Category Butterflies

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.

Butterflies lay almost a thousand eggs, but only a few of them survive. Most female butterflies lay eggs on leaves.

     A few of them release their eggs while flying. One such example is the grass feeding butterflies. Some species lay one egg at a time, others lay eggs in a small clusters, while others lay hundreds at a time.

     First, the female butterflies choose the correct food plant for their caterpillars. Then they walk on the leaves carefully, to make sure it belongs to the right plant species. The newly laid eggs are yellowish-white in colour. The eggs are protected by a hard-ridged outer layer of shell, called the chorion. This is lined with a coating of wax, which prevents the egg from drying out before the larva has had time to fully develop.

    The egg stage lasts a few weeks in most butterflies, but eggs laid close to winter, go through a resting stage, and the hatching may take place only in spring

The butterfly has a wonderful life cycle which has four different stages. From an egg, it becomes a caterpillar, then a pupa, and finally, a butterfly.

       Butterflies in their first stage look completely different from the final stage. Fully grown butterflies lay eggs on the food plant. Their larvae, also known as caterpillars, feed from these plants. They may eat once or twice their own weight in leaves each day. The caterpillars grow very fast. They may shed their skins four or five times.

        When they become fully developed, they enter the third stage in their life cycle, called pupa. It’s a state of complete rest. Different types of caterpillars pupate in different ways. Some rest in their cocoons, which they make using thread from their mouths. Others hide in hollow parts of trees. The pupa stage may last from weeks to months.

      It is during this pupa stage, that the caterpillar grows into a beautiful butterfly. When it comes out, it will be wet. After its wings have expanded and dries, it flies away immediately.

      Some types of butterflies in the tropical areas have several generations in a year, while others have a single generation. In some cold regions, it takes them several years to complete their whole life cycle

Even though both butterflies and dragonflies are insects, both of them belong to different orders. Butterflies belong to the order Lepidoptera and dragonflies belong to the order Odonata.

      Butterflies and dragonflies differ in their life cycles. They also differ in their choices of habitat, diet, and morphology. Butterflies can be found in various environments ranging from rainforests to mountains.

      Dragonflies like to be around moist areas such as wetlands, ponds, streams, and lakes. Butterflies will uncoil their proboscis or feeding tube and drink nectar from flowers, whereas dragonflies much prefer flying insects like bees.

          Dragonflies have two pairs of wings that are transparent, straight, and have few veins. But the wings of butterflies are scaly