by Barbara Stanley

Created on: November 05, 2011

Lepidoptera, the scientific name for the butterfly, are insects that live on every continent on earth except Antarctica. Although the female butterfly may lay up to 100 eggs during her life, only two percent usually survive long enough to reproduce. Any place that has a period of warmth and a host plant will have one, hundreds, or thousands of butterfly species.

The Adult Butterfly

The adult butterfly has six legs, three body segments and a pair of wings. The head of the butterfly has antennae to help balance him in flight and to detect certain odors or fragrances. The female butterfly gives off a scent, called pheromones, that a male can detect from up to a mile away. The scent tells the male butterfly that a female who is ready to mate is in the area. When the male locates the female, they attach themselves together at the abdomen, facing in opposite directions. The male penis deposits spermatozoa in the abdomen of the female. The female now has up to 100 eggs and a pouch of sperm. Each time she lays an egg on the leaf of a host plant, the egg will fertilize itself as it passes by the pouch of sperm. As the egg is fertilized, the sex of the next butterfly is determined.

The Host Plant

The adult butterfly feeds only on liquids, thus it has no mouth. The insect has a proboscis - resembling a double-barreled straw - through which it drinks. The butterfly tastes with its feet as it searches for the one plant or group of closely related plants her larvae will need to eat when the eggs hatch. Some species lay one egg on the surface of a leaf, others may lay an egg underneath the leaf and some lay clusters of eggs on either side. The larvae are very tiny when first hatched. Some will eat their egg shell and others will begin eating the leaves of the host plant immediately.

Caterpillar

As the caterpillar(larva) grows, its skin does not grow with it. The caterpillar forms a new skin underneath the outer skin. When ready, the old skin is shed. This is called molting. Before the first molting of a caterpillar, it is known as the first instar stage. After it has molted, it enters the second instar stage. The caterpillar will continue to grow and molt until it reaches the fifth instar stage. After the fifth stage, the caterpillar spins a silk girdle to attach itself to the stem of the host plant. The butterfly now has the outer shell of the Chrysalis or pupa.

Chrysalis

The chrysalis is a firm casing created during the last molt. Inside the chrysalis, nearly all of the

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