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Learn About Butterflies Here and Where to Buy Butterfly Stuff

Come take a look at my page all about butterflies. You'll learn about types of butterflies, stages of their growth, places to go see butterflies and where to find butterfly products and ways to attract them to your yard. Loads of gift ideas for the butterfly lover on your list. THINK OF MOTHERS DAY, BRIDAL SHOWERS, BIRTHDAYS and more. Home decor, garden, weddings, baby's room, apparel, shoes, totes, books, jewelry, hair ornaments, music, art, dishes and more!
Be sure to check all the way to the bottom to see beautiful butterfly pictures!

A butterfly is an insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera, butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a larval caterpillar stage, an inactive pupal stage, and a spectacular metamorphosis into a familiar and colorful winged adult form. Most species are day-flying so they regularly attract attention. The diverse patterns formed by their brightly colored wings and their erratic yet graceful flight have made butterfly watching a fairly popular hobby.

Egg Stage of the Butterfly

The butterfly begins its life as an egg about the size of the head of a pin.

Adult female butterflies usually lay their eggs on plant leaves or stems. Some place the eggs in protected locations-on the undersides of leaves, for example-where wasps and other predators are less likely to find them.

As the time of hatching nears, a week or two after the egg is laid, the eggshell darkens and becomes almost transparent. At this stage you can see a tiny but fully formed caterpillar moving inside. Finally, the larva chews through the eggshell and emerges into the world.

Larva Stage of the Butterfly

The butterfly larva, or caterpillar, spends most of its time eating, digesting its food, and growing.

Caterpillars consume huge quantities of leaves-and they are very specific about which plants they will eat. Most will eat plants from only a single species or genus, called the host plant for that caterpillar; it will die rather than feed on others.

The larva repeatedly outgrows its skin, which splits and is shed. At the end of its growth period, the caterpillar stops eating and finds a good place to molt into the next stage. It spins a small pad of silk and attaches itself to it, hanging upside down, immobile. The larval skin then splits one last time, revealing the pupa.

Pupa Stage of the Butterfly

Inside the skin of the pupa, or chrysalis, the most dramatic part of the metamorphosis takes place.

During this stage of metamorphosis, which usually takes from two weeks to several months, the larval tissues completely break down and reorganize. The outlines of adult features-the wings, eyes, tongue, antennae, and body segments-can be seen on the surface of the pupal skin.

When the butterfly is fully formed, the pupal case splits and the butterfly emerges. The butterfly first expels its meconium, metabolic waste products that have accumulated during the pupal stage. It then expands its shriveled wings-by pumping them full of blood-before flying off.

Adult Stage Emerging

The primary function of the male butterfly is to find a female. The male butterfly uses vision to locate a female of his own species, then lures her with chemicals called pheromones, produced by his scent glands. Some species also perform elaborate courtship flights.
Once the female has mated, she must lay her fertilized eggs on the appropriate larval host plant. To find the host plant-an amazing feat, given the tremendous diversity of plants in the butterfly's surroundings-the females rely on vision and a highly tuned ability to detect plant chemicals.

Metamorphosis

The butterfly begins life as an egg, emerges as a caterpillar, and then undergoes a complete change inbody form during development-a dramaticmetamorphosis.

The wormlike butterfly larva, or caterpillar, looks nothing like a winged adult. After hatching from the egg, the young caterpillar spends most of its time eating leaves and gaining weight. The caterpillar undergoes several molts of its skin until it becomes full grown and has accumulated enough body mass to carry it through the entire life cycle, including the adult phase.

The caterpillar then enters the pupal stage, when it neither feeds nor moves. From the outside, it appears as though the pupa, also known as the chrysalis, is resting. In reality, though, the larval tissues completely break down and reorganize within the pupal skin. What emerges from the chrysalis is a fully formed adult-a butterfly.

The butterfly's wings are initially soft and shriveled, but they expand and harden within a few hours. The butterfly then takes flight to pursue its main adult activities, mating and reproduction. It has no time to waste-adults of most species live for only a few weeks.

Butterfly Species

Adult butterflies are wonderfully diverse in shape, size, and color. Active during the day, they live almost everywhere around the world, from Arctic tundra to tropical rain forests.

There are more than 250,000 known species of Lepidoptera, of which about 18,000 are butterflies. Based on their anatomy, butterflies are classified into five families.Three of the families: the Pieridae (PYAIR-i-dee), commonly known as whites and sulphurs; the Papilionidae (pah-pill-ee-ON-i-dee), or swallowtails; and the Nymphalidae (nim-FAL-i-dee), which includes morphos, longwings and others.

