Questions about butterflies

Tue May 2 19:59:19 EDT 2000

5.  Do butterflies swim?

NONE THAT I KNOW OF.  KINDA HARD ON THE WINGS.  EVEN WHEN IT RAINS A WET 
BUTTERFLY HAS A HARDER TIME GETTING AWAY WITH ALL THE WATER ON ITS FRAGILE 
WINGS WHICH MIGHT WEIGH AS MUCH AS A WHOLE 'NOTHER BUTTERFLY.

Actually, Monarchs have been known to rest, briefly, on top of water during migration.  They can only stay for a very short time as they need to fly before their wings get waterlogged.  

John 

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John Himmelman
Killingworth, CT USA
jhimmel at connix.com
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-----Original Message-----
From: Stelenes at aol.com <Stelenes at aol.com>
To: Christie.Hammond at bsd405.com <Christie.Hammond at bsd405.com>; mazzeip at tin.it <mazzeip at tin.it>; leps-l at lists.yale.edu <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Date: Tuesday, May 02, 2000 7:32 PM
Subject: Re: Questions about butterflies

>>  1.  What is the first butterfly ever discovered?
>
>THAT IS A SECRET NO ONE CAN EVER KNOW SINCE IT WAS BEFORE RECORDED HISTORY.  
>IF YOU WERE A CAVEMAN OR CAVEWOMAN, DO YOU THINK YOU WOULDN'T NOTICE A 
>BUTTERFLY AS YOU TOOK A BATH IN A PEACEFUL LAKE SURROUNDED BY BUTTERFLIES?
>
>THE FIRST BUTTERFLIES NAMED SCIENTIFICALLY UNDER THE MODERN NAMES SYSTEM WERE 
>IN 1758 AND THERE WERE MANY BUTTERFLIES DESCRIBED, INCLUDING 18 FROM THE 
>UNITED STATES LIKE SWALLOWTAILS AND THE MONARCH.  
>
>THE OLDEST MOTH FOSSIL EVER DISCOVERED IS 208 MILLION YEARS OLD FROM ENGLAND. 
> I BET YOU ARE GOING TO WANT TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BUTTERFLIES AND 
>MOTHS NOW.  WELL, MAYBE MS. HAMMOND WILL MAKE THAT EXTRA CREDIT!
>>  
>>  2.  How do butterflies get their names and who names them?
>A SCIENTIST DESCRIBES A BUTTERFLY HE FINDS (JUST LIKE ANY NEWLY "DISCOVERED" 
>PLANT OR "BUTTERFLY."  HE GETS TO NAME IT BECAUSE IF YOU ARE THE FIRST ONE TO 
>CAREFULLY UNDERSTAND AND SHARE WITH OTHER PEOPLE IN A BOOK OR MAGAZINE, YOUR 
>REWARD IS GETTING TO NAME IT AFTER ALMOST ANYTHING YOU WANT.
>>  
>>  3.  What do scientists call butterflies?
>
>THEY CALL THESE INSECTS LEPIDOPTERANS, OR LEPS FOR SHORT.  SINCE LEPS INCLUDE 
>MOTHS AS WELL, SOME SCIENTISTS SEPARATE THE MOTHS FROM THE BUTTERFLIES AND 
>CALL THE BUTTERFLIES ALONE "RHOPALOCERA"
>>  
>>  4.  When were butterflies first discovered?
>
>SEE NUMBER #1.  THE FIRST BUTTERFLIES AND MOTH-LIKE INSECTS FLEW WITH THE 
>DINOSAURS ABOUT 100 MILLION YEARS AGO.  THE OLDEST FOSSIL WE HAVE FOUND IN 
>THE WHOLE WORLD IS ABOUT 48 MILLION YEARS OLD FROM COLORADO.
>>  
>>  5.  Do butterflies swim?
>
>NONE THAT I KNOW OF.  KINDA HARD ON THE WINGS.  EVEN WHEN IT RAINS A WET 
