Butterflies large and small

Naturally found in the United States of America is our largest of butterflies called the Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) with it's wing span stretching four to six inches across the body. The wings are dark brown to black with yellow bands. The abdomen has bands of yellow. There is a yellow eye in each wing tail. The Life cycle of the Swallowtail adult female. Lays her eggs singly on the surface of a plant. The eggs are bright orange and darken with time. The caterpillars emerge, eat and grow to about two inches before changing into a chrysalis. The fruit farmers consider the caterpillars a major pest and often call them orange puppies or orange dogs because of the devastation they can cause on their crops.

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Most butterfly species are found in the tropics and especially in the rain forests of our beloved blue planet. There are more than 20,000 different kinds of butterflies living on our planet. Butterflies survive in all types of environments from sea level to the high mountains ranges. One could find a butterfly in the hot desert to the cold of the iceberg. These little creatures enjoy the dry heat to the humid parts of our planet. With that said, lets take a look at some of the most beautiful enchanting creatures we call the butterfly.

1. Butterflies and insects have their skeletons on the outside of their bodies, called the exoskeleton. This protects the insect and keeps water inside their bodies so the little creatures don't dry out.

2. There are more types of insects in one tropical rain forest than any where on the planet.

3. Many adult butterflies never excrete waste, they use up all they eat for energy!

4. Butterflies cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86 degrees.

5. In some places, the number of caterpillars feeding on plants is so large that you can actually hear them munching.

6. The fastest butterflies are the skippers Euschemon ssp, which can fly at 37 miles per hour. Most butterflies fly at 5 to 12 miles per hour

7. Wow! Butterflies can see yellow green and red.

8. Many insects are rich in protein and have a good sources of vitamins, minerals so if you are hungry some are good to eat.

9. Many insects can carry 50 times their own body weight, that is like me lifting two elephants on my back.

10.Some butterflies have organs of hearing and some species are also known to make stridulatory and clicking sounds.

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

12. Butterflies have a long, tube like tongue called a proboscis, which works like a straw to suck up liquid.

13. Butterflies sense the air for scents, wind and nectar using their antennae.

14. Many species of butterfly maintain territories and actively chase other species of butterflies away who stray into their territory.

15. A butterfly's hind wings are thought to allow the butterfly to take swift, tight turns to evade predator.

16. The monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus, which can migrate 2,000 miles.

17. Butterflies have taste sensors on their feet, and by standing on a leaf, they can taste it to see if their caterpillars can eat it.

18, Butterflies a cold blooded creatures.

19. Some Arctic moths may spend 14 years as caterpillars, only active a few weeks each summer.

20. Butterfly wings are actually clear. The colors and patterns we see are made by the reflection of the tiny scales covering them.

21. There are a hundred and twenty-four families of butterflies, divided into two main groups, Homoneura and Heteroneura.

22. About 165,000 known species of butterflies and moths.

23. Western pygmy blue butterfly Brephidium exilis measures a 0.5 inch is the smallest butterfly.

24. Adult life span: 2 weeks to 2 months for most species; longest is 9 to 12 months for the migrating monarch Danaus plexippus.

25. Development of the butterfly and moth varies widely among species, but typically several days for egg to hatch, 2 to 4 weeks as a caterpillar, and 1 week to 2 months or more in pupa form. For some species this process can take up to 7 years.

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