The world of moths is one that we'll probably never fully understand, but a recent study by Rothamsted Research brings us one step closer:
Moths that fly high above our heads throughout the night are not at the mercy of the wind but use a sophisticated internal compass which can help them travel up to 400 miles in a single flight . . . While it is not clear how the creatures - in this case, the Silver Y moth - actually navigate between sunset and sunrise, researchers from the UK and Germany have found that the insects can judge the best conditions for flight based on direction and windspeed, selecting the fastest moving layers of atmosphere so, with their own speed of 10mph, can cruise at speeds of up to 55 mph.
In other words, moths are smarter and faster than many of us have imagined.
Link
(Image by Everything is Permuted)
Moths that fly high above our heads throughout the night are not at the mercy of the wind but use a sophisticated internal compass which can help them travel up to 400 miles in a single flight . . . While it is not clear how the creatures - in this case, the Silver Y moth - actually navigate between sunset and sunrise, researchers from the UK and Germany have found that the insects can judge the best conditions for flight based on direction and windspeed, selecting the fastest moving layers of atmosphere so, with their own speed of 10mph, can cruise at speeds of up to 55 mph.
In other words, moths are smarter and faster than many of us have imagined.
Link
(Image by Everything is Permuted)
Did you know that the monarch butterfly actually flies from New York to South America to breed? Picture something as fragile as a butterfly travelling thousands of miles!
Stella