By Martin Brazeau, Suzanne Swift &
Cynda Carlton
Butterflies & Moths
• Second largest order of insects (next to
beetles) Lepidoptera is their name.
beetles).
name
• 120,000 species worldwide.
• Most butterflies are active by day, brightly
colored, rests with wings held over body, thin
antennae with thickened tip.
• Most
M t moths
th are active
ti
b
by night,
i ht d
dull
ll iin color,
l
stout body, rest with wings out from body,
antennae is thick and often feathery.
y
Butterfly Facts
• Butterflies can see red, green, and yellow.
• They
Th
h
have antennae
t
that
th t help
h l th
them see.
• Female butterflies are bigger than male
butterflies.
• A butterfly flies from flower to flower sipping
nectar.
• They have taste buds in their feet.
• Butterflies do not have lungs but breathe
through openings in their abdomen.
abdomen
Body Parts of a Butterfly
• Head
– Proboscis
– Eyes
E
– 2 Antennae
• Thorax
– 4 Wings
– 6 Legs
• Abdomen
Head
• The antennae are
used to smell food
• The eyes contain many
tiny lenses
• The proboscis is
constructed of 2 parallel,
linked tubes, used to
drink nectar
Proboscis
Six Legs
Two Antennae
Four Wings
Pipevine Swallowtail
• Wings are covered with bright powdery
scales that fall off with every flight and
fade in the sun.
Abdomen
This area
contains little
holes called
spiracles that
allow the
butterfly to
breathe
How can a butterfly protect itself?
1.
2
2.
3.
4
4.
5.
Poison
Bad Smells
Eye Spots
C
Camouflage
fl
Mimicry
Bad Smells
Osmeterium
Swallowtail caterpillars
share this one trait; a
retractable organ
located behind the true
head, when alarmed
they extend their
osmeterium and it emits
a foul odor!
Anise Swallowtail Caterpillar
Fast & Erratic Flight
L
Large
eye spott
Whi h way am I going?
Which
i ?
Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar
C
Camouflage
fl
Question Mark Anglewing
Wh t is
What
i thi
this b
butterfly?
tt fl ?
Monarch Butterfly
y
Milkweed butterflies
Larvae feed on milkweeds that contain
many secondary plant compounds
(alkaloids, cardiac glycosides)
M
Monarch
h - Danaus
D
plexippus
l i
(L )
(L.)
How are th
H
they
different?
Viceroy
Vi
Viceroy
mimics
i i M
Monarch.
h
Black line across hind
wings present in Viceroy,
not Monarch.
Monarch
Which butterfly tastes bad?
Life Cycle
Egg
Adult
Caterpillar
Pupa
Lifecycle
Overwintering
• Most species
overwinter
i t in
i a state
t t
called diapause,
(suspended animation)
as larvae,
l
pupae and
da
few as an egg.
• Butterflies that winter as
adults are anglewings and
tortoiseshells.
Meadow Fritillary Chrysalis
Lifecycle
Very ffew b
V
butterflies
tt fli
overwinter
i t as
adults - the major exception is the
Monarch, which migrates to warmer
climates to spend the winter
Egg
gg
• Small
• White
• Round
Monarch Butterfly Egg
Ready to Hatch
(4 days later)
Larva (Caterpillar)
• Wormlike
• Eats constantly
• Sheds skin
Newborn
Caterpillar
(1 week later)
Full Grown
(2 weeks later)
Pupa
p (Chrysalis)
(
y
)
• Hard shell protects pupa
• Undergoes metamorphosis
Larva Attaches
Sheds Skin
Chrysalis
y
Begins
g
To Form
Pupa (Chrysalis) Continued
Chrysalis Complete
Almost Adult
(11 Days Later)
Adult
Hatching
Adult Inflatingg Wings
g
Adult
Ready To Fly
Laying Eggs
What kind of butterfly do you
see here
h
iin a fl
flutter?
tt ?
What is puddling?
Swallow
Swallowtail
Butterfly
Tiger Swallowtail
Tiger Swallowtail
Male is yellow with dark tiger stripes. Female has 2 forms:
one yellow, like male, and the other black with shadows of
dark stripes. Hindwing of both female forms has many
iridescent blue scales and an orange marginal spot.
Swallowtails
Wingspan: 3 – 4 in
Upper surface of forewing is mostly black with white spots along margin.
Upper surface of hindwing has orange spots and a sheen of bluish
(female) or bluish-green
bluish green (male) scales.
scales Underside of hindwing has pale
green marginal spots. Fairly rare in RI.
Female
Wingspan: 3 ¼ - 4 ¼ in
As the name implies, they are mostly black. On inner edge of hindwing
is an orange eyespot with a black center. Both male and female have
rows of yyellow spots.
p
An easy
y way
y to differentiate is males have more
yellow and females have more blue.
