The Wonderful Insect

Butterflies are small delicate insect that are usually seen between Spring and Summer.They are in the insect order Lepidoptera which has 150,000 species, moths are within the order. They fly by day while their close cousins the moths fly by night.

Butterflies have microscopic scales on their wings but the more they fly, the scales falls off gradually making them lose their colour. Butterfly species have their own design or pattern on their wings which makes them unique.

They have some enemies of their own. They protect themselves by releasing some chemicals from plants they have eaten. The toxic also allows the wings to change into brightly coloured wings which warns predators to keep away.

Some species of butterflies migrate long distances like the famous Monarch Migration. Some of the butterflies migrate great distances because of the season (like the Monarch Butterfly which migrates in Autumn). Sadly some of the butterflies that travel dies whilst travelling the distance other die from diseases or from aging.

Butterflies eat nectar from flowers. Some also get nourishment from pollen, tree sap, rotting fruit, rotting flesh and dissolved minerals from wet sand and dirt.

They are also important pollinators for some plants along with bees even though they are not able to carry more pollen than bees but they are able to travel longer distance with it.

Butterflies are very unique that it has captured lots of artists’ attentions. Design of butterflies have been carved out since the beginning of time and are also are also seen in Egyptian hieroglyphs over 3500 years ago.

If butterflies weren’t here on earth the earth wouldn’t be as bright and colourful as it is now.