There is not a single person who has not admired butterflies. These fragile insects attract not only children, but also adults. The unusual structure of their bodies and the way they are born are surprising and create many questions about butterflies. In biology, these beautiful creatures belong to the order Lepidoptera, phylum arthropods, and class insects.
Description of the structure
The body of a butterfly is divided into 2 large sections - the body and wings. The body includes a head, quite rigidly connected to the body. It has a round shape with a flattened nape. The large eyes, which occupy most of the head, have a round or oval shape, and a complex structure that allows insects to distinguish certain colors and perceive moving objects well.
Many species have additional eyes that are located behind the antennae. The significance of the antennae is to help insects navigate in space, perceive changes in air flow and capture certain odors. Length and structure vary from species to species.
The chest consists of three parts. The first, the smallest, includes three pairs of legs on which spurs are located to ensure the cleanliness of the antennae. The cylindrical abdomen consists of ten segments in the form of rings and spiracles located in them. The wings of the butterfly are covered with small scales, this is clearly visible in the picture created using macro photography. The size of the wings, color, and structure vary depending on the species.
The beauty of a butterfly's wings attracts with its beauty, but the color serves not only to attract the attention of people and the opposite sex among insects, but also to protect against predators. The color of the wings allows them to blend in with the environment, so the color will change depending on the habitat.
Types of representatives
Science knows about 158 thousand representatives of various species of butterflies. Only runaways, this is one of the subspecies, is divided into several types, differing in appearance by a number of other features:
- Cabbage butterfly. A butterfly, the males of which are white with black dots, the females are bright yellow. The size is about 65 mm. They feed on plants.
- Lemongrass. The representative of this species is yellow in color, and the female is white-green. They are united by a red circle located in the center. The wings are made in a very unusual way, with imitation ends cut off with scissors. Its size is about 55 mm.
- White pea. An endangered species of the family. The outer sides of the wings are colored white and gray, while the inner sides are green, allowing her to blend in with the grass.
- Turnip white. It is similar to the cabbage butterfly, but differs in size, which is about 45 mm, and in the number of black spots on the wings. The male has 1 spot, and the female has 2.
- Greenfinch. It has a white color with dark spots and a green pattern; it feeds on cruciferous vegetables, in which it lays its eggs.
- White rapeseed. It is white in color with a yellow pattern and clearly visible veins. Is migratory. For the winter it flies to warmer climes, namely North Africa.
- Alpine whiteweed. It has a white-gray color. In males, the ends of the wings are painted black with white splashes.
- White euphema. It is white with a yellow tint and has a dark spot in the center. The lower wings are decorated with a green pattern. It is a steppe inhabitant.
- Hawthorn. The butterfly is white with clearly visible black veins. Its size is about 60 mm.
Cocoonworm family
Insects belonging to this family are large or medium in size with a large body that is covered with hairs. They are more like moths, their antennae have bristles, and their front wings are much larger than their hind wings. The main representatives include:
- The Siberian is medium in size, yellow-brown in color with a white spot in the center, but the color of the wings can vary from individual to individual and can be black. Uses tree needles for food and egg laying.
- Ringed. The size is about 40 mm. It has a yellow-brown color on the front wings with two dark stripes. The hind wings are a lighter color without stripes. It lays its eggs in the form of a ring, which is how it got its name. It is a tree pest.
- Pine. The butterfly is large (about 80 mm) with a color that resembles pine bark. Flies in the second half of July. Lives in pine forests.
They usually live in groups in trees. Some members of this family are pests.
Blueberry family
Five thousand species of this family are known in nature, some of which are on the verge of extinction and are listed in the Red Book. They are medium in size and bright in color, but depending on the species, the color may vary. A distinctive feature of bluebirds is the colored pattern on the lower wings in the form of eyes. They are not pests; on the contrary, they are beneficial in the form of repelling insect pests.
Bright pieds
Includes about 1,200 species, most of which live in the tropics. They range in size from medium to large and are brightly colored with a rainbow pattern. It is needed to warn that the insect is poisonous, and if life is threatened, it will defend itself by secreting a poisonous liquid that has a pungent odor. Among the main representatives are :
- Admiral. It has an average size of about 55 mm with a velvety surface and a bright color of white spots with a red stripe.
- Peacock eye. A large butterfly, up to 150 mm in size, with a bright red-brown color with an eye pattern at the corners of the wings. This pattern protects the insect by scaring away enemies.
- Swallowtail. An endangered species of butterfly. A multi-colored species of insects, with tails on the lower wings, the most attractive are swallowtails with a yellow color and black spots and veins.
It prefers the leaves of legumes as food, which is a distinctive characteristic.
