A Little Bit More
Spicebush Swallowtail © Solon Morse
As insects go, it’s no surprise to hear that the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflys) are those most enjoyed for their beauty and wide range of colors and patterns. Exact numbers are not clear, but approximately 165,000 different species of moths and butterflys exist in the world with at least 12,000 making their home in North America alone. Although butterflies have the distinction of being more beautiful, the moths are probably more important environmentally. There are about 15,000 different species of butterflys worldwide but about 150,000 different species of moths - that’s ten times as many!
Io Moth © Solon Morse
Both butterflys and moths rely on their antennae for smell and this is especially important for the males so they can detect pheromones (special chemicals) produced by the females. These pheromones help males find females wherever they may be located, and ensure that they’ll be able to locate a mate. It has been observed that male butterflies can find a female as far away as 2 kilometers (more than a mile) while male moths have been recorded zeroing in on a female at least 5 kilometers away (about 3 miles)! Now that’s impressive!
Activities
Science/Art - Your State’s Butterflies
Objectives: Learn some of your local butterflies
Materials: Internet access, paper, pencil, coloring materials
I’ve noted a website that provides pictures and life histories of all of the butterflies found in the U. S. and 5 provinces of Canada (see below). If you’d like a good field guide to butterflies, may I suggest “Butterflies of North America” by J. Brock and K. Kaufman, Kaufman Focus Guides (can be purchased on line from the Peterson Institute). This is an opportunity for your students to become more familiar with some of the butterflies in their own areas.
- Have students look online (see websites below) to find the species that are found in their area. The list will be long for most states/provinces but each student can select a species that they find pretty or interesting, or maybe just familiar, that they’d like to highlight.
- Many of the butterfly species will have a photo of an adult, caterpillar and chrysalis but if not, a student can go further on line and find any missing life stages they want to include
- Have students sketch each of the life stages and color them in all on the same page. They should also include information on their selected species that includes what the caterpillar eats, how it defends itself, if this is appropriate, what kind of habitat this species lives in and any other information that is interesting.
- Once this has been completed, your students can post their illustrations on the wall so all can see the diversity of colors, patterns, and life histories “their” butterflies exhibit.
Hint – drawing a butterfly can be difficult since it’s bilaterally symmetrical – has identical sides. However, there is an easy way to ensure that your students can easily draw a butterfly (aerial view with wings outstretched) with both halves completely symmetrical. Take a piece of paper and fold it down the middle. Now draw half of your butterfly on only the left or right side using the fold as the exact middle of the insect (fold runs from head to tail). Once you have one side drawn to your satisfaction, fold the paper in half, go to a window and draw the second half on the blank side using the drawn half as reference (light shining through the paper makes it easy to see). Voila, unfold the paper and you have a butterfly that is exactly the same on the right and left side.
Butterflies of the United States
Butterflies of Canada (5 provinces)
Key Concepts
Adaptations and Diversity, Identification, Structures and Functions
Questions
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