Hobbies And Interests
Head
A butterfly has a pair of segmented antennae and a pair of large, round compound eyes. It has a proboscis, which acts as a straw that takes up nectar and other fluids. The proboscis is curled under the head when not in use. The antennae are club-like and end in a swollen tip, though for skipper butterflies, the antennae end in a hook. The butterfly also has palps, which are sensory mouthparts that help them investigate food.
Body
The body has three segments: the head, a three-part thorax and a segmented abdomen. Each segment of the thorax has a pair of five joined legs. The legs are made up of the femur, the tibia and the tarsi. In some butterflies, the first pair of legs is diminished. The abdomen has 10 segments, and the sex organs are at the end, which is another way to identify the species. The female's abdomen is usually larger than the male's.
Wings
Butterflies have two pairs of membranous wings, the forewing and hindwing, held together by a humeral lobe and attached to the second and third segments of the thorax. The butterfly can be identified by the patterns of its wings, whose colors are cause by tiny scales instead of pigments. These scales give color by the way they reflect light. Butterflies usually fly by day and rest with their wings erect.
Colors and Defense
The color of a butterfly's wings may protect it from predators, especially if they're colored red, orange or yellow, combined with black or dark blue. The are are warning or aposematic colors. They warn predators that the butterfly is toxic, even if it's not. The predator learns to avoid insects with these colors. Large eye spots on the hindwings also give the butterfly protection. They confuse the predator by making the animal seem much larger and more dangerous than it is. Even if the predator attacks the eyespots, the butterfly's wing might be damaged, but the butterfly will live.