Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

85

AS BRILLIANT IN COLOR as many

exotic flowers, butterflies are among

the most beautiful of all creatures.

Butterflies are more familiar to us than

moths because they are active by day,

whereas moths are active mainly by night.

However, there are more than 145,000

different kinds of moths compared to about

20,000 kinds of butterflies. Together these

creatures make up the insect group called

Lepidoptera. Moths and butterflies

have a life cycle in four stages—egg,

caterpillar (larva), pupa (chrysalis), and

imago (adult). The change in form

from caterpillar to butterfly is called

metamorphosis. All butterflies and

moths are plant eaters and live wherever

plants grow, except in extremely cold regions.

Some, such as red admiral butterflies,

hibernate (sleep) during the winter.

Others, such as bogong moths,

migrate long distances to find food.

A few butterflies and moths are pests

to humans. Cabbage white caterpillars

devour garden vegetables, and clothes moth

caterpillars eat the natural fibers in clothing.

Wings and body are

covered with scales.

MORpHO

BuTTeRfLy

Butterflies,

particularly those living

in tropical regions, are

often more brightly

colored than

moths. The blue

morpho shown

above is found in

South America.

In a few

minutes

the leaf is

almost

gone.

The owl butterfly lays

its eggs in batches.

The eggs become

darker as the time for

hatching approaches.

Their actual size is

only about 1/20th in

(1 mm).

Not all moths are dull

in colour—many are

beautiful, including the

moths shown here.

feedINg

each type of caterpillar feeds on a

certain kind of vegetation. It spends

almost all its time eating; as a result

caterpillars can cause great damage

to plants and farm crops. Caterpillars

stop eating only to molt, or discard

their skin when it has become too

tight. The caterpillar expands in

size before the new skin hardens.

Swallowtail butterfly

Caterpillar cuts

open egg with its

strong jaws and

emerges from egg

head first.

BUTTERFLIES and MOTHS

Oak silkmoth caterpillar

eats a leaf.

Jaws are

hardened with

a substance

called chitin.

Caterpillar eats the eggshell, which

contains important nutrients.

Egg

Legs

SILkwORM

The silkworm is

the caterpillar of

a moth. It spins a cocoon

of silky thread around its

body and then changes

into a pupa inside the

cocoon. people produce

silk thread from silkworm

cocoons.

MOTH

Moths usually fly at night. Their wings are often but not always

dull in color. when the moth is at rest, it holds its wings to the

side of its body. A moth’s body is usually plump and hairy, and

the antennae are feathery or fernlike. This brahmaeid moth

from Southeast Asia has fernlike antennae.

egg TO C ATeRpILLAR

After mating, a female moth lays eggs

on or near a suitable source of food for the

caterpillars to eat when they hatch. The eggs

of some kinds of moths hatch only when the

weather becomes warmer after a cold spell.

This usually means that spring has arrived;

the plants are beginning to grow again, and

they provide food for the hungry caterpillars.

Butterflies

often have

slim,

nonfurry

bodies.

Most butterflies have

thin antennae with

clubbed ends.

Forewing

Hind wing

Hairy head waves around as

the pink-striped body struggles

to escape from the shell.

Large, powerful

jaws rapidly snip

off and chew small

pieces of food.

Caterpillar works

along leaf blade

between veins.

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