Butterfly question 2

[Kondla, Norbert FOR:EX]

I have spent a lot of time grubbing about in the butterfly literature and
truth be known I do not recall seeing large volumes written about butterfly
behaviour, at least not in the North American literature.  Personally, I am
loathe to ascribe human motives to non-human organisms.  From a dry,
technical perspective most butterfly behaviour seems to be oriented towards
thermoregulation, mate locating behaviour, sodium acquisition behaviour (for
males esp.), fluid and sugar intake and egg-laying behaviour.  I have seen
some literature where the writer refers to contest behaviour or territorial
defense behaviour but this notion is certainly not universally accepted.
"Hilltopping" is a common behaviour (I beleive it to be part of the suite of
mate-locating behaviours) in western Canada and USA and whether one choses
to watch, take pics or swing the old net; hilltops are usually good places
to maximize one's exposure to butterflies -- as well as flies and some other
insects. From a non-dry, non-technical perspective -- butterfly behaviour
seems to be about staying alive, having sex and producing more butterflies
for us to enjoy - and maybe some play does factor into one of these
behaviours :-)

> ----------
> From: 	sallie day[SMTP:m039jy00 at cwcom.net]
> Reply To: 	m039jy00 at cwcom.net
> Sent: 	Thursday, May 27, 1999 2:54 AM
> To: 	leps-l at lists.yale.edu
> Subject: 	Butterfly question 2
> 
> Quotation from L.Hugh Newman writing about Peacock butterflies in the
> 50s
> " . . . (butterflies) appear to play games and perform wild aerobatics
> in the air for hours on end."
> Presumably butterfly behaviourists have studied this phenomena in the
> intervening years.
> Do butterflies "play" ?
> Comments gratefully received.
> Sallie Day
>