• Butterflies are an insects.

• It also called ‘lepidoptera’ a name which

means ‘scaly-winged’. (from the Greek words
lepis, a scale, and pteron, a wing.
• Butterflies feed on nectar, a sugary liquid
which flower produce at the base of their
petals. Flower attract butterflies by their
colour and scent.
• Like the other insects, butterflies also lay eggs
as their reproduction system.

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• Like most other insects they have six legs, two
large eyes, two antennae and a body divided into
three parts that are head, thorax and abdomen.
• The two pairs of wings grow from the thorax or
middle section of body.
• Colours on the wings are made up of hundreds of
tiny scales. If you touch a butterfly’s wing gently,
some of the scales may stick to your fingers.
• The butterfly settles on flower and sucks the
nectar through its long, hollow tongue.

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• The tongue is made of two springy, grooved
rods which lock together to form a tube.
• It curls up like a clock spring when the
butterfly is flying.
• The eyes are “compound” or made up of many
hundreds of tiny eyes, each with its own lens.
• The antennae, and perhaps parts of the front
legs too, are organs of scent and taste.

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• How do we distinguish between butterflies and
moth since the structure of both group is so
similarly? In general we can say there are three
methods :-
i. Butterflies are usually day-flying insects
whereas moths normally fly at night.
ii. The antennae of butterflies end in a terminal
knob while no such knob is present in moths.
iii. Butterflies usually rest with the wings held
vertically. Moths usually have the wings spread
out.
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• There are 4 stages of butterflies life. That are eggs,
larva/caterpillar, pupa/chrysalis and the last one is become adult
butterfly.
• The adults lays eggs on some suitable food plant or other
substance. They may be laid singly or in clusters.
• The egg will hatch after a few days and out will come the
caterpillar, which is a very small, almost insignificant insect.
• 16 days after hatching the caterpillar is about 2 quarter inches
long and fully grown. After taking a final feed, it crawls once again
to the of the branch, hangs head downward, and begins the last
moult.
• This time, as the old skin rolls away, a beautiful green chrysalis
appears. The chrysalis is a resting stage in the butterfly’s life cycle.
It does not feed or move.
• Inside, the body of the caterpillar loses its shape, breaking down
to a jelly-like mass.
• From the jelly, the body of the butterfly gradually takes shape. 5
• As the butterfly forms, the colour of the chrysalis changes
from green, to blue , to black.
i. New chrysalis with remains of caterpillar skin.
ii. Blue chrysalis after three to four day.
iii. Purple chrysalis after six to nine days.
iv. Chrysalis with wings beginning to show after 12 to 14 days.
v. Chrysalis beginning to split.
vi. Butterfly emerged, with wings unexpanded.
• The legs, wings and long tongue can be seen forming as the
chrysalis changes colour.
• The butterfly climbs upward and rests on branch or leaf. Its
body is fat, and the wings are still small and wrinkled.
• Then the wings begin to grow bigger and bigger. The butterfly
is forcing liquid from its body into the hollow veins of the
wings, and the body shrinks as the wing expand.
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• After 20 minutes the wings have reached half size ; in about half
an hour they are fully expanded and the body has shrunk to
normal size.
• The butterfly rest while the liquid in the veins harden. In about
another half hour the wings begin fluttering- gently at first, then
more rapidly. Suddenly the butterfly darts into the air and away
it goes in search of food.
• Then we go to the type of butterflies. There are many types of
butterflies.
• First, is The Monarch Butterfly. Anyone who sees this butterfly
will be unlikely to forget it. Its large size, distinctive colouration,
and rather effortless manner of flight readily identify it. The
wings are orange coloured with the margins and veins black, the
black margin containing pale coloured spots.
• The species occurs throughout much of the world and in New
Zealand is found in the North Island and the northern part of the
South Island.
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• New Zealand’s best known butterfly is the Red Admiral. It is
slightly smaller than the Monarch and very plentiful in most
parts of the country from November to April.
• They are powerful fliers and are seldom caught without the
use of a net.
• The forewings are brown at the base and black towards the
apex. At the middle of the forewing is transverse red stripe,
and near the apex of the wings are several small blue spots
and two larger whitish one.
• Near the margin of the hind wing is a broad red transverse
band containing four large spots, each with a blue centre.
• The Yellow Admiral can perhaps best be described as a “twin”
of the Red Admiral.
• It is a strong flier, of somewhat similar size, and lives on the
same food plant, the stinging nettle, although it does not
seem to be quite as common as the Red Admiral.
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• Its colouring is distinctive. The outer part of the wings is
blackish and the remainder a rusty colour. A broad yellow
transverse band runs across the centre of the forewing and
towards the apex is a yellow spot and two white ones. The
broad yellow band of the forewing is most distinctive and can
be seen when the insect is in flight.
• This butterfly occurs chiefly in the North Island and the
northern part of the South Island. Overseas, it is known in
Australia and Loyalty Islands.
• Small butterflies are called “Copper” and “ Blues”, from their
colour. These are New Zealand Copper butterflies, from
different parts of the country.
• They all belong to the same species, although their patterns
and colour are slightly different.

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• Here is a rather rare kind of Copper butterfly. It is called Glade
Copper, because you usually find it in clearings or glades of
the bush. The chrysalis attaches itself to leaves of the food
plant, making a tent or cover for protection.
• The Boulder butterfly is a “Blue”, found more commonly in
the South Island than in the North, and usually seen near
boulder-strewn riverbeds. The caterpillars feed on small-
leaved forms of pohuehue, and the chrysalises are found
among dead leaves and grass roots in the riverbeds.
• Then, the New Zealand Blue butterfly is found in the hot, dry
parts of the country , among road cuttings, clay banks, and
sand hill or at the edge of waste ground.
• In the high mountain country of the South Island, among the
tussock grass and shingle above 4,000 feet, there are two
kinds of very dark-coloured butterflies which move quickly
and are hard to catch.
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• The Large Black Mountain butterfly is fairly common between
December and March. It occurs particularly among areas of
rock and shingled, and you see it only when the sun shines.
When clouds hide the sun, it settles among the warm stones.
• The Small Black Mountain butterfly flies mostly over scrub
and tussock, and again is usually seen only when the sun is
shinning.
• The Tussock butterfly is another species found only in the
South Island. It flies commonly ever tussock country and on
high ground between 1,500 and 4,000 feet. The bright silver
and brown pattern on the underside of the wings blends
perfectly with the colours of the tussock, and helps the
butterfly to hide from its enemies.
• The Beech Forest butterfly is rare, but has been found in
forests all over New Zealand. Its caterpillar feed on sedge
grasses which grow on the forest floor.
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• The Lesser Wanderer, a close relative of the Monarch, has
once been found breeding- on swan plant in New Plymouth.
• One of the best-known butterflies in New Zealand, the Small
White Butterfly, was brought to New Zealand accidentally in
1930. It has since spread up and down the country. The
caterpillars feed on leaves of cabbages, turnips and other
vegetables which man grows for food.

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