They taste with their feet and have a suction tube for a mouth. Their eyes are made of 6,000 lenses and can see ultraviolet light. They drink from mud puddles and transform from caterpillars to fluttering adults. These fascinating magicians are butterflies!

There are about 165,000 known species, found on every continent except Antarctica, and they come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. The largest species may reach 12 inches (30 centimeters) across, while the smallest may be only 0.12 inches (0.3 centimeters).

Butterfly or moth? There are ways to tell them apart. Butterflies generally have long, smooth antennae that are rounded on the ends, while most moths have thick, feathery antennae. Moths also tend to have larger, fuzzier bodies than butterflies. Most moths fly at night, while most butterflies fly during the day. Because of when they're active, butterflies tend to be more colorful than moths, but that's not always the case.

You can see another difference when they're resting: most moths flatten their wings out over their bodies, while most butterflies raise them up and against each other. And although both butterflies and moths develop in a chrysalis, most moths also spin a protective cocoon.

Winging it. Do you know what butterfly wings are made of? They're actually pretty complex. The main structure of the wing is made of thin layers of chitin, a protein that also makes up the outer "shell" of the body. These layers are so thin you can see through them. They are covered with thousands of tiny modified hairs called scales that reflect the light, creating the extraordinary colors and patterns we see. These scales are the "dust" that comes off a butterfly wing as it brushes against leaves and flowers.

The wings also contain a system of veins that circulate blood, and strong muscles on the butterfly's body move the wings up and down. The wings actually move in a figure "8" motion that pushes the butterfly through the air. Some species seem to shimmer; this is caused by the way that light is reflected off the scales on its wings.

Moth and butterfly wings are very delicate, and can easily rip or tear from the slightest touch. Please look at these amazing creatures with just your eyes, not your fingers. Better yet, catch some luck by letting them land on you!

Quite a commute. Monarch butterflies are famous for their yearly migration, traveling up to 2,000 miles in 2 months to get from Canada and the northern U.S. to Mexico for the winter. Some butterflies that live in cold climates don’t migrate, and instead produce glycerol in their bodies, which acts like “butterfly antifreeze” to keep them alive during the winter.

Butterflies are essentially cold-blooded, and many species warm up for flight by sitting in a warm spot or basking in the sun. But some species, especially moths, have developed adaptations to raise their body temperature themselves, such as vibrating their wings to warm up the muscles.

Flying fast, high, and far. The fastest butterflies are the skippers, which can fly at 37 miles per hour (60 kilometers per hour), but most butterflies fly at 5 to 12 miles per hour (8 to 20 kilometers per hour). A few species can fly at great heights, as much as 10,000 feet (3,050 meters). Some species can also cover long distances, like the monarch butterfly, which can migrate 2,000 miles (3,218 kilometers) or more. Night-flying moths navigate by the moon and the stars, but when that light is not available, moths use magnetic “clues” from the Earth.

Color me cautious. The color of a butterfly can be for protection. The big spots on an owl butterfly look like the eyes of a much larger animal, so a predator like a bird may think twice about attacking. Other butterflies are camouflaged to blend into their environment, and some are brightly colored to warn that they are poisonous.