can leave it up and let them come back and forth.
