Coming to Terms with Nature Terms

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A toad on a russula species mushroom, a few varieties of which are poisonous. The term “toadstool” is a holdover from the days when people believed a mushroom became poisonous when a toad sat under or on it.
A toad on a russula species mushroom, a few varieties of which are poisonous. The term “toadstool” is a holdover from the days when people believed a mushroom became poisonous when a toad sat under or on it.
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Cecropia moth
Cecropia moth
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Silver-spotted skipper butterfly
Silver-spotted skipper butterfly
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Centipedes, which have about 30 legs, are carnivorous hunters.
Centipedes, which have about 30 legs, are carnivorous hunters.
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Eastern box turtle
Eastern box turtle
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Desert tortoise
Desert tortoise
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Millipedes actually have about 150 legs and are docile herbivores.
Millipedes actually have about 150 legs and are docile herbivores.
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Can you find the bug in this photo? Despite its name, the ladybug technically isn’t a bug. However, the aphid pests they feed on are technically bugs.
Can you find the bug in this photo? Despite its name, the ladybug technically isn’t a bug. However, the aphid pests they feed on are technically bugs.
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Eastern mole. Moles and voles have confusingly similar names, and both creatures are fuzzy little mammals with bad reputations for dastardly deeds in lawns and gardens.
Eastern mole. Moles and voles have confusingly similar names, and both creatures are fuzzy little mammals with bad reputations for dastardly deeds in lawns and gardens.
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Meadow vole. Moles and voles have confusingly similar names, and both creatures are fuzzy little mammals with bad reputations for dastardly deeds in lawns and gardens.
Meadow vole. Moles and voles have confusingly similar names, and both creatures are fuzzy little mammals with bad reputations for dastardly deeds in lawns and gardens.

It’s not that I’m obsessed with naming things in nature. If anything, I resist the human urge to place labels on all creatures great and small. A rose by any other name does indeed smell as sweet, a butterfly flutters as beautifully and a deer bounds as gracefully — no matter whether it’s a mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), a white-tailed deer (O. virginianus) or a Grand Kraut deer (Iconfessi madethatoneupus). But even if you leave genus and species hairsplitting to the scientists, there is still plenty of fodder for confusion in everyday nature terminology. It’s easy enough to distinguish a fish from a mammal, but what about a vegetable from a fruit and a … well, here for your review are common nature terms that many people (hopefully not just me) confuse or misuse at one time or another.

Moth vs. Butterfly

The essential distinction here is that most moths are fly-by-nights and butterflies are day creatures. Perhaps more accurately, butterflies are light- and warmth-loving creatures. A gray, cloudy day is enough to keep butterflies from taking to the skies.

But a good many moths are day-fliers, too. Beelike sphinx moths dart about in the late afternoon at flowering plants along roadsides and in meadows. In the Southwest, buckmoths flit among the chaparral’s sun-washed vegetation. High in the Colorado Rockies, tiger and owlet moths feed on alpine sunflower.

The major differences between moths and butterflies are physical. Butterflies are sleeker, flashier and more colorful than most moths, which have fat, furry bodies and rely on dull colors and patterns to help them hide during the day, disguised as bird droppings, dead leaves, lichens or tree bark. Also, butterflies at rest hold their wings together upright, like the sail on a sailboat. Moths fold theirs flat, rooflike, against their backs.

  • Published on Feb 1, 2008
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