>BUTTERFLY HAS A HARDER TIME GETTING AWAY WITH ALL THE WATER ON ITS FRAGILE 
>WINGS WHICH MIGHT WEIGH AS MUCH AS A WHOLE 'NOTHER BUTTERFLY.
>>  
>>  6.  What is the largest kind of butterfly in the world?
>THAT DEPENDS.  THE LARGEST WINGSPANS ARE ON THE BIRDWING BUTTERFLIES IN 
>SOUTHEAST ASIA.  THE WING THAT WOULD NEED THE MOST PAINT TO COVER THE SURFACE 
>OF ALL OF IT, EVEN THOUGH IT IS NOT AS LONG AS THE BIRDWINGS HAS BEEN SAID TO 
>BE MORPHO HECUBA, A SHOWY SOUTH AMERICAN BUTTERFLY.
>>  
>>  7.  Are any butterflies endangered?
>
>YES, MANY ARE ENDANGERED OR REALLY VULNERABLE.  IN THE UNITED STATES ABOUT 25 
>DIFFERENT KINDS OF BUTTERFLIES ARE KNOWN TO BE THREATENED.
>
>>  
>>  8.  Why do butterflies die after they lay eggs?
>
>BUTTERFLIES DON'T NECESSARILY DIE AFTER LAYING EGGS.  SOME BUTTERFLIES LIKE 
>THE ZEBRA IN THE SOUTHERN US CAN LIVE FOR 9 MONTHS AND THE LADY BUTTERFLIES 
>CAN LAY EGGS FOR MOST OF THEIR LIVES.  OF COURSE, AFTER THE BUTTERFLY LAYS 
>ALL THE EGGS SHE CAN, IT IS TIME TO LET THE NEXT GENERATION HAVE THE NECTAR 
>FROM THE FLOWERS.  IF SHE STAYED AROUND FOREVER, THEIR WOULDN'T ALWAYS BE 
>ENOUGH NECTAR FOR EVERYONE, SO LIKE EVERYONE, SHE PASSES ON AFTER HAVING HAD 
>A VERY SATISFYING LIFE.  
>>  
>>  9.  How do we tell if a butterfly is a boy or a girl?
>THE EASIEST WAY IS TO WATCH IT TO SEE IF IT LAYS EGGS.  IF YOU HAVE TO GO TO 
>SCHOOL OR CAN'T RUN SO FAST, SOME BUTTERFLIES LIKE MONARCHS HAVE BLACK SPOTS 
>ON THEIR WINGS IF THEY ARE BOYS (THESE MAKE A COLOGNE TO ATTRACT THE GIRL 
>BUTTERFLIES)
>>  
>>  10. How do butterflies protest themselves?
>
>BY FLYING VERY VERY FAST!  OR BY EATING POISONOUS PLANTS TO PREDATORS THAT 
>MAKE THEM TASTE BAD WHEN THEY ARE ADULTS WITH WINGS.  OTHERS LOOK LIKE 
>POISONOUS BUTTERFLIES AND ARE PROTECTED BECAUSE PREDATORS ARE SCARED TO MESS 
>WITH THEM BECAUSE THEY LOOK LIKE THE POISONOUS ONES WHICH MAKE THEM THROW UP.
>>  
>>  11. How many poisonous butterflies are there?
>
>THERE ARE NO POISONOUS BUTTERFLIES UNLESS YOU MEAN POISONOUS IF YOU WANT TO 
>EAT THESE BEAUTIFUL BUGS.  AND JUST REMEMBER WHAT IS POISONOUS TO A BIRD MAY 
>BE FINE TO EAT FOR A SPIDER.  MAYBE 2% OF THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF BUTTERFLIES 
>WILL GIVE HUNGRY PREDATORS A STOMACH ACHE OR MAKE THEM FEEL BAD.  IN 
>WASHINGTON STATE, THAT INCLUDED THE MONARCH, AND HERE IN CALIFORNIA, IT 
>INCLUDES THE PIPEVINE SWALLOWTAIL.  SO IN THE WORLD, MAYBE THERE ARE 400 
>"POISONOUS" BUTTERFLIES THAT GROW UP AS CATERPILLARS EATING THINGS LIKE 
>MILKWEED AND PIPEVINE WHICH MAKE THEM POISONOUS 
>>  
>>  12. Why are butterflies so small?
>SMALL?  I THINK ANTS ARE SMALL.  IF YOU PUT A SWALLOWTAIL NEAR AN ANT, THE 
