Butterflies and moths rely on different senses to help them find food. Because butterflies are active during the day, color plays an important role in survival. Brightly colored flowers advertise food sources. However, moths are usually only active at night and cannot rely on visible color to help them find food. Instead, moths rely on smell. Moths’ feather-like antennae have greater surface area than the club-shaped antennae of butterflies. This allows them to detect scents. Moths are often attracted to night-blooming flowers with strong smells. For butterflies, bright display colors are important in mating rituals and courtship displays. Male butterflies are often much brighter than females because they use their colors to attract the attention of potential female mates. Since finding a mate at night or in dimly lit forests can be troublesome, female moths and some species of butterflies produce large
amounts of pheromones, a kind of chemical perfume. Using their antennae, males can detect the pheromones of potential mates from great distances.