Butterfly mating
So, to understand how a butterfly develops, you need to start with the main stage of the life cycle - mating. Important factors in reproduction are the shape of the wings and their color, as well as courtship options - dancing and mating flights. Males can detect a female more than one kilometer away. Pheromones, as well as odorous scales located on the legs or wings, allow partners to find each other.
Mating of these insects occurs on plants or on the ground for from 20-25 minutes to several hours. All this time the individuals are motionless. By mating, the female gets the opportunity to receive sperm, microelements and proteins from the male. It is the last two components that play a large role in the formation and laying of eggs. In some species of butterflies, after mating, females develop an appendage of chitin on their abdomen, which is formed by the male at the end of the process. It is necessary in order to exclude the possibility of repeated fertilization with another male.
Nutritional Features
Basically, insects prefer to eat pollen, flower nectar, tree sap, overripe fruits, but there are also special species that are picky eaters. For example, the hawk moth, a honey lover, enters the hive and enjoys its favorite food. Some members of the nymphalid family replenish moisture loss by eating the urine and sweat of wild and domestic animals. Some tropical butterflies prefer crocodile tears as moisture.
Insects, which do not have a mouthpart at all and live extremely short lives, use supplies that were made when the caterpillar found it. Some types of butterflies are real vampires. They replenish lost strength by consuming animal blood.
Stages of development
The complex life cycle of a butterfly is surprising. It consists of 4 phases. The sequence is:
- Egg. Everything starts with him. Depending on the variety, the butterfly lays eggs on leaves, branches, and needles of various plants. The clutch can include up to 1 thousand eggs. The larva stays in the egg for 8 to 15 days.
- Caterpillar. The duration of this stage depends on the type and conditions of the environment and species. During this period of life, future butterflies have a worm-like shape with a gnawing type of mouth.
- Doll. The shape of the cocoon depends on the species and can be a circle, cylinder or oval. At this stage of development, the butterfly already has rudimentary wings, legs and a proboscis. She usually spends about 14 days in the cocoon.
- Butterfly. The lifespan of a butterfly can vary from several days to several months, depending on the species. At this stage, the insect is able to mate and lay eggs, which is the main task.
A lot of stories have been written about these amazing insects; they are fascinating due to the description of their beauty. There are also a number of interesting facts about butterflies:
- The size of the smallest known butterfly, called acetosia, is no more than 2 mm, and the largest, called agrippina, is 30 cm.
- Butterflies consume food like elephants - through the trunk, of course, the size of the trunk is very small, but there is definitely a similarity.
- About 165 thousand species of these beautiful creatures are known on the planet.
- The fastest and hardiest butterfly is called a swallowtail, at the moment it is very rare, but once this insect was seen in Tibet at an altitude of 4500 meters above the ground.
- But the most cunning are hawk moths; they have the ability to pretend to be a queen bee, creating a buzz. Using this trick, they enter the bee hive and gorge themselves on honey, which is their delicacy.
- Butterflies have taste buds on their legs, so they feed by sitting on top of the food.
- The habitat of butterflies includes such diverse places that only in the conditions of Antarctica these insects are not able to survive. Despite their fragile structure, they can withstand even the harsh climate conditions of Queen Elizabeth Island, which is located just a thousand kilometers from the North Pole.
- During their very short life, butterflies lay up to a thousand eggs, from which caterpillars will soon hatch.
- The Apollo butterfly is the only one that can live where there is snow all year round and not experience discomfort.
- Almost all butterflies are afraid of water, as it has a detrimental effect on the condition of insect wings, and only one butterfly, called the lilac moth, is able to emerge from the water and continue flying.
- Some species of butterflies can reach speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour.
- The monarch butterfly is a true healer among its species. She is able to recognize the beneficial properties of plants and successfully use them if her fellow creature needs help.
- Calyptra eustrigata is a very rare species of butterfly, but no less interesting. The males of this species are capable of drinking blood, like mosquitoes.
- Moths have an exoskeleton that is located on the outside of their body.
- The complex structure of the eyes makes it possible to recognize certain colors.
Lepidopterologists study butterflies; there is an entire section in entomology dedicated to these beautiful creatures.
Caterpillar food
Almost all caterpillars feed on leaves, but most are very picky. In fact, the insect will only eat one type of leaf, and perhaps only from one particular tree or plant.
If the insect on the plant is what she eats, you can start giving fresh leaves from that plant. Every 2 days you need to give clean, fresh leaves.
To read: Why do you dream about cockroaches: interpretations of dream books
If the insect is not found on a plant - for example, on the ground or indoors - it is probably looking for a cozy place where it wants to turn into a pupa. This means the insect is full. It is better to give it a “salad” of leaves collected from trees and plants nearby, the caterpillar may eat them, but if this does not happen, then it is ready to shed its shell and begin to transform into an adult moth or butterfly.
