Butterflies and Moths

18

Eyes and seeing

Instead of having just two eyes, butterflies and moths

have thousands! Each large eye, called a compound

eye, is made up of lots of tiny eyes. Each tiny eye

sees what is straight ahead of it, which

allows the insect to form a complete

picture of its surroundings.

Huge eyes

Huge compound eyes allow

insects to see all around. Try

creeping up on a butterfly—

you will be surprised how

quickly it spots you and

flies away.

Close-up

view of a

compound

eye

Tiny eyes

The tiny eyes are called

ommatidia (om-a-tid-ee-a).

Each eye forms a small

picture. The insect’s

brain then puts all the

pictures together.

Each tiny ommatidium

has a clear surface

that lets in light.

US_018-019_Eyes_and_seeing.indd 18 02/11/17 4:21 pm