Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

Resting pupa

of blue morpho

butterfly

disguised

as a leaf

butterflies and moths

86

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Spinnerets produce

silken thread.

Caterpillar spins

silk girdle around

its body, then

skin of caterpillar

begins to split.

New skin of

pupa

Caterpillar is attached

to twig by silken thread.

Silk girdle is

finished. The

pupa is starting

to form inside.

Caterpillar

to Chrysalis

Before its final molt,

a caterpillar stops feeding

and may change color. it

finds a safe place to pupate

(change into a pupa, or

chrysalis). it anchors itself

to a stem with silk thread

from spinnerets at its rear end.

Many moth caterpillars spin

a silken cocoon around

themselves for protection.

leafroller caterpillars curl leaves

around their bodies and, using

their mandibles (mouthparts),

stitch them together with silk.

sCales

tiny overlapping scales

cover the wings of

moths and butterflies.

the colors and

arrangement of

the scales create

the beautiful pattern

of the whole wing.

With folded wings,

the Indian leaf

butterfly looks

just like a

dead leaf.

pupa to Butterfly

the pupa stage is often called the resting

stage. But inside its hard skin the

creature is undergoing an amazing

transformation, controlled by its

chemical hormones. after several

weeks, the skin of the pupa splits

and the adult butterfly or moth

emerges. its damp, crumpled

wings soon spread and dry.

When the

wings are

open, the

eyespots

flash like

the eyes of

a predator.

The Taenaris macrops

butterfly from

New Guinea feeds

on ripe bananas.

Indian leaf butterfly

with wings open

CaMouflage

seen alone, a butterfly or moth

may look so colorful that it would

easily be noticed. But in many

species the wing colors and

patterns are designed to blend in

with the natural surroundings.

the shape of the wing may also

closely resemble a natural object

such as a leaf or a fruit.

Adult blue morpho

butterfly with wings closed

Butterfly

begins

to emerge.

Blood pumps into wing

veins to expand them.

Wings gradually dry

and harden.

Caterpillar of the citrus

swallowtail butterfly

attaches its body to

a twig and prepares

to change into

a pupa (chrysalis).

Large blue butterflies

were extinct in Britain

but have now been

reintroduced.

Conservation

hundreds of species of moths

and butterflies are in danger

of extinction. they are

threatened because the areas

where they live are cleared for

farms and homes. Butterflies

and moths are also killed and

sold to collectors because of their

great beauty.

Spanish moon

moth is now

a protected

species.

eyespots

the eyespots on a butterfly’s

wings look like the eyes of a

predator such as the owl above.

Queen Alexandra’s birdwing

butterfly is in danger because

the forests where it lives

are being cut down.

Empty skin and legs

of caterpillar

animals

Camouflage, animal

flight, animal

insects

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