Butterfly I find butterflies very fascinating. They are one of the most wonderful creations of the nature. During my participation in"wildlife research training" I got to know more about these amazing creatures. Though they aren?t new creatures for any of us, I'm sharing about them here so that these least studied species will also get more concern and they will be here to fascinate the future generations too. Not only they beautify the nature enchanting many but they also play an important role in the functioning of the eco-system.
1. Introduction:
Butterflies are beautiful, flying insects with large scaly wings. There body is divided into head, thorax and abdomen. The head consists of a pair of compound eyes, and a proboscis. They have six jointed legs and two pairs of wings which are attached to the thorax. Also their body is covered with sensory hairs. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly colored wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight.
It is predicted that they have evolved about 4.4 million years ago according to the fossil records. And there are about 17,500 species of butterflies around the world.
2. Classification: Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Suborder: Rhopalocera Under order Lepidoptera there are three groups including true butterflies (super family Papilionoidea), the skippers (super family Hesperioidea) and the moth-butterflies (super family Hedyloidea). 3. Lifecycle:
The lifecycle of butterfly begins with egg and end when it becomes adult that again produces new eggs and keeps the cycle continuous. They undergo a series of physical transformations known as metamorphosis. After mating, the female butterfly lays her eggs on a caterpillar food or ?host? plant. The eggs can hatch within a few days, or within months or even years, depending on whether or not conditions are right. After hatching, it comes to its larva stage where it begins to eat the host plant. The caterpillar sheds its skin several times during this stage. It then seeks a sheltered spot, suspends itself by silken threads and sheds one last time to reveal skin that will harden to form the chrysalis or pupa. Days, months or even years later, depending on the species, a fully developed beautiful winged adult emerges from the chrysalis and the cycle begins again.
4. Habitat:
Butterflies are found all over the world and in all types of environments: hot and cold, dry and moist, at sea level and high in the mountains. Most butterfly species, however, are found in tropical areas, especially tropical rainforests.
5. Lifespan: The average lifespan for an adult butterfly is 20 to 40 days. Some species live no longer than three or four days others may live up to six months.
6. Habits:
Feeding:
During Larva stage caterpillar feeds on its own egg shell spending most of its time eating the leaves of the host plant. The adult butterflies feed primarily on nectar from flowers. Some also derive nourishment from pollen, tree sap, rotting fruit, dung, decaying flesh, and dissolved minerals in wet sand or dirt.They sip water from damp patches for hydration and feed on nectar from flowers, from which they obtain sugars for energy, and sodium and other minerals vital for reproduction.
Some butterflies also visit dung, rotting fruit or carcasses to obtain minerals and nutrients. In many species, this mud-puddling behavior is restricted to the males, and studies have suggested that the nutrients collected may be provided as a nuptial gift along with the spermatophore, during mating.
Smell and vision:-
They use their antennae to sense wind and scent. Their sense of taste is found to be 200 times stronger than of humans.Vision is well developed in butterflies and most species are sensitive to the ultraviolet spectrum
Migration: -
Many butterflies migrate in order to avoid adverse environmental conditions (like cold weather). Butterfly migration is not well understood. Most migrate relatively short distances (like the Painted Lady, the Red Admiral, and the Common Buckeye), but a few (like some Monarchs) migrate long distance. They migrate during the day and use the sun to orient themselves. They also perceive polarized light and use it for orientation when the sun is hidden.
Defense:
Many species of butterfly maintain territories and actively chase other species or individuals that may stray into them. Many butterflies have developed interesting ways of defending themselves from predators. They include: -
1) Disguise or ?cryptic coloration?, where the butterfly has the ability to look like a leaf or blend into the bark of a tree to hide from predators.
2) Chemical defense, where the butterfly has evolved to have toxic chemicals in its body. These species of butterfly are often brightly colored, and predators have learned over time to associate their bright color with the bad taste of the chemicals. 3) Mimicry, where they copy the pattern of other butterflies for protection. Also in some case they do it for mate attraction.
Basking:
Some species will bask or perch on chosen perches. Basking is an activity which is more common in the cooler hours of the morning. Many species will orient themselves to gather heat from the sun. Some species have evolved dark wing bases to help in gathering more heat and this is especially evident in alpine forms.
Flying:
Most of the butterflies are good fliers. The flight styles of butterflies are often characteristic and some species have courtship flight displays. The speed varies among butterfly species (the poisonous varieties are slower than non-poisonous varieties). The fastest butterflies (some skippers) can fly at about 30 mile per hour or faster. Slow flying butterflies fly about 5 miles per hour. 6. Importance:-
Intrinsic Value:-
Butterflies and moths are intrinsically valuable and are worthy of conservation in their own right. Butterflies are flagship species for conservation in general and in particular for invertebrates.
Aesthetic value:-
Butterflies and moths are symbolized for beauty, freedom or peace. Many of them are iconic and popular. There are many references to butterflies and moths in literature, poetry and musical lyrics.
Educational value:-
Butterflies and moths have fascinating life-cycles that are used in many countries to teach children about the natural world. The transformation from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis is one of the wonders of nature. Other educational aspects include the intricate wing patterns and iridescence, and as examples of insect migration.
Scientific value:-
Butterflies (and moths to a lesser extent) are an extremely important group of ?model? organisms used, for centuries, to investigate many areas of biological research, including such diverse fields as navigation, pest control, embryology, mimicry, evolution, genetics, population dynamics and biodiversity conservation. They are also important for scientific research on climate change. Ecosystem value:-
Butterflies and moths are indicators of a healthy environment and healthy ecosystems. They collectively provide a wide range of environmental benefits, including pollination and natural pest control. Moths and butterflies are an important element of the food chain and are prey for birds, bats and other insectivorous animals (for example, in Britain and Ireland, Blue Tits eat an estimated 50 billion moth caterpillars each year).Butterflies and moths support a range of other predators and parasites, many of which are specific to individual species, or groups of species. Butterflies have been widely used by ecologists as model organisms to study the impact of habitat loss and fragmentation, and climate change.
Economic value:-
Every butterfly and moth has developed its own suite of chemicals to deter predators and parasites, find a mate, and overcome the chemical defenses of its host plant. Each of these chemicals has a potential value. For example, powerful antibiotics have been found in the Meadow Brown.
7. Threats: -
The greatest threats to butterflies are habitat change and loss due to residential, commercial and agricultural development. Climate change, draught are also a threat to different species of butterfly. Some pictures of the butterlies i had snapped. :) 
References:
1. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/allabout/
2. http://www.defenders.org/butterflies/basic-facts
3. http://butterfly-conservation.org/45/why-butterflies-matter.html
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly
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