Category Biology

Why do some butterflies mimic their neighboring species?

Some butterfly species mimic their neighboring poisonous species to ward off the predators. They often mimic their neighboring species by copying the latter’s colour pattern, along with producing an unpleasant smell and taste.

        Birds and other predators that are familiar with the warning patterns or bright colours of the harmful species mistake these imitator butterflies for their harmful counterparts and go away.

        One such species of butterflies which is good at mimicking is the Ecuador small postman butterfly, which imitates its equally poisonous rainforest neighbor the Ecuador postman butterfly.

What are the main food items of a butterfly?

Butterflies feed primarily on nectar from flowers. They suck nectar and other liquids through a small pipe under their heads. This small pipe is called ‘proboscis’. They sip water from damp patches for hydration, and feed on nectar from flowers to obtain sugar for energy.

       Some butterflies get nourished by pollen, tree sap, rotting fruit, dung, and dissolved minerals in wet sand, or dirt. Butterflies are pollinators for some species of plants.

      Usually, they do not carry as much pollen load as bees. However, they are capable of transporting pollen over a great distance.

       Some butterflies visit only certain flowers, and avoid others. This phenomenon is called flower constancy. Attracted by the salt in human sweat, sometimes butterflies even land on people.

What are mangroves?

 Mangroves are plants that grow in the tidal zone of tropical coastal areas and are constantly subjected to ascending and descending water levels of high and low tides. They have adapted to this environment by anchoring themselves in the soil with their stilted roots. This way, they also prevent the coast from being destroyed by storms or flood waves. After the devastating tsunami of 2004, many countries have started planting mangroves at the coasts to try and prevent similar catastrophes in future.

What is the tree-line?

The term ‘tree-line’ describes the height above which trees can no longer grow in the mountains. The main reason for this is the very low temperature in these places. If we climb a mountain, we find a temperature drop of about 6°C for every kilometre. In addition, the temperature fluctuations between day and night as well as summer and winter are very high. The soil cover is thin so the roots of trees do not get a firm hold. Only small pine trees, cedars, grass, and moss grow above the tree-line before the start of the rocky and icy area. 

How do butterflies defend themselves from their enemies?

Butterflies protect themselves from predators through the plants to protect themselves from enemies. This has led to the evolution of bright colours in unpalatable butterflies.

      Camouflage is another technique that butterflies use to escape from their enemies. Camouflage is the technique of blending with the colour of the surrounding to hide from enemies.

      We all might have seen butterflies that look like the leaf of a tree, or a twig in a branch. Such varieties as the oak leaf butterfly and autumn leaf butterfly use this camouflage technique.

     Some others have deimat-ic behavior, such as waving their front ends marked with eyespots as if they were snakes.