I’m somewhat new to ID’ing things but I’ve learned a handful of things I wouldn’t mind sharing since we’re on the topic. It’s a good idea to learn large groups of taxa like families, then go from there. If you know that something is in a certain family, you can look for what genera or species are common in the area that it was spotted in, then go from there. I’ve done a fair bit of that recently, mostly with various lepidopterans. Here are a few pointers:
- Geometer Moths (Geometridae) -
Example
- Usually cryptic coloring (brown, grey, white, etc.) though there are exceptions such as the emerald moths
- Wavy patterns, may have numerous waves, just one very prominent one and anywhere in-between
- Larvae are “Inchworms”
- Average, medium size
- Resting posture has the wings open and spread, usually with hindwings visible
- Saturniid Moths (Saturniidae) -
- May be cryptic or brightly colored
- Often (but not always!) have eye-spots on wings
- Large, heavy bodies
- Feathered antennae which are bushier in males than in females
- Vary in size, though most very large moths are in this family
- Resting posture has the wings open, with hindwings visible but forewings often slightly overlapping them
- Sphinx Moths (Sphingidae) –
- May be cryptic or brightly colored
- Patterns may be simple or dizzyingly complex
- Hindwings may have eyespots
- Flies with loud and very rapid wingbeats, a few species can hover in place during flight
- Most species are nocturnal but a few are on-wing during daylight hours
- Medium-large
- Resting posture has the triangular forewings obscuring the hindwings, creating an unmistakable “W” silhouette
- Skipper butterflies (Hesperiidae) -
- Mostly shades of brown or grey
- Larger bodies than most other butterflies, which are quite slender
- Antennae have a hook-like shape on the end
- Very small
- Quick, darting flight pattern
- Resting posture has the wings mostly or entirely closed, exposing the ventral side
- Many species in this family cannot be distinguished by photo or in the field even by experts!
- Gossamer-winged butterflies (Lycaenidae) -
Example
- Brightly colored and sometimes metallic, most often blue or orange
- Ventral sides are spotted and more drab than dorsal sides, usually grey with a touch of orange
- Females of the Polyommatinae (“Blues”) subfamily are primarily brown but may still have small amounts of blue, distinguishing them from coppers
- Brown individuals can be distinguished from skippers by the latter’s unique antennae shape
- Very small
- Resting posture has wings closed, exposing the ventral side
I could probably go on but this is already a pretty long comment and I would hate to spam or completely de-rail the thread so I’ll stop here. Hope this was interesting for you! :)