Alex Hyde / Silk moth (Automeris zugana) sequence 1 of 2, photographed on a white background in mobile field studio, Cordillera de Talamanca mountain range, Caribbean Slopes, Costa Rica.

Alex Hyde / Silk moth (Automeris zugana) sequence 2 of 2, with wings open to reveal eyespots, a means of deterring predators, photographed on a white background in mobile field studio, Cordillera de Talamanca mou...

Alex Hyde / Emperor moth(Saturnia pavonia) female, Peak District National Park, UK. May.

Alex Hyde / Emperor moth (Saturnia pavonia) female wide angle view showing heather moorland habitat. Peak District National Park, UK. April.

Paul Harcourt Davies / Emperor Moth (Saturnia pavoniella) male, on tree bark, Orvieto, Umbria, Italy, April

Mark MacEwen / Mopane moth (Imbrasia belina) eggs hatching, Tuli Block, Botswana

MYN / Seth Patterson / Forbes' silkmoth (Rothschildia forbesi) Sabal Palm Sanctuary, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA, October. meetyourneighbours.net project

Alex Hyde / African moon moth (Argema mimosae) digital composite sequence, showing wings expanding after emerging from cocoon, photographed against a white background, orginating from Africa. Captive.

Alex Hyde / Indian moon / Indian luna moth (Actias selene) photographed on a white background. Captive.

Alex Hyde / Apollo silkmoth (Ceranchia apollina) close up of cocoon showing silk fibres, originating from Madagascar. Captive.

Alex Hyde / Cricula silkmoth (Cricula trifenestrata) close up of cocoon showing silk fibres originating from Southeast Asia. Captive.

Alex Hyde / Indian moon / Indian luna moth (Actias selene) head-on view showing feather-like antennae. Captive.

Alex Hyde / Indian moon / Indian luna Moth (Actias selene) close up of defensive spines on caterpillar. Captive.

Alex Hyde / Silk moth (Saturniidae) cocoon, used in textile production, photographed on a white background. Maroantsetra, Northeast Madagascar.

Ingo Arndt / Atlas moth caterpillar with wax coating for protection from parasites {Attacus atlas} Malaysia

Elio Della Ferrera / Atlas moth {Attacus atlas} on nurse plant Sri Lanka

Chien Lee / Madagascar Moon Moth (Argema mittrei) male, Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar

Paul Bertner / Saturniid Moth (Gonimbrasia zambesina) caterpillar, Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania

Thomas Marent / Saturniid Moth (Rhodinia fugax) male, Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi, China

Konrad Wothe / Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas), native to southeast Asia

Chien Lee / Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas) male, Khao Yai National Park, Thailand

Chien Lee / Saturniid Moth (Loepa megacore), Mount Kinabalu National Park, Borneo, Malaysia

Ingo Arndt / Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia) caterpillar, close up of head

Pete Oxford / Madagascar Moon Moth (Argema mittrei) male on Jamun (Eugenia jambolana) leaves in the eastern highlands south of Antananarivo, Madagascar

Pete Oxford / Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) camouflaged in leaf litter in rainforest, Yasuni National Park, at 982,000 hectares, the largest national park in Ecuador

Tim Fitzharris / Polyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus) on Delphinium, New Mexico

Mitsuhiko Imamori / Suraka Silk Moth (Antherina suraka) portrait, showing back with wings spread displaying shades of pink, Madagascar

Norbert Wu / Io Moth (Automeris io) a member of the Giant Silkworm Moth family, eyespots may serve to scare away predators, Florida

Robert Thompson / Saturniid moth (Bunea aslauga) Ranomafana region, Madagascar

Alex Hyde / Silk Moth (Arsenura rebeli) female in cloud forest, Manu Biosphere Reserve, Peru. November.

Colin Varndell / Emperor moth (Saturnia pavonia) caterpillar. Dorset, UK July.

Magnus Lundgren / Wild Wonders of China / Caterpillar (Automeris sp) Tai Mo Shan Country Park, Hong Kong, China.

Magnus Lundgren / Wild Wonders of China / Caterpillar (Automeris sp) on a leaf, Tai Mo Shan Country Park, Hong Kong, China.

Robert Thompson / Rocky mountain agapema (Agapema homogena) resting on branch. Buena Vista, Colorado, USA. May.

Robert Thompson / Rocky mountain agapema (Agapema homogena) resting on bark. Buena Vista, Colorado, USA. May.

Robert Thompson / Chinese moon moth (Actias dubernardi, female at rest amongst leaves. Dayaoshan, Jinxin, Guangxi, China.

Robert Thompson / Chinese moon moth (Actias dubernardi), female. Dayaoshan, Jinxin, Guangxi, China.

Robert Thompson / Chinese moon moth (Actias dubernardi), male resting on branch. Dayaoshan, Jinxin, Guangxi, China.

Robert Thompson / Tau emperor moth (Aglia tau) early instar caterpillar camouflaged against leaf. Falmenta, Cannobina Valley near Maggiore, Piedmont, Italy. May.

Robert Thompson / Silkworm (Saturnia pyretorum) early instar caterpillar on stem, Taiwan.

Robert Thompson / Saturniid moth (Pseudimbrasia deyrollei), female on moss covered branch. Bolgatanga, Upper East Region, Ghana.

Robert Thompson / Saturniid moth (Eacles ormondei), female resting on branch. Izabal, Guatemala.

Robert Thompson / Saturniid moth (Eacles ormondei), female camouflaged in leaf litter. Izabal, Guatemala.

Robert Thompson / Saturniid moth (Eacles ormondei), female camouflaged in leaf litter. Izabal, Guatemala.

Staffan Widstrand / Wild Wonders of China / Saturniid moth (Anthorea sp) on a stone in the Meili Snow Mountain National park, Yunnan, China, October.

Juan Carlos Munoz / Rock art in the Abrics de l'Ermita caves Ulldecona Village, Catalonia, Spain, June.

Juan Carlos Munoz / White sheet and lights to attract moths for scientific study on Spanish moon moth (Graellsia isabellae), The Ports Natural Park, Spain, June.

Juan Carlos Munoz / Man with female Spanish moon moth (Graellsia isabellae) on face during scientific research, The Ports Natural Park, Catalonia, Spain, June.