- Lifespan
And this is true; in the amazingly diverse world of insects, butterflies are the most beautiful creatures. In addition, butterflies are not only beautiful, some rare tropical butterflies can cost thousands of dollars, and there are even special people who professionally search for and capture such butterflies, which are then sold to wealthy collectors. In our article we will tell you all the most interesting things about these amazing creatures - the butterfly.
Where do butterflies spend the winter?
Most butterfly species live only through the summer, laying eggs for the next generation to emerge, and then the insects die. But among them there are also long-livers.
Where do butterflies live in winter and how do they hide from the cold? The answer depends on the species of Lepidoptera. Thus, some butterflies living in Russia (urticaria, lemongrass, burdock) hibernate for the winter, climbing into crevices or hollows of trees and wrapping themselves in their wings. Many climb closer to warm human habitation and fall asleep there.
But there are also migrant butterflies, which, like birds, gather in flocks of up to 1 million individuals, and in the fall they fly to warm southern countries, sometimes located 1000 km from their homeland. Scientists have been struggling with the mystery of how these creatures find their way for decades. After all, having a more primitive nervous system, they are not able to navigate by the sun.
The principle of suspended animation of lepidoptera
Many species of butterflies spend the winter in the egg stage. The crimson silkworm waits in the form of a caterpillar for the warm season, but this is rather an exception to the rule. Most Lepidoptera hibernate while in the pupal stage. Many of them are so hardy that they can spend the entire winter on a tree branch or other open area, without fear of frost and piercing wind.
Almost all caterpillars have a bright appearance, since in this way they demonstrate to enemies that they are inedible, while others camouflage themselves in the green part of plants. The duration of the life cycle directly depends on climatic conditions. In northern latitudes, caterpillars may go into diapause (fall asleep) until spring. In such a situation, development can take from 4 to 10 years. It is quite difficult to reproduce the full life cycle of these insects at home.
Some caterpillars prefer to choose secluded places in the bark of old trees, where they turn into pupae and wait for the onset of spring. In the adult stage, the following butterflies hibernate:
- Hives.
- Lemongrass.
- Painted lady.
They take cover with their own wings, hiding in a hollow tree or in the attic of a house.
Mourning butterflies are helped to avoid freezing by a special liquid that they independently produce. It contains various cryoprotectors that provide excellent protection against frost. The behavior of butterflies largely depends on the species and climatic conditions.
Even in closely related species of the same genus that live in different regions of the country, diapause occurs at different phases of development. For example, the first generation of burdock butterflies goes south in the fall, and the second generation returns back in the spring. Thanks to this, these lepidopterans disappear from view only during cold weather, and with the arrival of warmth they can again be observed in different regions of Russia.
Life cycle
The life cycle of lepidoptera begins with the laying of eggs by adult insects directly on the leaves or branches of plants, where the butterfly (or rather its egg) lives in the first stage of its development, which lasts 8-15 days. The color, number and shape of eggs depend on the species; there can be up to 1 thousand eggs in total, most of which do not survive to adulthood. Butterfly species that live in temperate climates typically lay their eggs in late fall or early winter and remain dormant until spring.
The next stage, caterpillars, also takes place on the plants on which they feed. According to their lifestyle, they are divided into those who openly crawl over leaves and branches in search of food, and those that hide under special covers made independently using silky threads and parts of leaves. Some caterpillars are bright in color, demonstrating their inedibility, while others disguise themselves as green parts of plants.
The duration of the life cycle depends on the temperature and climate where butterflies live in nature: in northern species, caterpillars can hibernate (diapause) until next spring, and their development cycle can last up to 7-10 years.
The most stationary stage - the pupa - looks like a light-colored cylinder; as it matures, the color changes to that which is characteristic of this species. Pupae can either attach to leaves or lie on the ground without feeding for a long time.
An adult butterfly (imago) crawls out of the pupa, pushing off the shell with its paws, and males are born earlier than females. After emerging from the shell, its wings gradually straighten and harden, and a characteristic coloring also appears.
Classification and types
There are incredibly many different types of butterflies; zoologists have counted as many as 158 thousand different butterflies. For all this diversity, there are several complex and confusing classification systems. In our opinion, the most successful is the system that divides butterflies into 4 suborders.
Primary toothed moths
This includes small butterflies whose wingspan ranges from 4 to 15 mm. Butterflies of this suborder have a gnawing mouth and long antennae reaching 75% of the size of their front wings. The suborder consists of 160 species of butterflies. Among the representatives are:
Proboscis butterflies
The wingspan of these butterflies is no more than 25 mm. Previously, they were classified as primary toothed moths, with which these butterflies have much in common. The most famous butterflies of this suborder:
- flour fire,
- spruce cone moth.
Proboscis butterflies
They are the most numerous suborder, which includes several tens of thousands of different families of butterflies. The appearance and size of proboscis butterflies can vary significantly. Among the families of butterflies we can distinguish:
Family Sailboats
It is represented by medium and large butterflies with a wingspan from 50 to 280 mm. The pattern on their wings may consist of black, red or blue spots. Among the most famous butterflies of this family are:
- swallowtail butterfly,
- sailing ship "Glory of Bhutan".
Family Nymphalidae
A distinctive feature of butterflies of this family is the absence of thickened veins on their wide wings, which have variegated patterns. The wingspan of these butterflies is 55-130 mm. Among the most prominent representatives can be identified:
- admiral butterfly,
- day peacock butterfly,
- butterfly hives,
- mourning butterfly.
