Zoom Butterfly Butterfly Glossary

BANDED ORANGE BUTTERFLY The banded orange butterfly, also called the oak tiger butterfly (Dryadula phaetusa) is an orange and black butterfly found from Northern Mexico to Brazil. The undersides of the wings have brown and tan stripes. Classification: Family Nymphalidae, Genus Dryadula, Species D. phaetusa.

BASKING Basking in the sun is an activity butterflies do when their body temperature becomes too low (between 85-100&#deg; F); when they are too cold, butterflies cannot fly. They sun themselves with outstretched wings in order to absorb as much heat as possible.

BIPED Bipeds walk on two legs. People are bipeds, so are birds.

BIRD Birds have feathers and wings. Many birds eat butterflies and moths. They may be the descendants of theropod dinosaurs.

BIRDWING BUTTERFLY The birdwing butterflies are a genus of large-winged butterflies from warm areas of southeast Asia (mostly New Guinea and surrounding Islands, including northern Australia). These enormous butterflies usually live high in the tops of trees in rain forests. Caterpillars (their larval stage) eat poisonous leaves, giving them protection from predators. Adults sip flower nectar. Birdwings belong to the Family Papilionidae (apollos, swallowtails, and birdwings) and Genus Troides (also called Ornithoptera, which means "bird wing"); there are many species including the Queen Alexandra's birdwing (the largest butterfly), the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly, Cairns Birdwing Butterfly, and many others. Many birdwings are in danger of extinction.

BLACK SWALLOWTAIL The Black Swallowtail Butterfly, Papilio polyxenes, is a common butterfly that lives in open fields and woodlands in North America (from southern Canada to northern Mexico). The tiny round eggs are yellow to cream-colored. The newborn caterpillar is black with a white saddle. The mature caterpillar (also called the parsley caterpillar) is bright lime green with black stripes and yellow spots. This caterpillar is bad tasting to birds (it eats toxins in the host plant). The host plant includes members of the carrot family (parsley, carrots, parsnips, dill, and Queen Annes's lace). The pupa is bright green. The adult has a wingsan of about 4 1/2 inches (11.5 cm). The wings are back, with bright yellow markings on the sides. There are a few smaller blue spots on the bottom of the wing, and a single red spot. The black body has yellow spots.

BLUE METALMARK The blue metalmark is a small, bright blue butterfly. The wings are bright, shimmering sky-blue with black markings and a thin dark line and a thin light-colored line along the margins. It has a plump, bright blue, fuzzy body. It is found in Latin America from Mexico (and ocassionally far-southern Texas) to Honduras. Classification: superfamily Papilionoidea, family Riodinidae, genus family - Riodinidae, and species L. agesilas. Lasaia agesilas was named by Latreille in 1809.

BLUE MORPHO BUTTERFLY The Blue Morpho butterfly (Morpho menelaus) is a species of neotropical butterfly that has iridescent blue wings (the females are are not as brilliantly colored as the males and have a brown edge with white spots surrounding the iridescent blue area). The undersides (visible when the butterfly is resting) are brown with bronze-colored eyespots. Adults drink the juices of rotting fruit. The caterpillar of the Blue Morpho is red-brown with bright patches of lime-green on the back, and it eats the plant Erythroxylum pilchrum nocturnally (at night). Blue Morphos live in rainforests, including Brazil and Venezuela. Blue Morphos belong to the Family Nymphalidae, Genus Morpho, and Species menelaus.

BLUES Blues are butterflies that belong to the family Lycaenidae. Most blues have some type of relationship with ants.

BONES Bones are made of hard minerals like calcium. They fossilize well. Butterflies and moths have no bones.

BREATHING PORES An insect's breathing pores are called spiracles. They are usually located on the thorax and abdomen. Caterpillars, butterflies and moths breathe using spiracles.

BROOD A brood is a single generation of butterflies that live during the same time period.

BUCKEYE BUTTERFLY Buckeyes are colorful butterflies that have eye-shaped spots on the upperside of the fore wings and the hind wings. Precis coenia is a common, widespread buckeye found in northern Mexico and across the USA. There are about 100 spceies of buckeyes found around the world. The caterpillar is dark brown and has yellow stripes with dark spines; it eats gerardia and plantain.

BUDDLEIA Buddleia (pronounced BUD-lee-ah), also called butterfly bush, has lilac-shaped blossoms whose sweet nectar attracts many species of butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, and bees. This easy-to-grow deciduous shrub blooms from mid to late summer and is a magnet for the Western Checkerspot, swallowtails, buckeyes, red admirals, Echo Blue, and many other butterflies. Also, during the fall, buddleia seeds will feed birds. There are about 70 species of the Buddleia genus.

BUTTERFLY Butterflies are flying insects with two pairs of wings, a proboscis, and clubbed antennae. They belong to the Order Lepidoptera and the Family Rhopalocera. The word butterfly can be traced back over 1000 years; it derives from the Middle English word boterflya and the Old English word buttorfleoge. No one knows the origin of the word butterfly or what it originally meant.

BUTTERFLY BUSH The butterfly bush (also called Buddleia), has lilac-shaped blossoms whose sweet nectar attracts many species of butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, and bees. This easy-to-grow deciduous shrub blooms from mid to late summer and is a magnet for the Western Checkerspot, swallowtails, buckeyes, red admirals, Echo Blue, and many other butterflies.

Zoom Butterfly Butterfly Glossary

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