Butterflies are beautiful insects which fly with their scaly wings. As they are insects so they have 3 body parts, a pair of antennae, an exoskeleton and compound eyes just likes the other insects. 3 body parts are head, abdomen (tail end) and thorax (chest).
The body of butterfly is covered with the small sensory hairs. Thorax is consist of the muscles that make the wings and legs move. The six legs and the four wings are fixed with the thorax.
FLYING
Butterflies have four wings (2 pairs). Their wings are covered with iridescent scales in rows. Butterflies and moths are the only insects who keep scaly wings. Wings are attached with the mid-section of the thorax. The wings are supported by the veins and nourished by the blood.
As the butterfly becomes old, wings become ragged and the color of wings fades. Butterflies can only fly if the temperature of their body is >86oC. Butterflies sun themselves to warm up in cool weather. The speed of flying varies among the butterfly species. The non-poisonous varieties are faster than the poisonous varieties. The fastest butterfly can fly at the rate of 30 miles per hour or faster. Slow flying butterflies fly about the rate of 5mph.
LIFE-CYCLE OF A BUTTERFLY
Butterflies have four life stages.
• Egg: The egg is often laid on a leaf. A butterfly starts its life as an egg.
• Larva: After a time period the larva hatches from an egg and eats flowers and leave. The larva loses its old skin
many times as it grows.
• Pupa: The larva turns into a pupa. It the resting stage.
• Adult: After the pupation a beautiful and lovely adult butterfly emerges.
DIET
Butterflies can only sip liquid food. They sip liquid food using a tube-like proboscis. Proboscis, is a flexible and long tongue. This proboscis coils into the spiral when not in use. This uncoils when to sip food. Butterflies taste the food with their feet.
HABITAT
Butterflies are found in all types of environments all over the world. Most species of the butterfly found in tropical areas, especially tropical rainforests. Butterflies migrate too to avoid unfavorable conditions.
CLASSIFICATION
Butterflies belong the order “Lepidoptera”. The word “Lepidoptera” is taken from the Greek language. “Lepidos” means “Scales” and the “Ptera” means “wing”. It is estimated that there are about 28,000 species of butterflies over all the world.
There are seven families of butterflies:
• Hedylidae
Their common is American-moth Butterfly
• Hesperiidae
Their Common name is Skippers
• Lycaenidae
Their common names are Blues, coppers, hairstreaks
• Nymphalidae
Their common names are Brush-footed or Four-footed
• Papilionidae
Their common name is Swallowtails
• Pieridae
Their common names are Whites and allies
• Riodinidae
Their common names are Metalmarks
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This was all what I know about butterfly. I hope you all will also like this post...
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