10 Fascinating Facts About
Butterflies
“…1. There are more than 17,500 recorded
butterfly species around the world, 750 of which can be found in the United
States.
2. Butterflies & moths
are part of the class of insects in the order Lepidoptera. Butterflies are
flying insects with large scaly wings. Like all insects, they have 6 jointed
legs & 3 body parts: the head, the thorax, & the abdomen. The wings are
attached to the thorax, & they also have a pair of antennae, compound eyes,
& an exoskeleton.
3. The cabbage white…is
the most common butterfly in the U.S. Although it appears mostly white with
black markings on the top of its wings, those wings are yellowish-green on the
underside. Cabbage whites have a wing spread of just about 2 inches. Males have
only one spot on each wing, while females have 2…
4. Monarch butterflies
migrate to get away from the cold. However, they are the only insect that
migrates an average of 2,500 miles to find a warmer climate. The iconic North
American monarch has been greatly affected by extreme weather events,
undergoing drastic dips, & spikes in population over the past several
decades…
5. …The painted lady,
American lady, red admiral, cloudless sulphur, skipper, Sachem, question mark,
clouded skipper, fiery skipper, & mourning cloak are among the other
butterflies that also migrate — but not as far as the monarchs.
6. The common buckeye
butterfly is one of the most striking butterflies, with its bold multicolored
eyespots & thick upper-wing bars — all designed to frighten away any birds
that might be tempted to chomp on them. If you look under its wings, you’ll
find a more abstract profusion of brown, orange, & beige…
7. The orange barred
sulphur butterfly is one that you can find all over the Americas & the
Caribbean. It’s very distinctive, with bright yellow coloration & patches
of orange marking both forewings & hindwings. Females tend to be bigger
& darker than their male counterparts. And, just like the adult
butterflies, the caterpillars have bright yellow bodies segmented by dark
stripes.
8. …The butterfly starts
its life as an egg, laid on a leaf. The caterpillar, or larva, hatches from the
egg & eats leaves or flowers. It loses its skin many times as it grows,
increasing greatly in size. Eventually it turns into a pupa, or chrysalis,
& finally a beautiful adult butterfly emerges, & the cycle continues.
9. An adult butterfly has
a very short life: just 3 to 4 weeks. However, the entire life cycle of a
butterfly can range between 2 & 8 months, depending on the species. Some
migratory butterflies…can live as long as 7 to 8 months in one generation.
10. The giant swallowtail
butterfly, as its name implies, is one of the biggest butterflies, with a wing
spread of 4 to 7 inches. The female is once again larger than the male.
Swallowtails are found throughout North America, & sometimes as far south
as South America. These butterflies are called ‘swallow’ because they have long
tails on their hind wings that resemble the long, pointed tails of the birds
known as swallows…”
Judy M.
April
28/2018
Care2.com
Cute Critter Pic
Weekly Chuckle
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