Magnify Your Butterfly Collection

SE Table Magnifier 6X

Amazon Price: $5.80 (as of 05/26/2012)

Motion Moving Butterfly Accent Lamp

Motion Moving Butterfly Flower Rotating Accent Lamp Light

Amazon Price: $31.99 (as of 05/26/2012)

Wonderful Motion Moving Butterfly Table Lamp. BRAND NEW!! Measures 12" The pictures keep moving like Butterflies in the Wind. Great Decor for Any Child's Room. It is a wonderful piece for the Butterfly Lover.

Attract Butterflies To Your Yard

Attracting Butterflies & Hummingbirds to Your Backyard: Watch Your Garden Come Alive With Beauty on the Wing (Rodale Organic Gardening Books)

by: Sally Roth

Amazon Price: $3.96 (as of 05/26/2012)

Paperback: 304 pages

Butterfly Gardening

Butterfly Gardening: Creating Summer Magic in Your Garden

by: Xerces Society, Smithsonian Institution

Amazon Price: $19.95 (as of 05/26/2012)

Includes a "Master Plant List" of species that attract butterflies, butterfly food plants listed by geographic region, seed and plant resources, a list of gardening and conservation organizations, and a bibliography of books and periodicals about butterflies.
Hardcover: 228 pages

Stoke's Complete Butterfly Book

Stokes Butterfly Book : The Complete Guide to Butterfly Gardening, Identification, and Behavior

by: Donald Stokes, Lillian Stokes, Ernest Williams

Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 05/26/2012)

Paperback: 96 pages

Great Butterfly Books

Beautiful Butterfly

Ever Catch A Butterfly?

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Basket of Butterflies

Tiffany-Style Butterfly Lamp

Tiffany Butterfly Table Lamp

Amazon Price: (as of 05/26/2012)

* A winding stem twists up to a Tiffany-style cut-glass butterfly, poised like a blooming flower between a red rose and leafy stems
* Stained glass shade is made with more than 100 pieces of individually cut, rust red, blue and green glass wrapped in copper foil
* The sculptural lighting stands atop an ornately wrought base made of white zinc metal in antiqued finish
* Uses two 15W candle bulbs; assembly required but no tools needed; UL listed
* 18H"

Butterfly Spiral For Your Garden

Butterfly Spiral

Amazon Price: $6.98 (as of 05/26/2012)

Product Description
Butterfly spiral adds shimmering serenity to your garden. Laser-engraved butterflies bend and refract sunlight in an ever-changing display of radiant colors asthey spin in the breeze. 21".

Butterfly Necklace

Butterfly Bubble Necklaces 12 pc

Amazon Price: (as of 05/26/2012)

Butterfly Bubble Necklaces 12 pc , Party Toys. Includes Bubbles with Wand on a 26 inch nylon Cord. Assorted Colors and Styles, No Color or Style Choice Available.

Butterfly Handbook

Spiral-bound: 256 pages

Each of the 700 species is illustrated with a full-color close-up picture showing its vibrant colors and intricate patterns

The Butterfly Handbook: The Definitive Reference for Every Enthusiast (Quarto Book)

by: Lee D. Miller, Jacqueline Miller, Dr. Lee Miller, Dr. Jacqueline Miller

Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 05/26/2012)

Book Description
This magnificently illustrated volume does double-duty as a field guide and a handsome reference volume. It shows more than 500 butterfly species and instructs nature lovers on how to identify each of them. Organized into the major butterfly family groups, the book's easy-reference format points out the key characteristics that identify each butterfly type, and describes its habitat, life cycle, and migration season. Every entry is presented with an at-a-glance guide to the butterfly's size, location of origin, and conservation status. A detailed color photo of each specimen clearly shows its unique, intricate markings. Nature lovers and butterfly collectors will find practical tips for locating and studying these beautiful and fragile insects in the wild. More than 500 magnificent color photos and reliable descriptive text combine to make this a must-own reference guide for butterfly enthusiasts everywhere.

Butterfly Mousepad

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Butterflies of the World

Hardcover: 240 pages

Butterflies of the World

by: Gilles Martin

Amazon Price: $130.90 (as of 05/26/2012)

Book Description
Butterflies are among the planet's most majestic creatures, their delicate forms sprinkled with brilliant color and rich with texture. More than 200,000 kinds of butterfly and caterpillar have been spotted around the world-that's one in every ten insects. Photographer Gilles Martin brings this extraordinary slice of nature to the page in this gorgeous volume. Martin captures butterflies in spectacular images, while photographs of caterpillars and their metamorphoses invite readers to explore the vast diversity of the species. The pictures are complemented by text from animal behaviorist and nature expert Myriam Baran, who tells would-be lepidopterists everything they need to know about these animals. From the recognizable Monarch to lesser-known types, Butterflies of the World gives readers an all-around look at this magnificent insect.

