Changes

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”  (Maya Angelou)

Butterflies and moths have been around for at least 50 million years and probably first evolved some 150 million years ago. Butterflies conjure up images of sunshine, the warmth and color of flowery meadows, and summer gardens. Butterflies and moths are important to our quality of life on the Earth. Did you know…

1.      Puddle clubs are groups of butterflies that gather at wet soil to suck up salts and minerals.

2.      A group of butterflies is sometimes called a flutter.

3.      Butterflies are essentially cold-blooded.

4.      Butterflies have a long, tube-like tongue called a proboscis that allows them to soak up their food rather than sip it.

5.      Butterflies taste with their feet.

6.      Butterflies vary in size. The largest species may reach 12 inches across while the smallest may only be half an inch.

7.      Butterfly wings move in a figure 8 motion.

8.      Despite popular belief, butterfly wings are clear. The colors and patterns we see are made by the reflection of the tiny scales covering them.

9.      In some areas, the number of feeding caterpillars on plants is so great that you can actually hear them munching. Manners are not important in butterfly society.

10. Many adult butterflies never excrete waste. They use up all they eat for energy.

11. Scientists thought butterflies were deaf until the first butterfly ears were identified in 1912.

12. Skipper butterflies fly so fast they could outpace a horse, but most butterflies fly at 5 to 12 miles per hour (8 to 20 kilometers per hour).

13. Some butterflies have been seen drinking blood from open wounds on animals.

14. Some butterfly species lay their eggs on only one type of plant.

15. The process by which a caterpillar magically transforms into a butterfly( aka metamorphosis) is completed in 10 to 15 days depending on the species.

16. The first meal after a caterpillar hatches is usually the eggshell from which it has just emerged.

17. Butterfly eyes are made of 6,000 lenses and can see ultraviolet light.

18. There are 165,000 known species of butterflies found on every continent except Antarctica.

 “Beautiful and graceful, varied and enchanting, small but approachable, butterflies lead you to the sunny side of life. And everyone deserves a little sunshine.” (Jeffrey Glassberg)[i]

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[i] Sources used:

·        “Why Butterflies Matter” by Butterfly Conservation

·        “19 Fascinating Butterfly Facts” by Jenn Beening