Where do butterflies come from?
After a male and female butterfly mate, the female lays eggs. Caterpillars (larvae) hatch from the egg by chewing a hole in the egg. Next they begin to eat leaves. Caterpillars eat so much that they have to shed their skin several times-this is called molting. When caterpillars are fully grown, they hang upside down and shed their skin for the last time to form a pupa with a chrysalis covering. Butterflies grow inside the chrysalises. After a few weeks, the chrysalises splits open and the butterflies crawls out. After they dry their wings, they can begin to fly. They will find mates and the life cycle will continue.
Where did the name “butterfly” come from?
The name butterfly is Old English and it means butter and flying creature. There are butter-yellow colored butterflies in Europe, so that may be why butter was added to flying creature.
How many species of butterflies are there?
About 15,000-20,000
What is the state insect of Illinois?
The Monarch butterfly
Where do butterflies vacation?
Some butterflies in North America fly south for the winter. (examples: Monarchs, Painted Ladies, Cabbage Butterflies, Red Admirals, and Clouded Yellows) They may go to Florida, California, or Mexico. Some species stay where they are for the winter, but hibernate. They may hibernate in as an egg, larvae, chrysalis, or adult. Where would you vacation if you were a butterfly? Write a story about it-what route would you take, how many butterflies would go with you, what would you eat on your trip?
*In a January 2002 winter storm in Mexico, between 60 million and 270 million Monarchs died. These butterflies had traveled to their winter homes in El Rosario and Sierra Chincua. The storm killed more Monarchs than any recorded weather event since scientists discovered these over wintering sites in 1975. The combination of 4 inches of rain and snow with three nights of temperatures in the 20s hurt the vacationing Monarchs. If the temperature falls below 26 degrees and they are wet, Monarchs are susceptible to freezing to death. You can learn more about this event at www.monarchwatch.com under “Catastrophic Mortality.”
How are butterflies and moths different?
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Most butterflies fly during the day and most moths fly at dusk or night.
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Most butterflies have knobs at the end of their antennae and most moths do not.
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Most butterflies have slender, hairless bodies while most moths have plump, furry bodies.
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Most butterflies rest with their wings upright while most moths rest with their wings spread flat.
How do butterflies help flowers?
Butterflies suck nectar from flowers. When they stop at a flower, grains of pollen stick to its body. When it stops at another flower, the pollen grains rub off. This pollinates the flowers.
How many wings do butterflies have?
Butterflies have four wings.
Do butterflies have to be warm to fly?
Yes, their body temperature must be at least 86°F to fly. If the temperature of the air is not warm enough, butterflies warm up by sunning or shivering their wings. This gives the flight muscles enough heat to fly.
What are butterfly wings made of?
Butterfly wings are made up of tiny, flat scales that overlap. Some of the scales have pigment (coloring matter) and some of the scales reflect light. This is how you see the beautiful colors of their wings.
Which animals like to eat butterflies?
Spiders, wasps, and birds will eat caterpillars. Some butterflies use camouflage to hide from their predators. The Jamaican swallow-tail butterfly hides by pretending to be a bird-dropping. The African leaf butterfly lies in dead leaves-its wings look like dead leaves so predators do not see it. Some butterflies are distasteful to enemies. This is because as larvae they ate plants with bitter or poisonous juices.
Which butterfly is the largest?
The Queen Alexandra Birdwing butterfly of New Guinea is one of the largest. It has a wingspan of about 11 inches.
Which butterfly is the smallest?
The Western Pygmy Blue butterfly of North America is one of the smallest. It has a wingspan of about 3/8 inch.
Which butterfly has the slowest wing beat?
The Swallowtails, they have just five wing beats per second. (But then again, that’s pretty fast-can you flap your arms five times in one second?) Most butterflies beat their wings between eight and twelve times a second.
Some butterflies live only one day, but others can live four-five months.
Which butterfly can fly the longest?
The Painted Lady butterfly can fly 620 miles before needing rest.
Which butterfly can fly the fastest?
The Monarch butterfly of North America can fly 20 miles per hour.
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