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A Beginners Guide to
Butterflies

A butterfly is a flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, as are moths, usually with striking colors and patterns on its wings. Of the 1,500,000 insects worldwide there are about 200,000 species of Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) worldwide. Approximately 15,000 of these species are butterflies and 185,000 are moths. The tropical belt holds the largest diversity of butterfly species, with South America having the richest fauna. People who study or collect butterflies or moths are called Lepidopterists.

An erroneous folktale claims that the word butterfly came from a shift of letters in "flutterby"; however, the old English word was buttorfleoge and a similar word occurs in Dutch, apparently because butterflies were thought to steal milk.

The Four Stages in the Lifecycle of a Butterfly

The Egg - the Birth

The embryo develops inside the egg. A typical time for this process would be from two to three weeks, however there are species that overwinter at this stage, and thus remain in this state from the summer to the following spring. Butterfly and moth eggs vary greatly in size, shape, pattern and colour, all of them carrying certain characteristics of the species in question, but they are all spherical or ovate. Butterfly eggs consist of a hard-ridged outer layer of shell, called the chorion, lined with a thin coating of wax which prevents the egg from drying out before the larva has fully developed. Each egg has a number of tiny funnel-shaped openings at one end, called micropyles. The purpose of the holes is to allow sperm to enter and to fertilize the egg. Once the caterpillar is fully formed, it is able to pierce the eggshell and it will eat a hole just large enough for emerging from the egg.

The Caterpillar or Larva - the Growth

This is a vital stage in the life cycle of a butterfly: this is when the growth occurs. Larvae, or caterpillars, are multilegged eating machines. They live on plant leaves and spend practically all their time eating. Utilizing its food plant, the caterpillar absorbs a large quantity of food. As the caterpillars do not have elastic skin, they need to shed their skin four times. The new skin is much larger than the previous one, thus enabling the growth. As with eggs and the adult butterflies, caterpillars are unique in their appearance. This stage usually lasts from one to two months, but some species overwinter as caterpillars. The caterpillars are vulnerable to predators, and are often well camouflaged to blend in with their food plant or habitat.

The Pupa - the Transformation

How an active caterpillar becomes a pupa with no ability to move is one of nature's great wonders. When the larva has eaten enough it will will either spin a cocoon or form a chrysalis. Before this final transformation the caterpillar seeks a place to pupate. The larva usually moves to the underside of a leaf. To form a cocoon it spins a silk-like thread around itself. A chrysalis is formed by hardening bodily secretions. A larva completely covered by a cocoon or chrysalis is called a pupa. The pupae are astutely camouflaged by form and colour, which protects them during this vulnerable stage. Inside its protective shell the larva will transform into a butterfly (or moth). From the minute initial stages of adult features, cells grow to produce the recognizable adult characters. The duration of this stage is usually about two weeks, however, some species overwinter as pupae.

The Butterfly - the Miracle

When the metamorphosis is completed, the adult butterfly breaks the pupal case, pulls itself out and hangs upside down with its wings wet and limp. It begins immediately expanding its wings by forcefully pumping blood into the veins of its wings. Once the wings have reached their definite measurements, the butterfly lets them dry and harden up. When that is accomplished, the butterfly pumps the blood back out of its wing veins. Now the wings are light and strong, and the butterfly is ready to take a flight for the first time. Butterflies have four wings, but unlike moths, the fore and hindwings are not hooked together, permitting a more graceful flight. The freshly emerged, beautiful butterfly will fly to seek nourishment and then congeners to mate with, thus creating new beauty in the world. To fulfill this task the butterfly will have to brave the weather, the unsettled environmental conditions, and of course it has to be always wary of its predators.

Butterfly predators include ants, beetles, birds, flies, lizards, frogs, toads, praying mantises, spiders and wasps. Ants will sometimes attack a larva in hordes. However, there are actually some species of ants that keep myrmecophilous (ant loving) butterfly larvae as cattle, taking a larva into their nest, feeding it leaves on one end and milking it for honeydew on the other end. This symbiotic relationship can result in the larvae becoming myrmecophageous (ant-eating). The ants actually tolerate the larvae even while they eat the ant pupae. Some butterflies have evolved 'eye' like markings on their wings, scaring off some birds. Also, since some birds attack the eyes of an animal first, the butterfly has a chance of escaping in the confusion when the bird simply pokes a hole in one of the wings.

