Summer Vacation Science :: Moth or Butterfly?

It is Monday, so it's time for SUMMER VACATION SCIENCE! I have been watching my morning glory vine (the kind that gets blue, trumpet-shaped flowers in September) gradually creep up the light pole in my front garden. Although it seems almost too delicate to survive, the vine is actually quite strong, clinging onto the wire through heavy rain and windstorms. This morning, when I went outside, I saw what I thought was a dead leaf clinging to my vine. I went over to remove it, only to discover that it was a moth! We searched online and discovered that it was a Blinded Sphinx Moth (Paonias excaecatus). Click here to learn more about the butterflies and moths that you can observe right outside your door, and learn how to tell the difference.Happy July 4th to all my American readers!Every Monday from now until Labor Day, we will publish a new nature project. The goal is to get kids outdoors, exploring and enjoying the world around them. Check back here every Monday for a new installment of Summer Vacation Science.