ºÝºÝߣ

ºÝºÝߣShare a Scribd company logo

butterflies

•Download as DOC, PDF•
•
Leonard Derecho
Leonard Derecho

Butterflies undergo complete metamorphosis, starting as an egg and transforming through the larva, pupa, and adult stages. As larvae, they are called caterpillars and spend their time eating leaves. As adults, butterflies can only sip nectar and other liquids using a coiled proboscis. They have large colorful wings and can fly at varying speeds depending on the species. There are over 150,000 known species of butterflies and moths found worldwide, usually in tropical environments, though some migrate long distances.

1 of 2
Download to read offline
Butterflies are beautiful, flying LIFE-CYCLE OF A insects with large scaly wings. BUTTERFLYButterflies and Like all insects, they have six moths undergo complete jointed legs, 3 body parts, a pair of metamorphosis in which they go antennae, compound eyes, and an through four different life stages. exoskeleton. The three body parts are the head, thorax (the chest), • Egg - A butterfly starts its and abdomen (the tail end). life as an egg, often laid on a leaf. The butterfly's body is covered by • Larva - The larva tiny sensory hairs. The four wings (caterpillar) hatches from an and the six legs of the butterfly are egg and eats leaves or attached to the thorax. The thorax flowers almost constantly. contains the muscles that make the The caterpillar molts (loses legs and wings move. its old skin) many times as it grows. The caterpillar FLYING will increase up to several Butterflies are very good fliers. thousand times in size They have two pairs of large before pupating. wings covered with colorful, • Pupa - It turns into a pupa iridescent scales in overlapping (chrysalis); this is a resting rows. Lepidoptera (butterflies and stage. moths) are the only that have • Adult - A beautiful, flying scaly wings. The wings are adult emerges. This adult attached to the butterfly's thorax will continue the cycle. (mid-section). Veins support the delicate wings and nourish them with blood. Butterflies can only fly if their body temperature is above 86 degrees. Butterflies sun themselves to warm up in cool weather. As butterflies age, the color of the wings fades and the wings become ragged. The speed varies among butterfly species (the poisonous varieties are slower than non-poisonous varieties). The fastest butterflies (some skippers) can fly at about 30 mile per hour or faster. Slow flying butterflies fly about 5 mph.
DIET It is estimated that there are about 150,000 Caterpillars spend most of their time eating different species of butterflies and moths leaves using strong mandibles (jaws). A (there may be many more). There are about caterpillar's first meal, however, is its own28,000 butterfly species worldwide, the rest eggshell. A few caterpillars are meat-eaters; moths. are the larva of the carnivorous Harvester butterfly eats woolly aphids. BUTTERFLY FOSSILS Butterfly fossils are rare. The earliest butterfly Butterflies and moths can only sip liquid food are from the early , about 130 million fossils using a tube-like proboscis, which is a long, ago. Their development is closely linked years flexible "tongue." This proboscis uncoils to the evolution of flowering plants since both to sip food, and coils up again into a spiral when butterflies and caterpillars feed on adult flowering plants, and the adults are important not in use. Most butterflies live on nectar from flowers. Some butterflies sip the liquid frompollinators of many flowering plants. rotting fruits and a rare few prefer rotting Flowering plants also evolved during the animal flesh or animal fluids (the Harvester Cretaceous period. butterfly pierces the bodies of woolly aphids with its sharp proboscis and drinks the body fluids). HABITAT Butterflies are found all over the world and in all types of environments: hot and cold, dry and moist, at sea level and high in the mountains. Most butterfly species, however, are found in tropical areas, especially tropical rainforests. Many butterflies migrate in order to avoid adverse environmental conditions (like cold weather). Butterfly migration is not well understood. Most migrate relatively short distances (like the Painted Lady, the Red Admiral, and the Common Buckeye), but a few (like some ) migrate thousands of miles. CLASSIFICATION Butterflies and moth belong to the order Lepidoptera. Lepidos is Greek for "scales" and ptera means "wing". These scaled wings are different from the wings of any other insects. Lepidoptera is a very large group; there are more types of butterflies and moths than there are of any other type of insects except beetles.

More Related Content

butterflies

  • 1. Butterflies are beautiful, flying LIFE-CYCLE OF A insects with large scaly wings. BUTTERFLYButterflies and Like all insects, they have six moths undergo complete jointed legs, 3 body parts, a pair of metamorphosis in which they go antennae, compound eyes, and an through four different life stages. exoskeleton. The three body parts are the head, thorax (the chest), • Egg - A butterfly starts its and abdomen (the tail end). life as an egg, often laid on a leaf. The butterfly's body is covered by • Larva - The larva tiny sensory hairs. The four wings (caterpillar) hatches from an and the six legs of the butterfly are egg and eats leaves or attached to the thorax. The thorax flowers almost constantly. contains the muscles that make the The caterpillar molts (loses legs and wings move. its old skin) many times as it grows. The caterpillar FLYING will increase up to several Butterflies are very good fliers. thousand times in size They have two pairs of large before pupating. wings covered with colorful, • Pupa - It turns into a pupa iridescent scales in overlapping (chrysalis); this is a resting rows. Lepidoptera (butterflies and stage. moths) are the only that have • Adult - A beautiful, flying scaly wings. The wings are adult emerges. This adult attached to the butterfly's thorax will continue the cycle. (mid-section). Veins support the delicate wings and nourish them with blood. Butterflies can only fly if their body temperature is above 86 degrees. Butterflies sun themselves to warm up in cool weather. As butterflies age, the color of the wings fades and the wings become ragged. The speed varies among butterfly species (the poisonous varieties are slower than non-poisonous varieties). The fastest butterflies (some skippers) can fly at about 30 mile per hour or faster. Slow flying butterflies fly about 5 mph.
  • 2. DIET It is estimated that there are about 150,000 Caterpillars spend most of their time eating different species of butterflies and moths leaves using strong mandibles (jaws). A (there may be many more). There are about caterpillar's first meal, however, is its own28,000 butterfly species worldwide, the rest eggshell. A few caterpillars are meat-eaters; moths. are the larva of the carnivorous Harvester butterfly eats woolly aphids. BUTTERFLY FOSSILS Butterfly fossils are rare. The earliest butterfly Butterflies and moths can only sip liquid food are from the early , about 130 million fossils using a tube-like proboscis, which is a long, ago. Their development is closely linked years flexible "tongue." This proboscis uncoils to the evolution of flowering plants since both to sip food, and coils up again into a spiral when butterflies and caterpillars feed on adult flowering plants, and the adults are important not in use. Most butterflies live on nectar from flowers. Some butterflies sip the liquid frompollinators of many flowering plants. rotting fruits and a rare few prefer rotting Flowering plants also evolved during the animal flesh or animal fluids (the Harvester Cretaceous period. butterfly pierces the bodies of woolly aphids with its sharp proboscis and drinks the body fluids). HABITAT Butterflies are found all over the world and in all types of environments: hot and cold, dry and moist, at sea level and high in the mountains. Most butterfly species, however, are found in tropical areas, especially tropical rainforests. Many butterflies migrate in order to avoid adverse environmental conditions (like cold weather). Butterfly migration is not well understood. Most migrate relatively short distances (like the Painted Lady, the Red Admiral, and the Common Buckeye), but a few (like some ) migrate thousands of miles. CLASSIFICATION Butterflies and moth belong to the order Lepidoptera. Lepidos is Greek for "scales" and ptera means "wing". These scaled wings are different from the wings of any other insects. Lepidoptera is a very large group; there are more types of butterflies and moths than there are of any other type of insects except beetles.