Butterfly
hideA butterfly is an insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera, butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a larval caterpillar stage, an inactive pupal stage, and a spectacular metamorphosis into a familiar and colourful winged adult form. Most species are day-flying so they regularly attract attention. The diverse patterns formed by their brightly coloured wings and their erratic yet graceful flight have made butterfly watching a hobby.
Butterflies comprise the true butterflies (superfamily Papilionoidea), the skippers (superfamily Hesperioidea) and the moth-butterflies (superfamily Hedyloidea). Butterflies exhibit polymorphism, mimicry and aposematism. Some migrate over long distances. Some butterflies have evolved symbiotic and parasitic relationships with social insects such as ants. Butterflies are important economically as agents of pollination. In addition, a few species are pests, because they can damage domestic crops and trees in their larval stage.
Culturally, butterflies are a popular motif in the visual and literary arts.
For more information about Butterfly, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with butterflies
Tree-eating bugs threaten Monarch butterfly in Mexico
Nov 21, 2009 |
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The mysterious Monarch butterfly, which migrates en masse annually between Canada and Mexico, is now facing a new peril: another insect thriving in Western Mexican forests.
Can biodiversity persist in the face of climate change?
Nov 06, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Predictions made over the last decade about the impacts of climate change on biodiversity may be exaggerated, according to a paper published in the journal Science.
Caught in the act: Scientists find butterflies splitting into two species
Nov 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Breaking up may actually not be hard to do, say scientists who've found a population of tropical butterflies that may be on its way to a split into two distinct species.
Hearing on the wing: New structure discovered in butterfly ears
Oct 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A clever structure in the ear of a tropical butterfly that potentially makes it able to distinguish between high and low pitch sounds has been discovered by scientists from the University ...
Panama butterfly migrations linked to El Nino, climate change
Oct 05, 2009 |
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A high-speed chase across the Panama Canal in a Boston Whaler may sound like the beginning of another James Bond film—but the protagonist of this story brandishes a butterfly net and studies the effects of ...
Butterfly experiment a prairie masterpiece in the making
Sep 28, 2009 |
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After waiting for a warm, summery day, biologist Doug Taron and a handful of colleagues fanned out through a thousand acres of restored prairie this month, stroking plants with delicate paintbrushes in hopes of adding a little ...
Migrating monarch butterflies 'nose' their way to Mexico
Sep 24, 2009 |
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The annual migration of monarch butterflies from across eastern North America to a specific grove of fir trees in Mexico has long fascinated scientists who have sought to understand just how these delicate ...
Female monarch butterflies on 30-year decline in eastern North America
Sep 23, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Female monarch butterflies in eastern North America have significantly declined over the past 30 years, a new study by a University of Georgia researcher reveals.
Researchers to mimic nature's probes
Aug 31, 2009 |
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The National Science Foundation has awarded Clemson University researchers $2 million to study ways to mimic the suction mechanism used by butterflies and moths to feed so that the same method can be used in medical diagnostics. ...
Missouri and Kansas are releasing alien insects to do battle with invasive plants
Aug 04, 2009 |
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An alien plant species has invaded Missouri and is threatening to overrun crops and livestock pastures. To combat the scourge weed, officials are deliberately releasing two alien insect species to destroy its roots and seeds. ...
Watchers track butterflies for environment signs
Jul 31, 2009 |
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(AP) -- The rusty van creaks to a halt and two men jump out, binoculars in hand, heads pivoting. Quickly, questioningly, they call out evocative names: Is that a Pearl Crescent? A Carolina Satyr? A Sleepy ...
Monarch butterflies with a heavy load
Jul 24, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have succeeded for the first time in fitting monarch butterflies with a radio transmitter and in tracking them from an aircraft over a long distance on their flight northwards during ...
A question of height: Learning from reintroduction of once extinct butterfly in Britain
Jul 02, 2009 |
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Intelligent countryside management could improve the survival chances of animal and plant species threatened by climate change. The creation of small heat-shielded habitats and better links between habitats ...
Study provides insights into how climate change might impact species' geographic ranges
Jun 23, 2009 |
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A new study by a team of researchers led by Jessica Hellmann, assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, offers interesting insights into how species may, or may not, change their geographic ...
Sexy or repulsive? Butterfly wings can be both to mates and predators
Apr 01, 2009 |
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Butterflies seem able to both attract mates and ward off predators using different sides of their wings, according to new research by Yale University biologists.