A World of Butterflies

Hardcover: 432 pages

A World Of Butterflies

by: Kjell Sandved, Brian Cassie

Amazon Price: $11.60 (as of 05/26/2012)

In this gorgeous little nature album (it's 3.5" x 6"), Sandved gets butterflies to hold still-by capturing them in close-up photographs-and the secrets that he reveals can be breathtaking. There are butterflies, like the Adonis Blue and the Red Glider, whose deep hues resemble jewels, and others, like the Callicore Hydaspes, whose boldly patterned wings seem like studies in composition. Some butterflies, like the Ninety-Eight butterfly, even seem to flaunt whimsical designs of numbers, faces or hearts. The background text by Cassie is minimal: just enough to tell readers about butterfly anatomy, reproduction, migration, feeding and mimicry. Cassie also accompanies each image with a concise summary of that butterfly's habitat, range and habits. All in all, this is a lovely book-small enough to take on a butterfly-watching expedition, but pretty enough to display on a coffee table.

100 Butterflies and Moths

Hardcover: 272 pages

100 Butterflies and Moths: Portraits from the Tropical Forests of Costa Rica

by: Jeffrey C. Miller, Daniel H. Janzen, Winifred Hallwachs

Amazon Price: $136.00 (as of 05/26/2012)

100 Butterflies and Moths presents portraits of some of the 10,000 species estimated to inhabit the Guanacaste conservation area in northwestern Costa Rica. The photographs, taken by Jeffery Miller, and the accompanying, informative descriptions could serve as a field guide for a visit to the Costa Rican forest or be equally appealing to the armchair naturalist.

500 Butterflies From Around The World

Hardcover: 528 pages

500 Butterflies: From Around the World

by: Ken Preston-Mafham

Amazon Price: $19.52 (as of 05/26/2012)

Book Description

The perfect introduction to butterflies in all their diversity.

Covering 500 species, subspecies and forms of butterflies, this book is a valuable and colorful guide to a remarkable insect group. Stunning images of butterflies, frequently in their natural habitat, complement the author's authoritative text and personal observations of Lepidoptera in the wild. Not only are the adult butterflies illustrated but, in certain instances, the caterpillars are shown as well.

500 Butterflies includes a wide array of species from all continents. The book is organized by genus and includes a cross-referenced index as well as a glossary.

For each species, the entry includes detailed information on its:

* Natural history
* Habitat
* Distribution
* Form
* Behavior
* Food and feeding
* Species variations
* Reproduction
* Taxonomy
* Survival.

Butterflies in Flight

Hardcover: 104 pages

Butterflies in Flight

by: Roger Camp

Amazon Price: $13.28 (as of 05/26/2012)

From Publishers Weekly
This striking evergreen volume, when removed from its equally evergreen slipcase, opens to reveal shiny, black accordion-fold pages-more than 70 feet of them-over which nearly 300 species of butterflies flit and flutter in full digitally-enhanced color and detail. To achieve such startling verisimilitude, Camp captured butterflies around the world and--believe it or not--placed them on a scanner, pulled up their likenesses on screen and essentially photoshopped them into shape.

Nature Gift Store With Butterfly Kits & Gifts

America's Largest Butterfly Aviary

Coconut Creek,FL

Here is a link to Butterfly World in Florida:

Butterfly World

Book a Flight to Florida

Butterfly World in Fort Lauderdale area is America's largest butterfly aviary. Book a trip there now!

Butterflies

Learn About Butterflies Here and Where to Buy Butterfly Stuff

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

Life of the Butterfly

Egg Stage of the Butterfly

Larva Stage of the Butterfly

Pupa Stage of the Butterfly

Adult Stage Emerging

Metamorphosis

Butterfly Species

Magnify Your Butterfly Collection

Motion Moving Butterfly Accent Lamp

Attract Butterflies To Your Yard

Butterfly Gardening

Stoke's Complete Butterfly Book

Great Butterfly Books

Ever Catch A Butterfly?

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Tiffany-Style Butterfly Lamp

Butterfly Spiral For Your Garden

Butterfly Necklace

Butterfly Handbook

Spiral-bound: 256 pages

Butterfly Mousepad

Butterflies of the World

Hardcover: 240 pages

A World of Butterflies

100 Butterflies and Moths

Hardcover: 272 pages

500 Butterflies From Around The World

Hardcover: 528 pages

Butterflies in Flight

Hardcover: 104 pages

America's Largest Butterfly Aviary

Coconut Creek,FL

Book a Flight to Florida

A Butterfly Garden

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