Butterfly

Butterfly Genus Species Butterflies are members of the kingdom Animalia, phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, and order Lepidoptera. Generally, the order Lepidoptera is broken down into two sub-orders: Heterocera (the “varied-antennaed” moths) and the “club-antennaed” Rhopalocera, the sub-order to which the butterflies belong. The Rhopalocera sub-order includes 3 superfamilies: Hesperioidea (the skipper butterflies), Hedyloidea (the moth-butterflies), and Papilionoidea (the true butterflies). The true butterfly superfamily contains 5 families of butterflies: Papilionidae, Pieridae, Lycaenidae, Riodinidae, and Nymphalidae. The Papilionidae include the large and colorful Swallowtail, Apollo, and Birdwing butterflies. The Pieridae family consists mostly of white and yellow butterflies that live in Asia and Africa. The 6,000 species of butterflies that compose the Lycaenidae family are also known as the gossamer-winged butterflies, and the blues, coppers, hairstreaks, and harvesters are...

Butterfly Species While each species of butterfly has specific preferences, generally milkweed, pipevine, dill, cabbage, fennel and parsley are good choices to start your butterfly garden, since a variety of butterfly species use these plants as sites for depositing their eggs and as food during their caterpillar stage. Certain trees are attractive to caterpillars as well, including sycamore, willow, aspen, and elm trees; incorporating these into your butterfly garden plan will attract a wider variety of species to your yard. Butterfly Species

Caterpillar Pictures Inchworm on Leaf Silkworm Tomato Hornworm Woolly bear Bedstraw Hawkmoth Caterpillar Peacock Butterfly Caterpillar Cabbage White caterpillars Death's Head Hawkmoth Caterpillar Pictures

The Butterfly Plant The poisonous milkweed plant is the primary food source for the Monark Butterfly pupa, or caterpillar (which is classified as a specialist herbivore). Milkweeds are the only source of nourishment up until they are released from their cocoon (chrysalis) and transformed (or undergo metamorphosis) into a butterfly. After transformation the adults drink water and extract nectar from many kinds of flowers. Monarck Butterflies do pollinate flowers, but not nearly as proficiently as bees. The vast majority of all Monarchs in North America make their home in agricultural areas that are abundant with milkweed plants whose leaves provide a safe place to deposit their eggs, and also to feed their offspring. When returning every spring from their winter migration, the Monarch Butterflies will stop over at the re-surging milkweed plants and continue northward. The overall butterfly plant family contains over two thousand varieties. North America is home to over 105 version...

Butterfly Gardening Butterflies are some of the most beautiful and interesting creatures on Earth. A butterfly garden is an easy way to see more butterflies and to help them, since many natural butterfly habitats have been lost to human activities like building homes, roads and farms. It is easy to increase the number and variety of butterflies in your yard. Create a Butterfly Garden Butterflies are some of the most beautiful and interesting creatures on Earth. By planting a butterfly garden with all of the right kinds of plants and flowers that butterflies love to feed on and lay eggs on, you will certainly have a yard full of butterflies ...

Butterfly Ageratum-Monarch Butterfly Ageratum-Monarch Butterfly Blue Plumbago-Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly Bluebonnet-Texan Crescent Butterfly Bouncing Bet-Black Swallowtail Butterfly Coral Vine-Black Swallowtail Butterfly Coral Vine-Black Swallowtail Butterfly Cosmos-Mantis Butterfly Cosmos-Black Swallowtail Butterfly Cosmos-Black Swallowtail Butterfly Cosmos-Black Swallowtail Butterfly Cosmos-Black Swallowtail