Fun Facts About
Butterflies
Butterflies can be found all over the world. Some species
live in warm moist climates, others live high in mountains, while still
others live in cold dry climates. There are more than 28,000 species of
butterlies all with unique apearances and abilities and the first sign
of the butterfly species is dated to almost 130 million years
ago! Butterflies have been clocked as flying at almost 30 mph,
however they can only fly if their body temperature is above 86
degrees. it is for this reason that you can often time see a butterfly
sunning themself on a leaf or rock, they are trying to raise the
temperature of their body.
Below you will find many more fun facts about butterlies as well as fun
activites for you to do to help you understand them better. When
you have finished all of the activities proceed to the "Resource" site
and do your own research of butterflies.
Anatomy of a Butterfly
Butterflies can rang in size from 1/8th of an inch to nearly a foot in
diameter. That's a BIG insect! Butterflies have three body parts, their
head, thorax (chest), and their abdomen. As you may notice on the image
below, butterflies have things called compound eyes. These are special
eyes are made of thousands of tiny sensors which distinguish the
difference between dark and light and can determin fast movement, and
even waves of light. The compound eyeson the butterfly can only see the
colors red, green, and yellow but many other insects cannot see color
at all.Their wings and
three sets of legs, which butterflies use to taste, are all connected
to thorax. Also, a butterflies entire body is covered in time
little hairs which help them to feel, smell, and taste, these are called
"sensory hairs".
Butterflies can live between 9 and 12 months as as
the butterfly gets older the color of their wings
begins to fade away and starts to tear ad rip becuase they
become so fragile. They also have a thing called an exoskeleton.
This is when a
creature has its skeleton on the outside of its body instead of on the
inside. This helps to protect
the butterfly's body from injury
and distress. The Proboscis, as seen in the picture to the left, is a
tiny flexable tongue that helps the full grown
butterfly sip nectur from flowers, rotting fruits,
and sometimes even rotting flesh.
ACTIVITY: Take out your ruler
and on seperate pieces of paper draw a 1/8 of in inch butterfly and a
12 inch butterfly (see teacher for special paper). When you have
finished with this, choose one of your butterflies and label all of the
body parts. You may designe and color your butterfly's wings however
you want! Have Fun!!
Metamorphosis
Before
becoming a butterfly, these insects must go through a process call
metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is a physical change in which a creature
goes through. A butterfly's metamorphosis consists of 4 stages, egg,
larva, pupa, and butterfly.
Egg~ Butterflies lay
one egg at a time on the underneith of a milweeks leaf. It takes
between 3 to 5
days before the egg hatches and a wormlike caterpillar emerges.
Larva~ When butterflies first hatch they are very small, almost too
small to be seen, however they grow very fast. After about 12 days of
almost
continuously eating the larva, or caterpillar, is nearly 2 inches
long. Becuase a larva's skin cannot stretch as they grow they
must shed
them. A caterpillar sheds its skin about 5 times before becoming large
enough and strong enough to
proceed onto the next stage of metamorphosis.
Pupa~ In this stage the caterpilliar finds a stable branch to hang from
and atached itself to the branch by spinning strong silk between its
hind end
and the branch. After this occurs the caterpillar sheds its skin for
the last time, however the mext layer of skin dries and
hardens and becomes a green colored "chrysalis". In the chrysalis
the
caterpiller goes through a complete body transformation and becomes a
butterfly. After about 12 days of
transformation the fully mature butterfly
is ready to emerge.
Adult~ This is the fourth and final stage in the metamorphosis of a
butterfly. At this point the fully grown butterfly has emerged from its
chrysalis and it is ready to continue the life cycle by laying eggs of
its own.
ACTIVITY: Draw label and
describe the four different stages of a butterfly's metamorphosis. You
should try and think of at least 2 facts fir each stage and if you
cannot think of two then you may ask a classmate for help.
Migration
Every year thousands of butterflies migrate across the
United States to California and Mexico. This large scale movement
usually occurs from August to October and often times butterflies do
not return until early spring.There are 2 main reasons for this major
migration. The first reason is becuase of temperature. As you already
know butterlies cannot fly if their body temperature is below 86
degrees and when the climate drops to below that on a regular basis the
butterflies must move to a warmer area where they can continue to be
warm enough to fly. The second reason for butterfly migration is the
loss of food sources. As temperatures drop the plants and flowers that
butterflies feed off of die and become scarce. For this reason
butterflies must move to an area that still has the food they need in
order to survive.
ACTIVITY: With the map of North America your
teacher provided you with, draw a possible route a butterfly may take
during migration. Don't forget to explain why the butterflies are
mograting, where they are going, and how long the journey will take.
Your map should include a title, information box, compass rose, and
should be drawn to scale so you can see how far the butterlies fly.
RESEARCH ACTIVITY:
Choose one
of the five types of butterfly (monarch, cardinal, white admiral,
milbert's tortoiseshell, or fritillary) and do a thorough investigation
of the butterfly. Your research should include an acurate drawing of
the butterfly, using appropriate wing color and designe, as well as
drawing of your butterfly in its natural habitat. Finally, you must
write a short story about your butterfly, however you must mention at
least 10 facts about your butterfly in your story. Have Fun and Let
Your Imagination Run Wild!!!
