Introduction to Butterflies

Honors Biology 1st Quarter Mini Project

What is a butterfly?

• Organisms of the Class Insecta

• Together with moths form the Order Lepidoptera from the Greek Lepis, scale, and pteron, wing

• 2 superfamilies: true butterflies, Papillonidae and skippers, Hesperidae

Papillonidae

• 6 families– Swallowtails- large with projection-like tails

from hind wing, < 30 species in North America– Whites and sulphurs- 55 species in North

America, small or medium size, white or yellow

– Gossamer wings- 100 species in NA, small butterflies, such as blues, hairstreaks and coppers

Papillonidae continued

• Metalmarks-24 species in NA, shiny metallic markings

• Brushfoots-150 species in NA, diverse group includes fritillaries, crescents, satyrs and milkweed butterflies

• Snouts- 2 species in NA, have long snouts

Skippers

• 250 species in NA

• Small to medium size with triangular wings and fuzzy thick bodies

USE THEIR FAMILY NAMELet’s try to classify these Butterflies

Clouded sulfur

Red spotted purple

Northern pearly eye

Gray hairstreak

Also gray hairstreak

Zebra swallowtail

Eastern tailed blue

Azue

Buckeye

Monarch

European Cabbage

Painted Lady

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Spicebush swallowtail

Orange sulfur

Variegated frittalary

Pearl crescent

Silver spotted skipper

Common checkered skipper

Crossline skipper

Also crossline skipper

Butterfly Behavior

• Basking

• Puddling

• Feeding– Specialists-only 1 or 2 food sources– Generalists- many food sources

Habitat Preference

• Field or meadow– Tend to hover around flowers and are brightly

colored

• Forest– Tend to prefer poop and are brownish

Butterfly Predators

• Mostly birds

• Some small mammals

• Protected by adaptations:– Color, bright or brown– Flight pattern– Flight speed– Eyespots and other markings on wings

Good Luck

• I hope you have fun with this