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What Is a Butterfly
By Tomara Austin
Butterflies
• A butterfly is a member of
the Lepidoptera family.
The name refers to the
tiny scales covering the
adult insect's wings.
• Due to their bright colors
and visits to flowers,
butterflies are the most
familiar of insects to
humans.
Many Butterflies
• There are about 17,500 species of butterflies in the
world, and around 750 species in the united states.
• Butterflies (and moths) are the only group of
insects that have scales covering their wings.
Caterpillars
• Caterpillars are the names
given to the larvae of
butterflies.
• When they are developing,
their skin may be shed
four or more times, with
each molt often changing
the coloration and
appearance of the
caterpillar.
Metamorphosis
• They eat voraciously to transform plant material into tissues that they
will need for metamorphosis.
• Caterpillars of a butterfly species only feed on specific plants providing
the correct chemical for storage or sequestration during pupation, when
caterpillars reorganize their bodies and metamorphose.
Pollination
• Butterflies visit plants
for several reasons. First,
butterflies need nectar to
provide energy for flying
and reproduction.
• Plants provide nectar in
flowers and butterflies
transport pollen to
ensure reproduction
with unrelated
individuals.
Colorful
• Butterflies are brightly colored as a way to
advertise their distastefulness to predators.
• Butterflies appear in two types, pigment and
structural, frequently combined in one
individual. Pigment colors are familiar in
paints, dyes, and inks, and are defined as
specific substances with definite chemical
composition.
Beautiful Butterflies
Butterflies are very beautiful
insects. There are many different
books in the library to find out
more about butterflies