>ANT MIGHT THINK IT WAS A GIGANTIC BEAUTIFUL DRAGON.  THAT IS IF ANTS CAN 
>THINK THAT HARD.  BUT SINCE BUTTERFLIES LIVE LESS THAN A YEAR (UNLESS THEY 
>HIBERNATE), THEY DON'T HAVE TIME TO GET AS BIG AS SECOND GRADERS THAT HAVE 
>HEALTHY APPETITES FOR SEVEN WHOLE YEARS.  ACTUALLY BUTTERFLIES BASICALLY GROW 
>ONLY WHEN THEY ARE CATERPILLARS, EATING WITHOUT STOPPING EXCEPT TO REST.  
>WHEN THEY TURN INTO WINGED BUTTERFLIES, THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE JAWS ANY MORE.  
>THEY JUST HAVE A COILED UP TONGUE-THING (PROBOSCIS) THAT LOOKS LIKE A STRAW, 
>WHICH PULLS NECTAR FROM FLOWERS OR OTHER PLACES LIKE THE WICK OF A CANDLE 
>PULLS WAX TO KEEP BURNING.  THE TONGUE-THING LOOKS LIKE A PARTY WHISTLER, THE 
>KIND THAT YOU CAN SCARE YOUR MOTHER-IN-LAW WITH BY BLOWING IN IT AND 
>UNCOILING IT TO WHISTLE.
>>  
>>  13. Why do butterflies have two sets of wings?
>
>FOR THE SAME REASON CARS HAVE TWO SETS OF WHEELS AND AIRPLANES HAVE TAILS AND 
>AILERONS.  THIS ALLOWS THEM TO STEER.  ALSO IT ALLOWS THEM TO NOT HAVE SUCH 
>BIG WINGS WHEN THEY WANT TO HIDE, SINCE THEY CAN'T FOLD THEIR WINGS.
>>  
>>  14. Do butterflies get sick?
>YES, THEY CAN GET INFECTIONS FROM BACTERIA AND VIRUSES JUST LIKE ALL 
>CREATURES.  THEY ESPECIALLY GET SICK WHEN THEY ARE CATERPILLARS AND PUTTING 
>LOTS OF THINGS IN THEIR MOUTHS AND SOMETIMES CAN'T ESCAPE DIRTY PLACES TO 
>TAKE A BATH.
>>  
>>  15. Why are butterflies part of nature?
>THEY POLLINATE FLOWERS TO HELP THE FLOWERS MAKE MORE FLOWERS.  THEY ALSO HELP 
>CONTROL THE PLANTS THEY EAT SO THE PLANTS DON'T TAKE OVER, BECAUSE EVERYTHING 
>IN NATURE HAS TO BE CONTROLLED TO STAY HEALTHY AND MAKE IT STRONG.
>
>>  
>>  16. Do butterflies have to learn how to fly or do they just know?
>THEY PROBABLY JUST KNOW.  I GUESS THEY ARE MADE WITH MUSCLES IN THEIR CHEST 
>(THORAX) WHICH ONLY MOVE ONE WAY.  THEY MIGHT BE SCARED WHEN THEY FIRST COME 
>OUT OF THEIR CHRYSALIS SO THEY PROBABLY TWITCH THEIR MUSCLES AND DISCOVER 
>THEIR WINGS.  THEN THEY GET BETTER THE MORE THEY FLY.
>>  
>>  17. How many kinds of butterflies are there in the world?
>
>THE SCIENTISTS SAY ALMOST 20,000 HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT, SO THAT IS HOW MANY 
>WE THINK THERE ARE.  NEW ONES ARE STILL BEING FOUND, BUT IT IS GETTING LESS 
>COMMON NOW THAT THE NAMING PARTY IS OVER AND ALMOST ALL HAVE SCIENTIFIC NAMES.
>>  
>>  18. How come caterpillars are different from their mothers?
>
>CATERPILLARS ARE NOT DIFFERENT FROM THEIR MOMS.  THEY ARE JUST BABIES.  THEIR 
>MOM WAS A CATERPILLAR ONCE TOO.
>>  
>>  19. Why do butterflies have big eyes?
>A BUTTERFLY IS LIKE AN AIRPLANE AND PILOT ALL IN ONE.  IT NEEDS TO HAVE GOOD 
