Butterflies - Did you know that?
- We have four wings.
- If our back wings are damaged we can still fly.
- Our wings are not joined together but they move together when we fly.
- We have hooks on our feet for holding on to things.
- We feel and smell with our long antennae.
- When we rest I usually close our wings above our backs.
- Often our wings are one colour on the outside and a different one on the inside.
- We can camouflage ourselves very well on trees and leaves.
- Our wings are covered with coloured shiny scales. If you touch them the scales will rub off. So please do not touch us unless we need
your help.
- We need to be warm for our bodies to work properly.
- When the air is cold we rest.
- The darkest part of our wings warm up quickly, that is why my friends from cold countries often have dark colours on their wings.
- We do not eat to get bigger; we use our food to make heat inside our bodies.
- We drink nectar through a long tube called a proboscis, when we are not feeding our proboscis curl up.
- Some of my friends can even taste with their feet.
- It is very important to find a partner for mating; we often use our colours and scents to find a partner.
- When a female has mated she will lay her egg or eggs on a special plant she has found.
- In hot countries it can take only a few weeks for us to change from an egg into a butterfly but in cold countries it can take several months.
- We must always be alert for birds, spiders and other insects that eat us, but luckily we are very clever at camouflaging ourselves.
See my friend the Owl Butterfly who has special marking on its wings like false eyes. Birds think they are the eyes of a dangerous animal.