Butterflies live primarily on nectar from flowers. Some also derive nourishment from pollen, tree sap, rotting fruit, dung, and dissolved minerals in wet sand or dirt. Butterflies are also pollinators.

Butterflies are often confused with moths, but there are a few simple differences between them, including colour, habits, and pupating appearance.The large majority of moths are nocturnal or crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), while there are no nocturnal butterflies.

The most obvious difference is in the feelers, or antennae. A butterfly has a thin straight pair of antennae which ends in a small club, while moths usually have large feathered antennae in the males that help them to sense female pheremones in the air and to steer themselves when they fly in the darkness and thin, straight, unclubbed antennae in the females. Not all moths have the feathering on their antennae, but they all lack the clubbed end of a butterfly. Moths tend to have very fat hairy or furry appearing bodies, while butterflies are slighter and smoother.

Moths rest with their wings spread out to their sides. Butterflies frequently fold their wings above their backs when they are perched. Some species, like the Skippers, may hold their wings either flat, or folded, or even in-between (the so-called "jet plane" position) when perched. Moths' front and hindwings are connected, while those of butterflies can move independently. This gives the Butterflies a more graceful flight.

Many, but not all, butterflies have bright colorful patterns on their wings. Nocturnal moths' wings are usually plain brown/grey/white/black, often with obscuring patterns of zigzags or swirls, to help camouflage them while they are resting in the daytime. However day-flying moths are often brightly-colored, particularly if they are toxic.

Some butterflies, such as the Monarch Butterfly, are migratory.

Monarch Butterfly

The Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a well-known North American Butterfly. Its wings feature an easily recognizable orange and black pattern.

This butterfly is especially noted for its lengthy annual migration. Monarch butterflies make massive southward migrations during August through October. A northward migration takes place in the Spring. Female Monarch butterflies deposit eggs for the next generation during these migrations. The population east of the Rocky Mountains overwinters in Mexico, and the Western population overwinters in various sites in central coastal California, notably in Pacific Grove and Santa Cruz, California. The length of these journeys far exceeds the lifetime of any given butterfly. How the species manages to return to the same overwintering spots over a gap of several generations remains a mystery.

This is one of the few insects to manage transatlantic crossings. A few Monarchs turn up in the far southwest of Great Britain in any year when the wind conditions are right.

The life cycle of a Monarch butterfly includes a complete change of form called complete metamorphosis. This process goes through four radically different stages: First, as mentioned above, the eggs are laid by the females during migration. Second, the eggs hatch, revealing a worm-like larva, (or caterpillar). The caterpillars consume their egg case, then feed on milkweed, and sequester substances called cardenolides, related to the cardiac glycoside digitalis: the amount accumulated depends on the level present in the milkweed. This accumulation makes the adult butterfly distasteful and poisonous to Blue Jays and other would-be predators, and many such animals avoid consuming it: this has resulted in the evolution of mimics (such as the aptly-named Viceroy Butterfly), which are colored like the Monarch to ward off animals but are not themselves poisonous. Captive feeding experiments with pulped caterpillars have shown that Blue Jays are reluctant to eat either Monarch or Viceroy, though.

The Monarch Butterfly is the State Insect of Texas and the State Butterfly of Minnesota.

Butterfly Gardening

You can lure butterflies into your backyard just by planting flowers that feed and shelter them. Butterflies are attracted by the scent, shape and color of flowers, so planting an assortment of flowers is the easiest way to attract the widest variety of butterflies.

Nectar producing plants and flowers----such as purple coneflower, butterfly weed, aster, yarrow, phlox and butterfly bushes can bring adult butterflies to your garden. To attract butterflies throughout the growing season, try planting flowers with staggered bloom times. And because different species of butterflies have unique feeding habits, it’s a good idea to plant flowers that grow to a variety of heights. Plants that provide a sheltered spot for butterflies to lay their eggs, (larval plants) or provide food, (nectar plants) for the caterpillars will keep butterflies hanging around.

Plant your butterfly garden in a sunny location. Butterflies are naturally drawn to sun sites. Their wings function as solar collectors. Sun gives them the energy that enables them to fly. Eggs and caterpillars also develop more quickly with the aid of sun.

Have some source of water. A simple plastic saucer with some rocks or sticks to serve as resting places will do nicely. Other perching places about the garden such as large rocks, pieces of driftwood or tree limbs will also enhance your garden.

Plants that attract butterflies also may draw bees and other insects. Don’t use insecticides to deal with the uninvited visitors because the insecticides will kill the butterflies too.