Trivia

Did you ever wonder …

When did butterflies first appear on Earth?

Butterflies first appeared on Earth 40 million years ago. Moths came much earlier, having appeared around 100 to 190 million years ago, during the Era of the Dinosaurs!

What insect order do butterflies and moths belong to?

Butterflies and moths belong to the insect order known as Lepidoptera, which means "scaly wings". Believe it or not, a butterfly may have between 200 to 600 scales per square millimeter of wing!

Just how many species of butterflies are there?

There about 170,000 known species that belong to the Lepidoptera order. Only 10%, though, are butterflies.

If butterflies sleep?

Butterflies are "day" creatures, meaning, they prefer to fly in the sunshine. Moths, on the other hand, are night-fliers, who flit around after sundown.

If butterflies ever stand still?

When resting, butterflies usually hold their wings upright! Moths, on the other hand, spread their wings, or fold them flat over their bodies.

How butterflies protect themselves from predators?

Most butterflies protect themselves by using the undersides of their wings as camouflage? When butterflies land to either rest or feed, they're easy prey for predators. When at rest, the butterfly shows only the undersides of its wings, which are usually patterned to camouflage the butterfly.

How to tell a butterfly from a moth?

You can tell a butterfly from a moth by looking at its antennae. Butterfly antennae have little knobs, or "clubs" at their tips. Moths, on the other hand, have different types of antennae, from single strands to feathery "branches".

If butterflies have blood?

Yes, butterflies have blood, and they are, in fact, warm-blooded creatures. Their wings have veins that carry blood, and contain air-carrying tubes and nerves. These tubes allow a butterfly's fragile wings to bend, twist, and resist air pressure while in flight. The pattern of veins, though, varies from specie to specie.

How far a butterfly can see?

You may be surprised to learn that butterflies and moths are short-sighted! Neither can focus on details unless they are very close to an object - prime candidates for contact lenses! But, they can detect ultra-violet light, something that humans can't do.

If butterflies have noses?

Believe it or not, butterflies and moths DON'T have noses! You might ask yourselves, can they smell anything? They certainly can, because their antennae are very sensitive to scents. In fact, the "feathery" antennae of some male moths have large surface areas designed to pick up the scents given off by females searching for a mate! And, speaking of long-range attractions, a male Emperor moth can smell a female 7 miles (around 11 kms) away!

How butterflies taste their food?

Strange as it may seem, butterflies taste their food using their FEET! When a female butterfly gets ready to lay her eggs, she uses the tiny taste pads on her feet to find food plants for the caterpillars.

If moths can hear?

Yes, moths can hear, and did you know that a moth's EARS are located on the sides of their bodies? These "ears" are actually thin membranes that pick up sound vibrations from the air. They are a form of defense, and at night, whenever moths "pick up" the squeaks of bats, they quickly flit away to avoid being eaten!

How butterflies eat?

Butterflies and moths SUCK their food! They have no teeth to chew food with, so they suck liquid food through a long- straw-like feeding tube called a proboscis. The length of the proboscis varies from specie to specie, depending on the types of flowers on which a particular butterfly feeds. The Hawk moth of Madagascar, though, has the longest proboscis - it is over 12 inches (30 cm.) long!

If butterflies can "change their spots"?

Yes, some butterflies can "change their spots", that is, change the colors of their wings! Some butterflies can actually MIMIC the colors of other species. As a defense mechanism, some butterflies imitate the "warning colors" of other species - red, orange, yellow or black. This phenomenon is called the Batesian mimicry, after the British naturalist H. W. Bates.

What is the biggest butterfly?

The largest known butterfly is the female Queen Alexandra's Birdwing. Some of them have been observed to have wingspans of up to 11 inches (28 cms.)! The Queen Alexandra's Birdwing, though, is a very rare species, and can now be found only in the rain forests of Papua New Guinea.

What is the smallest butterfly?

One of the smallest butterflies in the world is the Grass Jewel! It has a wingspan that ranges from 1/3 to 2/3 of an inch (1 - 1.5 cm.), smaller than a human thumb!

If caterpillars can swim?

Believe it or not, the caterpillar of the South American Water Tiger moth not only LIVES underwater, but can also SWIM!

If you can still find butterflies near the North Pole, or in the mountains?

Brrr … even in the severe cold of the Arctic, with its strong winds, harsh winters, and very short summers, butterflies and moths can be found! In fact, some butterflies can survive at altitudes of over 16,400 feet (5,000 m.)! Compared to their fellow fliers in warmer climates and lower altitudes, these butterflies and moths have adapted themselves for survival against the elements, rather than for protections against predators.

If caterpillars can survive very cold climates?

Yes they can! They're "late bloomers", though, and the caterpillars of some Arctic and mountain butterflies can take more than three years to mature. Some pupae, in fact, may be frozen and thawed several times before the adult butterfly emerges!

If all caterpillars weave chrysalises?

No, not all of them weave chrysalises! The caterpillar of the Idas Blue butterfly spend the winter in an ants' nest? The caterpillar produces a sugary liquid that is very tasty to the ants! It then pupates in the ants' nest, from which the adult butterfly eventually crawls out.

If a chrysalis can change color?

Some pupae can change color, to defend themselves. The pupa of the Striped Blue Crow, for instance, can actual mirror the colors around it! The pupa of the Great Mormon butterfly can change its colors to suit its background.

How many silkworm cocoons it would take to spin a thread that can encircle the Earth?

It would take 40,000 silkworm cocoons to provide enough silk to encircle the Earth (at the Equator) with a single silk thread! The Silkmoth larva (more popularly known as the Silkworm), spins fine silk threads for their cocoons. These threads can be used to weave silk cloth, and some countries have farms that breed Silkworms especially for this purpose. The caterpillars are fed a special diet of mulberry leaves, and the thread from one caterpillar can be as long as 2,600 feet (800 m.)!

 

 

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