Hawkmoth family
This includes moths with narrow wings, the span of which is no more than 13 cm. Also, all butterflies of the hawkmoth family have a characteristic pattern, their abdomen is thickened and fusiform. The most famous among them are:
- "death's head" hawkmoth
- oleander hawk moth,
- poplar hawk moth.
The sense organs of butterflies are presented as follows:
- Olfactory organs : in a moth they are outgrowths shaped like a cone or a wedge. Around them there are a number of sensory cells that lie in the deep layers of the skin and connect to the nerves responsible for sensory functions. Butterflies' sense of smell is quite acute, and it is thanks to it that they find males, females or food.
- Hearing organs : some individuals are distinguished by the presence of tympanic organs, which are absent in diurnal moths. Receptors of this type are located on the abdomen or back of the sternum, in special lateral recesses, which are covered with a cuticular membrane (underneath there is a trachea). Sound waves that travel through the air cause the membrane to vibrate, causing cells to be excited and information to be transmitted through sensors.
- Organs of vision : moths have two faceted eyes that occupy the main surface of the head. These organs of vision have the same structure as those of other insects: they consist of many small elements, including the lens, retina and innervation. As a rule, moths see much better up close than at a distance. The organs of vision of moths are designed, first of all, to detect oncoming movement and move in space themselves.
The eyes of butterflies are designed in such a way that they perceive all information separately. Therefore, the insect receives a mosaic image as output, which enlarges the real image of the object several times.
Eye structure
Butterfly world
Representatives of the order Lepidoptera, which includes butterflies according to the biological hierarchy, can be found on almost all continents and in any climate, except the coldest - Antarctica. They love to fly in flowering meadows in mid-latitudes and among the ice of Greenland, on the islands of the Pacific Ocean and in the highlands of the Himalayas.
Butterflies belong to the most numerous and ancient order, which has more than 158 thousand species. Lepidoptera are cold-blooded (ectothermic) insects that can regulate their own body temperature by taking heat from the outside or releasing it into the environment. Because of this, most of their species prefer to live in tropical climates.
A butterfly is called an insect with complete metamorphosis, i.e. its development goes through all stages: eggs, larvae or caterpillars to pupa and adult (imago). Also, for most lepidopterans, a characteristic feature of their body structure is the presence of a mouthparts with a proboscis, through which they drink nectar. They also have a wide variety of wing shapes and sizes: from 2 mm to 28 cm.
Where the butterfly lives, what it eats and its lifespan most often depend on the climate zone: these insects prefer a hot and humid natural climate, that is, the tropics. The greatest diversity of species lives in the forests of South America (40 thousand), in South and Southeast Asia (more than 10 thousand), where there are ideal conditions for the number of sunny days, high humidity and the possibility of camouflage among dense foliage.
Rules for keeping at home
Butterflies prefer to winter exclusively in a cool place . Otherwise, they may not survive until spring. This is due to the fact that during hibernation, lepidoptera's metabolism accelerates, which is why the aging process proceeds much faster. Peacock butterflies are common in Russia, preferring to overwinter in hollow trees, attics of houses, and also in basements. Lepidoptera begin to look for a suitable secluded place in the fall, when they sense the approaching cold weather.
If the butterfly is grown in an apartment, then it must be euthanized artificially. Such insects fall asleep at temperatures below 15 degrees. The butterfly should be carefully placed in a dry jar or box with small holes for oxygen access. But before this, the insect needs to be well fed. The jar/box with the butterfly should be left until spring on a glazed balcony, where it is cool and dry.
It is necessary to exclude the possibility of direct sunlight hitting the moth’s “house”. Conditions are considered ideal when the air temperature in the room does not rise above +5 degrees. If the balcony is not glazed, then it is better to place the jar with lepidoptera on the bottom shelf in the refrigerator.
Butterflies are increasingly grown at home, as they have an attractive appearance and are easy to care for. But in order for an exotic insect to live in an apartment or house for as long as possible, you need to create favorable conditions for it, ensure proper feeding and a good wintering .
Industrial melanism
Industrial melanism is the presence in the body of moths of a pigment that makes them darker than other individuals. This ability is inherited.
Currently, there is a tendency towards an increase in individuals of the melanized species, especially for populations living in Europe. If previously the light color of the night moth was the species norm, today dark moths are replacing them. Despite the fact that the survival rate in nature is higher in light-colored moths, dark ones are better adapted to life with nutritional deficiencies. However, constant clashes with predators leave melanists in the minority.
In areas with industrial production, where many objects of the plant world are covered with soot, melanistic butterflies survive better than their white counterparts, because their camouflage abilities are higher . In addition, they feed on food that is contaminated with industrial waste and this does not in any way affect their life activity, unlike light-colored moths.
Interesting Facts
The origin of the word “butterfly” in Orthodox countries comes from the words “old woman” or “grandmother”, because Since ancient times, people have represented these insects as the souls of dead people. This belief still exists to this day in villages and villages in the Russian outback.
The largest butterfly is the South American tropical moth or tisania Agrippina, its wingspan is 28 cm; in Russia, the Maaka swallowtail (up to 13.5 cm). The smallest is the baby moth, living on the Canary Islands; its size barely reaches 2-4 mm.
A butterfly, flying from flower to flower, can cover up to 10 km in 1 hour, thus moving to the place where it will lay eggs.
One of the most amazing butterflies, Greta, amazes with its transparent wings, through which the entire surrounding world is visible.