Hummingbird
g
Moth
Whites and Sulphurs
Skippers
pp
Nymphalidae - Brush-footed
Brush footed butterflies
• Nymphalidae - Brush-footed butterflies
• The front legs are reduced and lack claws only the middle and hind legs are used for
walking
• Mourning Cloaks
• Painted Ladies, Admirals & More
Mourning Cloak
First to appear
pp
in the Spring.
p g Upperside
pp
is p
purple-black
p
with a
wide, bright yellow border on outer margins, and a row of
iridescent blue spots at the inner edge of the border.
© John Slivoski
Cabbage White
Wingspan: 1 ¾ - 2 ¼ in
White wings with black forewing tip
tip. One black spot on forewing of male,
male
2 on female. Yellowish coloring to hindwing.
© John Slivoski
Wingspan: 1 ½ - 2 ¾ in
Sulphurs typically land with
wings closed. Silver spot on
hindwing.
g Cloud p
pattern to
forewing.
Clouded / Common
Sulphur
Wingspan: 1 ½ - 2 ¾ in
Can be colored various shades of
orange, which is visible in flight. Some
females are white.
white Hybridizes with
Clouded Sulphur.
Wingspan: 1 – 1 ½ in
Upper forewing is orange
with
ith bl
black
k spots.
t
Hindwing is greyish with
black spots and orange
band.
Olive / Juniper Hairstreak
Wingspan: roughly 1 inch
Dark
D
kb
brown with
ith olive
li colored
l d sheen
h
and
d mostly
tl green
hindwing. Hindwing white line edged inwardly with red-brown..
© Troy Bartlett
Wingspan: 1 ¾ - 3 in
Dull orange-brown with black spots near margin. Underside of hindwing
with a mottled pattern and no silver spots
spots.
Wingspan: 1 ¾ - 2 ¾ in
Row of red-orange spots along outer margin and rows of white
p
inward. Orange
g face.
spots
Wingspan: 1 – 1 ½ in
Small bright orange with brown border enclosing pale crescents
Small,
crescents.
On the list.
© John Slivoski
Question Mark
Anglewings – jagged fore and
hind wings resemble dead leaf.
Wingspan: 2 ¾ - 3 in
Red-orange
Red
orange with white question
mark shape spot on underside
hindwing.
Comm
a
Wingspan: 1 ¾ - 2 ½ in
Forewing above is brownish-orange
with dark spots; one dark spot at
center of bottom edge.
Wingspan: 1 ¾ - 2 ½ in
Upperside with uneven brown, yellow, and orange pattern.
Forewing with a black patch, a small white spot in the orange field
below the patch, and a white bar at the leading edge of the
forewing. Underside of hindwing has two large eyespots..
Wingspan: 2 – 3 in
Upperside is orange-brown with darker wing bases; forewing with
black apex patch and white bar; hindwing submarginal row of
small black spots, sometimes blue scales. Underside has a black,
brown, and gray pattern with 4 small submarginal eyespots.
On the list.
© John Slivoski
Red Admiral
Wingspan: 1 ¾ - 3 in
Upperside is black with
white spots near the
apex; forewing with red
median band,
band hindwing
with red marginal band.
Byy the looks of the tattered wings,
g this butterfly
y has likely
y
escaped a bird or two!
Common Buckeye
Wingspan: 1 ½ - 2 ¾
in
Brown with distinctive
eyespots.
t
© John Slivoski
Eyespots are a defense
mechanism used by
butterflies and
caterpillars.
Tory Bartlett
Wingspan: 1 ½ - 2 in
Light brown. Forewing has 2 yellowrimmed black eyespots both above
and below. Hindwing has 2 eyespots
on upper
pp side;; but may
y have smaller
spots below.
What kind of butterfly
y is this?
Monarch Butterfly
y
Spicebush Swallowtail
Mourning Cloak
From what is the butterfly emerging?
cocoon
pupae
chrysalis
Click on the butterflyy that is a swallowtail.
Sorry, try again.
Click anywhere to take you
back to the question.
q
Correct! Good job!
This is a swallowtail.
Butterfly Body Parts
Q i questions
Quiz
ti
• How many legs?
–6
• How
H
many antennae?
t
?
–2
• How many body parts?
–3
• How many wings?
–4
Sources
"Butterflies
Butterflies Through Binoculars"
Binoculars by Jeffery Glassburg, 1993, Oxford Press.
USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/
North American Butterfly Association www.naba.org
MA Butterfly Club http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabambc/index.asp
John Slivoski - Backyard Birding - Our Feathered Friends
http://www.slivoski.com/birding/butterflies/butterflylist.htm
Credits and Sources
Prepared By:
• Derek Park
• NSF NMGK-8
• University of Mississippi
• April
A il 2004
Sources:
•
Please see accompanying word document:
baby_butterflies.doc
Butterfly
fl C
Count
Orientation
Methods of Protection
National Science Foundation
North Mississippi GK-8 Project
University of Mississippi
March 2005