They have clubbed antennae and hold their wings vertically. Skippers were once considered butterflies, but because of their hooked antennae, small size, and hairiness are probably more closely related to moths. Skippers often hold their front pair of wings at an angle to the horizontally held back pair. Lepidoptera are often identified to species by the veins and color patterns on their wings. The bright wing patterns are due to the tiny colored scales that cover the wings.
Butterflies lose scales as they age.
Over-handling butterflies will cause the scales to fall off prematurely, which can greatly affect their ability to fly and survive. All Lepidoptera have holometabolous development, which means the eggs hatch into larvae that must pupate and metamorphose into an adult that looks very different from the larval caterpillar. Caterpillars are phytophagus, with most feeding on all parts of the plants. Often caterpillars are species specific feeders, and will only feed on one species or a few closely related species of plant. Because of their great beauty, butterflies are some of the best studied animals in the world.