>VIEWS OF WHERE IT IS GOING SO ITS EYES HAVE TO GIVE IT THE ABILITY TO SEE THE 
>SIDES AND FRONT AT THE SAME TIME.  REALLY, LIKE OTHER INSECTS, THEIR EYES ARE 
>REALLY MADE OF LOTS OF LITTLE MINIEYES ALL WORKING TOGETHER.
>
>>  
>>  20. How do butterflies breath?
>
>BECAUSE THEY ARE SO SMALL, THEY HAVE LITTLE EMPTY SACS WHICH THEY AND USE 
>THERE MUSCLES TO FILL AND LET OUT AIR LIKE A BALLOON.  THE SACS ARE CONNECTED 
>TO A WHOLE BUNCH OF HOLLOW VEINS WHICH END IN LITTLE HOLES ALL OVER THE 
>BUTTERFLY'S BODY.  THE BUTTERFLY CAN MAKE THE AIR GO IN AND OUT, ESPECIALLY 
>WHEN IT IS FLYING IT CAN GET EVEN MORE SO IT IS NEVER OUT OF BREATH.
>>  
>>  21. Do  butterflies have other names?
>EVERY LANGUAGE HAS A NAME FOR A BUTTERFLY.  IN FRENCH IT IS PAPILLON AND IN 
>AZTEC INDIAN IT IS PAPALOTL.  SOME POETS CALL THEM "FLOWERS OF THE AIR" SINCE 
>THEY LOOK LIKE FLYING FLOWERS.  AND OF COURSE, EACH KIND OF BUTTERFLY HAS A 
>NAME GIVEN TO IT BY SCIENTISTS (IT IS JUST SUPPOSED TO HAVE ONE OF THESE), 
>AND MANY COMMON NAMES.  YOU CAN MAKE A COMMON NAME FOR BUTTERFLIES IF YOU 
>WANT AND DISCOVER THE FUN OF NAMING YOURSELF! 
>
>>  
>>  22. If butterflies are endangered, what can we do to help save
>>  butterflies?
>
>WE REALLY CAN HELP BUTTERFLIES.  FIRST, WE SHOULD FIND OUT WHICH ONES ARE 
>ORIGINALLY FROM THE AREA WHERE WE LIVE SINCE WE ARE SHARING THE BUTTERFLIES 
>HOME WITH THOSE ESPECIALLY.  PEOPLE LIKE US CLEAR FIELDS TO MAKE ROOM TO LIVE 
>AND SHOP AND DRIVE AND PLAY.  BUT WHEN WE DO THIS, WE DON'T ALWAYS THINK 
>ABOUT ALL THE BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FLOWERS OF THE ARE THAT LIVE THERE.  WE 
>SOMETIMES THROW AWAY THE PLANTS THE BUTTERFLY BABIES (CATERPILLARS) ARE 
>EATING AND THE POOR BABIES DRY UP AND DIE BECAUSE THEY CAN'T RUN TO A NEW 
>PLACE BECAUSE THEY MOVE SLOW AND ARE SMALL AND THE WHOLE WORLD IS A DANGEROUS 
>PLACE FOR THEM.
>
>SO FIND OUT WHAT BUTTERFLIES LIKE TO EAT AND PLANT IT FOR THEM!  THEN THEY 
>WILL COME IF YOU ARE CAREFUL AND PAY LOTS OF ATTENTION TO MAKING THEM HAPPY, 
>ESPECIALLY IF YOU CAN GET HELP FROM A GROWN-UP.  TELL THE BIG PEOPLE AROUND 
>YOU NOT TO MOW THE PART OF THE BACK YARD, OR AN EMPTY FIELD.  AND WHATEVER 
>YOU DO TELL THEM NOT TO SPRAY BUG KILLERS ANYWHERE AT ALL, BECAUSE IT IS 
>POISON TO THE BUTTERFLIES AND KILLS THEM DEAD AND THEY GO TO HEAVEN BUT NEVER 
>COME BACK TO PLAY WITH YOU.
>
>
>>  
>>  Thank you for helping us with our questions.
>
>IT WAS A PLEASURE.  I GOT HELP WITH THE QUESTIONS ON FOSSILS I DID NOT KNOW 
>FROM THIS BOOK:
>EMMEL, TOM, MINNO, MARC AND BOYCE DRUMMOND, FLORISSANT BUTTERFLIES, STANFORD 
>UNIV. PRESS., 1992
>
>>  
>>  Sincerely,
>>  
>>  room 16
>
>
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