Butterflies are one of the most beautiful of all insects. There are about 15,000 to 20,000 species. The word butterfly comes from the Old English word butterfleoge, meaning butter and flying creature. Buter probably referred to the butter-yellow color of some European butterflies. Butter flies and moths make up a group of insects called Lepidoptera. Butterflies: (1) Most butterflies fly during the day. (2) Most butterflies have knobs at the end of their antennae. (3) Most butterflies have slender, hairless bodies. (4) Most butterflies¡¦ rest their wings held upright over their bodies.
A butterfly begins its life as a tiny egg, which hatches into a caterpillar. The caterpillar spends most of their time eating and growing. But their skin does not grow, and so the caterpillar sheds it and grows a larger one. This process is repeated several time
The body of a butterfly
Mouthparts ¡V a butterfly caterpillar has chewing mouthparts that consist of two lips and two pairs of jaws. These structures re-form as the caterpillar changes into an adult butterfly. One pair of jaws nearly disappears. The other pair becomes a long sucking tube, called a proboscis, which coils up when not in use. The lips form a sheath for the proboscis. A butterfly uses its proboscis to suck nectar and other liquids. Muscles in the head help the insect draw fluid up the proboscis into a cavity in the head. A covering on the head of the proboscis closes and keeps fluids from flowing out. Other muscles force the fluids into the stomach.
Antennae ¡V Two long, slender antennas grow between the eyes. The antennas are organs of smell. A butterfly uses it to locate food and to find mates. The antennae also probably serve as the hea
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