Butterflies are very good fliers. They have two pairs of large wings covered with scales. Their wings are attached to the thorax. Veins support the wings, and ensure the blood supply.
Butterflies can fly only if their body temperature is above sudden landings. Speed varies among butterfly species. Poisonous varieties are slower than non-poisonous varieties.
Butterflies use their antennae to sense the air for wind and scents. The antennae contain sensory organs known as sensilae.
The shape, colour, and structure of the antennae vary from species to species, even though their function remains the same. Butterflies that belong to the family Hesperidia have their antenna tip; modified into a narrow, hook like projection. These butterflies are popularly known as skippers.
Butterflies taste their food with the help of sensory cells called chemoreceptors, located on their feet.
Many butterflies use chemical signals, called pheromones. Vision is well developed in butterflies, and most species are sensitive to the ultraviolet spectrum.
Some species of butterflies have colour vision. Some have organs of hearing, and some others make stimulatory and clocking sounds.
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.
The transformation of a pupa into a butterfly has always been a wonder to mankind. At the end of its lifecycle, the butterfly cracks open the pupa and come out. But a newly emerged butterfly cannot fly away soon as it comes out. It needs to wait for almost an hour to grow its wings.
During this time, it is extremely vulnerable to predators, since it cannot fly. The pupal wings undergo rapid cell divisions, and absorb a great deal of nutrients. Once it has grown wings, a new butterfly flies to a plant, or any other food source, for its first meal. Thus, the life of an adult butterfly begins
The pupa-stage is the third phase in the life-cycle of a butterfly. It is in this phase that a pupa gets transformed into a butterfly. A butterfly pupa is commonly known as a chrysalis, and it is often found on the underside of a leaf, or in other concealed locations. Even though the pupa seems lifeless on the surface, amazing changes in fact take place inside the pupal skin. During this stage, the pupa is more vulnerable to predators, as it cannot move.
Hence, the pupae camouflage themselves with the colour and texture of their surroundings to prevent detection by enemies.
The span of time that a pupa spends in this stage varies from weeks to months, depending upon its species. There are other types of pupae which are very bright in colour. Most of these pupae are usually poisonous.
The caterpillar stage is one of the most important stages in a butterfly’s life. This stage is also known as the feeding stage.
Caterpillars, consume plant leaves and spend practically all of their times in searching for, and eating food. Although most caterpillars are herbivorous, a few species are carnivorous, like the Spalgis epius butterfly which eats scale insects.
During this stage, caterpillars are very active, so they need food and oxygen to grow and remain alive. Caterpillars mature through a series of developmental stages known as instars. They do not have lungs like mammals. Hence they breathe in air through tiny holes called spiracles, at the sides of their bodies.
They get a sense of direction due to the sense organ in their head.
