Facts about Butterflies

1. The name 'Butterfly' was first coined to describe the Yellow Brimstone Butterfly, a variety commonly seen across Europe. It was actually known as 'Butter-colored Fly' and that later became 'Butterfly'.

2. There are about 28,000 known Butterfly species throughout the world.

3. Butterflies - and moths - belong to the order Leptidoptera. This is derived from the Greek term for 'scale-wing'.

4. The wings of Butterflies are actually transparent. The vivid colors are due to overlapping bright scales. Butterfly wings are very delicate and can get damaged if handled. The scales too can get rubbed off if touched.

5. Many Butterflies have intricate and pretty patterns on their wings. These designs are intended for camouflage purposes, so the predators, like birds, either can't make out the Butterflies in the trees or bushes or are scared off into thinking them to be some other larger creature.

6. The patterns are also useful in courtship rituals. Butterflies fly in circles around one another to find a mate.

7. Some Butterflies lay their eggs on the underside of specific plants, others lay them in mid-flight. Some Butterflies, like the Cabbage White Butterfly, lay their eggs on cabbage leaves - the eggs and the caterpillars that emerge presently are velvety green and blend in well with the cabbage leaves.

8. Some Butterflies are migratory. They flies thousands of miles in the winter to places having a warmer climate, and return in the spring.

9. Butterflies can be found mostly anywhere in the world where it is not too hot nor too cold.

10. Butterflies cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86 degrees.

11. Butterflies tend to thrive the most in the Tropics, where the abundant fauna provides them with food and breeding grounds.

12. Instead of mouths, Butterflies have a long straw-like structure called proboscis.

13. Butterflies taste food by standing on it. This is because their taste sensors are found in their feet.

14. Butterflies have six legs and feet.

15. Pollen gets attached to the legs of the Butterfly and is carried from plant to plant, assisting in fertilization and the propagation of new seeds and plants.

16. Butterflies fly during the day, have a knob-like antennae, and close their wings when resting.

17. Butterflies weigh as little as two rose petals.

18. Adult Butterflies do not grow in size as they get older.

19. Parnassian Butterflies have been found high up in the Rocky Mountains, at altitudes of 14,000 feet.

20. Between emerging from its egg and entering the pupa stage, a caterpillar increases to over 27000 times its original size.

21. The skin of the caterpillar does grow with it as it increases in size, and so it is necessary for it to shed it. Most caterpillars shed their outgrown skin five times before entering the pupa stage.

22. Butterflies have very brief life spans. Some - usually the ones found in the Tropics - can live up to a year, but others live anywhere from a few months to a few weeks to even a few hours.

23. All Butterflies aren't nectar-loving. Some - like the Red Admiral Butterfly - have decidedly peculiar tastes - they like rotting fruit and animal dung.

24. Butterflies excrete Meconium, a red liquid that looks like blood and is actually made up of waste material from the pupal stage.

25. Male Swallowtail Butterflies habitually gather around mud puddles to dip nutrients from the mud. Female Swallowtails don't do this.

26. Some Butterflies - like the Monarch Butterfly - produce toxins that discourage predators from feeding upon them. In the Monarch's case, the toxin production is aided by the Milkweed plant on which it usually feeds.

27. Caterpillars are boneless, but have over 1000 muscles. These muscles help the caterpillar move very quickly from place to place, and so both aid in finding new food and in escaping from predators.

28. Butterflies are fragile creatures and their population can thrive or be adversely affected with changes in the climatic conditions. Plenty of Butterflies indicate a healthy, well-balanced ecosystem, and a dearth of Butterflies can denote a possible environmental problem.

29. Butterflies are a valuable source of food for various birds, which are as necessary for maintaining the ecological balance.

30. Conservation of natural habitats and reduction in the use of pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals is required for the proliferation of Butterflies.

31. Some Butterflies are becoming quite rare as their natural habitats shrink. Xerces Blue, an American Butterfly that was found in the San Francisco Peninsula, became extinct in 1943.

32. Some Butterfly species - Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Spring Azure (Celastrina argiolus), Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus), Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa), Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides), , Sara Orangetip(Anthocharis sara), Purplish Copper (Lycaena helloides), Lorquin’s Admiral (Limenitis lorquini), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Cabbage White (Pieris rapae),Veined "Mustard" White (Pieris napi)