Life
Span
The average life span of an adult butterfly is one to two weeks, but
it can be as brief as two days or as long as a year. |
Life
Cycle
A butterfly begins life as an egg which hatches into a caterpillar
(larva). Feeding on the leaves of its larval food plant, a
specific plant needed by the caterpillar for food, the caterpillar
grows and periodically sheds its skin through a process called
molting. After the final molt, the pupa, or chrysalis, emerges
from the caterpillar’s skin. Inside the pupal case, the
pupa (PYOO puh) makes a miraculous transformation to emerge
as a winged butterfly. Most adult butterflies feed on the nectar
of flowers. Males spend their time eating and searching for
mates. Females lay eggs on the leaves of a larval food plant, and the life cycle
begins again. |
Discovering Butterflies in the
Puget Sound Region
The following are only some of the
butterflies that can be observed in the Puget Sound region. Larval
food plants mentioned below represent only a few of the plants
used by these and other butterflies.
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Fascinating
Facts
- Butterflies weigh as little as two rose
petals and yet some migrate hundreds of miles!
- Adult butterflies do not get bigger with
age!
- Parnassian butterflies have been found up
to 14,000 feet (4,480 m) in the Colorado Rockies!
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Worldwide, numerous butterfly species are endangered
and face extinction. They are threatened primarily due to the actions
of humans. Collection seldom affects butterfly numbers and lepidopterists
carefully limit activities to protect uncommon species. Unscrupulous
dealers, however, sometime raid rare species.
Habitat destruction, however, is far and away the
main threat to butterflies and other animals. Vast forests are being
removed for timber and paper products, and industrial emissions are
polluting water and air resources. Additionally, habitat is rapidly
converted by expanding human communities and agricultural needs.
Unless
we take measures to protect their habitat, it's only a matter
of time until many butterfly and other animal populations will become
severely reduced, or even eliminated.
Humans need butterflies. Often unnoticed, they play
an important role in maintaining the balance of nature and health
of the living world. Here are only a few of the benefits butterflies
provide:
- Butterflies pollinate wild plants and our crops,
ensuring the production of seeds and fruits required for the continued
survival of plants and animals, including humans.
- Due to their fragility to ecological change, butterflies
are elegant indicators of ecosystem health.
- Butterflies are a valuable source of food for
songbirds.
How You Can Help!
The effort to save endangered species requires cooperation and support
at the international, national, regional and individual levels. You can
help in this cause. Join and become active in Woodland Park Zoo
and other conservation organizations of your choice. To conserve
habitat for butterflies and other insects, reduce your use of pesticides
and herbicides, and work to preserve vegetation in your neighborhood
and around the world. Start a butterfly garden!
Contact Woodland Park Zoo at webkeeper@zoo.org to find out
how you can support conservation programs at the zoo. Discover more
about butterflies at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Butterflies
of North America Web site at: www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/bflyusa.htm.
Learn more about how you can help conserve wildlife and the habitats
they require for survival by visiting our How You Can Help page.
Sources and Suggested Reading
Mikula, Rick. 1997. Garden Butterflies of North America, A Gallery
of Garden Butterflies & How to Attract Them. Willow Creek
Press, Minocque, WI. 143 p.
Pyle, Robert Michael. 1992. Handbook for Butterfly
Watchers. Houghton Mifflin, Boston,
MA. 280 p.
Pyle, Robert Michael. 1981. The Audubon Society
Field Guide to North American Butterflies. Alfred A. Knopf,
New York, NY. 924 p.
Scott, J. 1986. The Butterflies of North America,
A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford University Press,
Stanford, CA. 583 p.
Tekulsky, Mathew. 1985. The Butterfly Garden.
Harvard Common Press, Boston, MA.
144 p.
For Kids!
Wexo, John. Butterflies. Zoobooks.Wildlife Education, Ltd.,
San Diego, CA. 20 p.
Wright, Amy Bartlett. 1993. Caterpillars: Peterson
Field Guide. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA. 28 p.
Frequently Asked Questions About Butterflies
Starting a
Butterfly Garden
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