butterfly / moth
Loading your saved state.
butterfly / moth
An insect with two pairs of large, often colorful wings. The term includes both butterflies (Tagfalter) and moths (Nachtfalter).
Ein bunter Falter landete auf der Blüte.
A colorful butterfly landed on the flower.
The noun 'der Falter' (butterfly/moth) is closely related to the verb 'falten' (to fold). The name describes the insect's characteristic movement of folding its wings together.
Der Falter faltete seine Flügel, als er auf dem Blatt saß.
The butterfly folded its wings as it sat on the leaf.
'Falter' (butterfly/moth) is a biological umbrella term. It is often used to describe both insects active during the day (Tagfalter) and insects active at night (Nachtfalter).
Die Ausstellung im Museum zeigt viele verschiedene Arten von Faltern.
The exhibition at the museum shows many different species of butterflies and moths.
Common verbs used in connection with 'Falter' (butterfly/moth) are 'fliegen' (to fly), 'flattern' (to flutter), 'landen' (to land), and 'beobachten' (to observe).
Wir konnten beobachten, wie der Falter von Blüte zu Blüte flog.
We were able to watch the butterfly fly from flower to flower.
admiral
'Admiral' and 'Falter' can both refer to an insect in a nature context. 'Falter' is a more general term and includes both butterflies and moths. 'Admiral' is much more specific: it is the name of a particular butterfly species, the red admiral. At the same time, 'Admiral' can also be a high military rank. That is why the word can be confusing. In a text about animals, an 'Admiral' is a butterfly; in a text about the navy, an 'Admiral' is a person with a high rank.
Am Abend fliegt oft ein kleiner Falter um die Lampe.
In the evening, a small moth often flies around the lamp.
Wir haben im Garten einen Admiral gesehen, der auf den Früchten saß.
We saw a red admiral in the garden sitting on the fruit.