As the year draws to a close, creatures prepare for winter. Monarchs, Gulf Fritillaries and other migrating butterflies head further South. Swallowtails hunker down in their chrysalises, and silk moths in their cocoons. Some moth caterpillars, such as the black-and-red Woolly Bears, seek out sheltered spots. Changes in their internal chemistry allows them to survive…

The small, brown-winged creature perches on a cutleaf coneflower, searching for nectar. White strips circle its body and splash across its wings, resembling the foamy edges of waves about to reach the shore. Moth or butterfly? Butterflies and moths belong to the same taxonomic order – Lepidoptera, which means “scaled.” The wings of both moths…