Butterfly Facts

Butterfly Facts

Adonis blue

1. Butterflies and moths are insects from the Order Lepidoptera which means ‘scaly wings’. They have two pairs of wings which are covered in tiny overlapping scales like tiles on a roof. 

2. Butterflies have large eyes and two antennae. The female antennae are generally long and slender and the male antennae are feathery. 

3. The mouth parts of the butterfly have been lengthened to form a coiled tube called a proboscis for piercing and sucking nectar.  

4. Amazingly, butterflies’ ‘feet’ (called tarsi) have a sense similar to taste. When they touch sweet liquids such as nectar with their ‘feet’ it triggers the proboscis to uncoil. 

5. Butterflies are very attractive insects. As well as being beautiful to watch, they are very useful, playing a crucial role in the ecosystem. Many plants need to have pollen shared between the male and female parts of the plants by insects so they can reproduce and create new plants.  Butterflies and bees are the most important insects at performing this role; they are called the pollinators. 

6. Butterflies and moths have an amazing lifecycle. They go through a complete  metamorphosis  when they change shape from a caterpillar to an adult. To do this, they form a pupa. In butterflies, this is sometimes also called a chrysalis. Some moths spin a silken cocoon around their pupa. 

7. After emerging from the pupa, the butterfly pumps up its wings to full size. Once they are dry, the new butterfly will fly off in search of flowers for nectar to drink with its long tongue, called a proboscis.

8. An adult butterfly is called an imago.

9. The egg is actually only about 1mm big. Different butterfly species lay different shaped eggs. 

10. The caterpillars main job is to eat an enormous amount. To grow bigger, a caterpillar must shed its skin. This is called moulting. 

11. The female butterfly lays her eggs on the plant that the caterpillar likes to eat. For red admirals, this is usually nettle.

12. When it is ready to pupate, the caterpillar hangs down from a twig and the chrysalis forms. 

13. Butterflies can see UV rays.

14. The collective noun for butterflies is a ’rainbow’ of butterflies.

15. An adult brimstone butterfly can live up to 1 year.

16. The Regal Fritillary (Speyeria idalia) is a large, orange, and black butterfly that was once found commonly throughout the Northeast.  It looks like a “Monarch Butterfly dipped in chocolate.” 

17. Butterflies taste with their feet. 

18. They don't have mouths but drink with a long 'tongue' [proboscis]. 

19. Butterflies start as eggs, then caterpillars before becoming butterflies. 

20. People used to call them "flutter-bys". 

21. Milkweed and the monarch have a symbiotic relationship, which means that they are dependent on each other for survival. 

22. Milkweed provides for the monarch: 
a-  Nectar, a milky sap, for the butterflies to eat 
b- Place for the butterflies to lay their eggs 
c- Food for the monarch caterpillar 
d- Protection for the monarch caterpillars and butterflies from predators.  When the monarchs eat the toxic milkweed plant, they become poisonous to those that eat them. 

23. The monarch assists the milkweed in pollination.  As the butterfly sips nectar, its feet get dipped in pollen. When the butterfly goes to the next plant to eat, it drops off the pollen from the first plant onto the second. This pollen fertilizes the milkweed seed and allows the plant to reproduce. 

24. The great white cabbage butterfly is regarded as a pest of brassica crops in several countries including europe, Britain and India. Brassica crops include: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, rape, swedes, brussels sprouts and turnips. It is a potential threat to new Zealand’s cultivated and native brassica plants.

25. The Tailed Emperor migrated from the eastern states in 1973. This magnificent species is only present in urban areas where its Australian (but not South Australian) caterpillar food plants are grown.

26. This beautiful blue butterfly, the logo of the Kent Wildlife Trust, is characterised by the brilliant blue wings of the male; the females are brown and far less noticeable. Both male and female have black lines on the wings that extend into the white fringes, unlike similar species such as the common blue (Polyommatus icarus).

27. The two-tailed swallowtail butterfly (Papilio multicaudata) was designated the official state butterfly of Arizona in 2001.  Ranging between 3.5 and 5 inches.  Large yellow and black wings.  Each hind wing has two tail-like projections.  Upper surface of male wings has black stripes. 

28. Most butterflies only live for a few weeks. The Brimstone is the longest living British butterfly, with a lifespan of 9-10 months. 

29. Butterflies have clubbed antennae. 

30. The largest British butterfly, the Swallowtail, has a wingspan of up to 85mm.

31. The smallest British butterfly, the Small blue has a wingspan of approx.30mm.

32. Butterflies cannot eat solid food but their larval stage, the caterpillar, eats leaves or flowers.  

33. They cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86°F. 

34. The top butterfly flight speed is 12 miles per hour.

35. Some plants catch butterflies. They can become snared on the sticky leaves of the insectivorous Sundew. The flowers of the Rubber Vine weed trap the legs or proboscis of butterflies as they search for nectar. They are unable to escape, and eventually die.

36. Ulysses Butterflies are attracted to red, and often settle on red flowers or land on red cars.

37. Blue Triangle Butterflies which fly around rainforest creeks, are attracted to blue, and often land on blue clothing. 

38. The Black and White Tit Butterfly is a pest of orchids. It lays its eggs on the flower buds and the caterpillars eat the flowers. 

39. The Evening Brown Butterfly is a common open forest butterfly of the Wet Tropics. It changes its colours in winter and summer to camouflage itself against the background of the vegetation.  These well-camouflaged butterflies rest quietly on leaf litter during the day, and wait until evening to fly. 

40. Caterpillars are feeding machines. In just two weeks they can grow to 3000 times their original size. This would be like a human ballooning to the size of an elephant! 

41. White Nymph caterpillars feed in clusters on stinging trees.

42. Some caterpillars can detect light through their skin.

43. Butterflies can’t fly if they are too cold  (body temperature below about 25 degrees)  which is why you will most often see them in warmer months in the sun. 

44. The Monarch butterfly made its way to Australia in the early 1870’s from North America. 

45. The caterpillar feeds on toxic introduced milkweed plants. The caterpillar and butterfly retain this poison, making themselves unpalatable to predators.

46. The Cabbage White butterfly was introduced from Europe in the 1930s. It is a serious agricultural pest, with caterpillars eating plants like cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli.

47. The fastest butterflies can fly at over 48 km/ hour, the slowest at only 8 km/ hour. 

48. Adult butterflies are most attracted to white, blue, purple and violet flowers.

49. Caterpillars are boneless (like adult butterflies) but have around 2,000 muscles. The human body has only about 650 muscles.

50. Many chemical sprays can harm butterflies and other flying insects. Gardening organically without chemical sprays will benefit the insects that live in and visit your garden.